Membrane News and Research

RSS

Scientists discover axons can send signals to cell body

Neurons are complicated, but the basic functional concept is that synapses transmit electrical signals to the dendrites and cell body, and axons carry signals away.

18 Feb 2011

Researchers identify normal movement mechanisms of PrPC in brain

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the motors that move non-infectious prion proteins (PrPC) - found within many mammalian cells - up and down long, neuronal transport pathways.

18 Feb 2011

Two studies investigate frontiers of islet cell transplantation for treating diabetes

Two studies published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation investigate frontiers of islet cell transplantation for treating diabetes. Researchers in Milan, Italy re-examine the role of bone marrow stem cells in diabetic therapy and islet cell regeneration and Canadian researchers offer improved strategies for optimizing pancreatic islet culture in vitro.

18 Feb 2011

Positive preliminary data from ongoing PSMA ADC phase 1 study against prostate cancer

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported positive preliminary data from an ongoing phase 1 study of PSMA ADC, an antibody-drug conjugate designed to selectively deliver chemotherapy to cells that express prostate-specific membrane antigen.

17 Feb 2011

Metallic copper surfaces kill bacteria on contact

Metallic copper surfaces kill microbes on contact, decimating their populations, according to a paper in the February 2011 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. They do so literally in minutes, by causing massive membrane damage after about a minute's exposure, says the study's corresponding author, Gregor Grass of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. This is the first study to demonstrate this mechanism of bacteriocide.

17 Feb 2011

Study sheds light on novel functions of certain PCSK enzymes

Recent studies conducted at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montr-al on a group of PCSK enzymes could have a positive impact on health, from cholesterol to osteoporosis.

17 Feb 2011

Study explores role of proline containing peptides in inhibiting anti-apoptotic function of XIAP

Basic and translational research on cancer, and development of new cancer therapeutics, has focused on different aspects of cancer cellular function. One area of focus is the life and death of a cancer cell. Apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death, is a fundamental process of cells including cancer cells. The signal transduction pathways of apoptosis involve many different proteins and their interactions with each other.

16 Feb 2011

Affymetrix introduces NG Class Detergents to advance study of integral membrane proteins

Affymetrix, Inc. today launched its Anatrace® brand Neopentyl Glycol (NG) Class™ Detergents, the next generation of detergents to significantly advance the study of integral membrane proteins (IMPs), the most important proteins found in the human genome.

14 Feb 2011

Some fat is essential for body function

It's common knowledge that too much cholesterol and other fats can lead to disease, and that a healthy diet involves watching how much fatty food we eat. However, our bodies need a certain amount of fat to function—and we can't make it from scratch.

14 Feb 2011

Presence of jumping genes, amplified oncogenes may be key to tumor progression: Researchers

The Massachusetts General Hospital research team that first discovered tumor-associated RNA in tiny membrane-enclosed sacs released into the bloodstream by cancer cells has now found that these microvesicles also contain segments of tumor DNA, including retrotransposons - also called "jumping genes" - that copy and insert themselves into other areas of the genome.

10 Feb 2011

Phospholipid membranes demonstrate ability to absorb lanthanum cations

University of Granada scientists and the Spanish Higher Institute for Scientific Research (CSIC) have made significant progress in understanding lipid membranes, which are extensively employed in the development of cosmetic and drug products, and which have potential application in the field of nanotechnology.

10 Feb 2011

Scientists generate beating heart cells from skin cells of young patients with severe genetic heart defect

Using skin cells from young patients who have a severe genetic heart defect, Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have generated beating heart cells that carry the same genetic mutation. The newly created human heart cells - cardiomyocytes - allowed the researchers for the first time to examine and characterize the disorder at the cellular level.

10 Feb 2011

Single molecule imaging movies of living cell membranes clarify enigma surrounding receptor molecule behaviors

Unprecedented single molecule imaging movies of living cell membranes, taken by a research team based at Kyoto University and the University of New Mexico, have clarified a decades-old enigma surrounding receptor molecule behaviors. The results, appearing in the latest issue of the Journal of Cell Biology, promise to open the door to new possibilities for drug development.

9 Feb 2011

Rapid detection of transiently folded single-molecule structures from 'intrinsically disordered proteins'

A team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have developed a novel technique to observe previously unknown details of how folded structures are formed from an intrinsically disordered protein. The insights could help scientists to better understand the mechanism of plaque formation in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

9 Feb 2011

Scientists develop novel technique to detect disordered protein folding

A team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego have developed a novel technique to observe previously unknown details of how folded structures are formed from an intrinsically disordered protein.

9 Feb 2011

TREK1 activity offers a key target for fluoxetine and other antidepressant drugs

Using a unique and relatively simple cell-based fluorescent assay they developed, scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley have identified a means by which fluoxetine, the active ingredient in Prozac, suppresses the activity of the TREK1 potassium channel.

8 Feb 2011

Researchers develop new method for drug discovery using math to combat HIV, other diseases

Using mathematical concepts, Princeton researchers have developed a method of discovering new drugs for a range of diseases by calculating which physical properties of biological molecules may predict their effectiveness as medicines.

8 Feb 2011

Anti-cancer drug tied to golden missiles

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed a little bomb that promises a big bang for cancer patients.

5 Feb 2011

Engineered cells take control of the cells and microenvironment following transplantation

In work that could jumpstart the promising field of cell therapy, in which cells are transplanted into the body to treat a variety of diseases and tissue defects, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have engineered cells that could solve one of the key challenges associated with the procedure: control of the cells and their microenvironment following transplantation.

4 Feb 2011

Coordinated behavior occurs whether or not neurons are actually connected via synapses

The brain-awake and sleeping-is awash in electrical activity, and not just from the individual pings of single neurons communicating with each other. In fact, the brain is enveloped in countless overlapping electric fields, generated by the neural circuits of scores of communicating neurons.

3 Feb 2011

Membrane News and Research

Scientists discover axons can send signals to cell body

Researchers identify normal movement mechanisms of PrPC in brain

Two studies investigate frontiers of islet cell transplantation for treating diabetes

Positive preliminary data from ongoing PSMA ADC phase 1 study against prostate cancer

Metallic copper surfaces kill bacteria on contact

Study sheds light on novel functions of certain PCSK enzymes

Study explores role of proline containing peptides in inhibiting anti-apoptotic function of XIAP

Affymetrix introduces NG Class Detergents to advance study of integral membrane proteins

Some fat is essential for body function

Presence of jumping genes, amplified oncogenes may be key to tumor progression: Researchers

Phospholipid membranes demonstrate ability to absorb lanthanum cations

Scientists generate beating heart cells from skin cells of young patients with severe genetic heart defect

Single molecule imaging movies of living cell membranes clarify enigma surrounding receptor molecule behaviors

Rapid detection of transiently folded single-molecule structures from 'intrinsically disordered proteins'

Scientists develop novel technique to detect disordered protein folding

TREK1 activity offers a key target for fluoxetine and other antidepressant drugs

Researchers develop new method for drug discovery using math to combat HIV, other diseases

Anti-cancer drug tied to golden missiles

Engineered cells take control of the cells and microenvironment following transplantation

Coordinated behavior occurs whether or not neurons are actually connected via synapses

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

Latest Life Science News