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Groundbreaking UVA research may lead to creation of male contraceptive

Groundbreaking new reproductive research from the School of Medicine has identified key molecular events that could be playing a critical role as sperm and egg fuse to create new life. The findings might one day lead to the creation of a male contraceptive.

24 Jun 2015

Mutations in ZnT2 protein reduce amounts of zinc levels in mother's milk

Zinc plays an important role in a woman's ability to successfully breast-feed her child, according to health researchers.

16 Jun 2015

Frankfurt researchers decode molecular details that provide better understanding of neurodegenerative diseases

Quality control is important - this is not only applicable to industrial production but also true for all life processes. However, whereas an enterprise can start a large-scale recall in case of any doubt, defects in the quality control systems of cells are often fatal.

9 Jun 2015

New tool could help identify pathogens in food and beverages

Researchers at the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) in Mexico, developed a technology capable of identifying pathogens in food and beverages. This technique could work in the restaurant industry as a biosensor to detect in what conditions food is before being eaten in order to avoid possible gastrointestinal diseases.

27 May 2015

UM cell biologist advances research about behavior of cell proteins in neuroblastoma

Patience and persistence are beginning to pay off for University of Montana Professor Mark Grimes, whose research about the behavior of cell proteins in childhood cancer recently was published by the Public Library of Science Computational Biology.

From Cell Signaling Technology 10 May 2015

Gene therapy is key to addressing Sanfilippo Syndrome, say Ohio scientists and clinicians

Gene therapy is the delivery of DNA into a patient's cells to replace faulty or missing genes—or adds new genes—in an attempt to cure cancer or make changes so the body is better able to fight off disease. Scientists and clinicians have identified a number of different ways to do this, in an effort to correct malfunctioning or mutated genes. Many gene therapy clinical trials are ongoing to assess the safety and potential benefits in patients with rare diseases.

8 May 2015

Study offers new insights into construction of nuclear pores in nuclear envelope

In a recent study, a team of researchers led by Alwin Köhler at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) belonging to the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna offer new insights into how nuclear pores are constructed in the nuclear envelope.

6 May 2015

IMIM researchers identify new way of treating colorectal cancer

Researchers at the Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques (IMIM) have identified a new way of treating colorectal cancer. In the study published in the journal Science Signaling, the team led by LLuís Espinosa, investigator of IMIM's research group into stem cells and cancer, have shown that inhibition of endosomal activity is a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cancers with the BRAF mutated gene.

23 Apr 2015

Autophagy: A new approach to fighting tuberculosis

A new approach to combatting tuberculosis would take advantage of a complex, natural process called autophagy that the human body uses to recycle nutrients, remove damaged cell components, eliminate invading bacteria, and respond to inflammation.

16 Apr 2015

One round of adenosine triphosphate turnover sufficient for SNARE complex disassembly

In 2013, James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman, and Thomas C. Südhof won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries of molecular machineries for vesicle trafficking, a major transport system in cells for maintaining cellular processes. Vesicle traffic acts as a kind of "home-delivery service" in cells.

30 Mar 2015

Mitochondrial DNA movement: an interview with Professor Jiri Neuzil, Griffith University

According to our understanding, mitochondria undergo cycles of fusion-fission, i.e. they divide within the constraints of a cell and, upon cell division, each of the two daughter cells gets its ‘share’ of mitochondria.

29 Mar 2015

Study suggests benefits of calorie restriction on healthy aging

Targeting mechanisms in the central nervous system that sense energy generated by nutrients might yield the beneficial effects of low-calorie diets on healthy aging without the need to alter food intake, suggests new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

27 Feb 2015

Research findings may point to new treatment for patients with Mitofusin 2 deficiency

Researchers have discovered a novel role for Mitofusin 2, and the findings may point to a new treatment for patients with diseases caused by loss of the mitochondrial protein.

16 Feb 2015

Researchers discover molecular 'switch' that controls replication, transcription of mitochondria DNA

A team of researchers led by Dmitry Temiakov, PhD, of the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM), has discovered a molecular 'switch' that controls replication and transcription of mitochondria DNA, a key finding that could influence the development of targeted therapies for cancer, developmental processes related to fertility and aging.

16 Feb 2015

RAB3GAP complex plays important role in autophagy

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease are typically characterized by protein deposits in the brain. These are comprised of defective, insoluble proteins which no longer fulfill their function and which cells are unable to break down. The work group headed by Professor Christian Behl of the Institute of Pathobiochemistry of the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz has determined the RAB3GAP complex as a novel factor that influences the efficient degradation of proteins.

12 Feb 2015

Diabetes medication can help white blood cells fight bacterial infections

Pioglitazone, a medication approved for treatment of type 2 diabetes, can help bypass genetic defects in chronic granulomatous disease to help white blood cells fight bacterial infections, according to researchers at National Jewish Health.

12 Feb 2015

TUSM researchers awarded $7.4 million to study brain impairment in patients infected with HIV

Researchers at Temple University School of Medicine have been awarded a $7.4 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to determine how cocaine and HIV-1 interact to cause brain impairment in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.

11 Feb 2015

New study shows mechanism behind tubulin transport in cilia

Defective cilia can lead to a host of diseases and conditions in the human body--from rare, inherited bone malformations to blindness, male infertility, kidney disease and obesity. Scientists knew that somehow these tiny cell organelles become deformed and cause these diseases because of a problem related to their assembly, which requires the translocation of vast quantities of the vital cell protein tubulin.

28 Jan 2015

Researchers explore how M6P deficiency affects different kinds of immune cells

A group of white blood cells known as B cells, which play a key role in the human immune response, need a protein-targeting signal called mannose 6-phosphate (M6P) in order to proliferate, differentiate, and present immune cell-activating antigens, according to a study in The Journal of Cell Biology.

20 Jan 2015

Modelling the biological mesoscale: an interview with Professor Art Olson

The biological mesoscale range includes biological structures that range from 10 to 100 nanometers (billionths of a meter). Structures in this size range include viruses, cellular organelles, large molecular complexes, and any other internal cellular environments within that range.

18 Jan 2015