Peptides News and Research

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Twisted molecule, large and folded like a protein - but completely synthetic

The physiological functions of proteins depend on their folding into a particular spatial structure (tertiary structure): enzymes and their substrates must fit together like the proverbial lock and key.

26 Oct 2006

Researchers identify peptide that spurs cargo transport in nerve cells

For the first time, researchers have identified a peptide that can spur cargo transport in nerve cells, a discovery that could help scientists better understand nerve cell function and test possible therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

24 Oct 2006

New smart anti-microbial approach to preventing tooth decay

Preventing cavities could one day involve the dental equivalent of a military surgical strike. A team of researchers supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research report they have created a new smart anti-microbial treatment that can be chemically programmed in the laboratory to seek out and kill a specific cavity-causing species of bacteria, leaving the good bacteria untouched.

23 Oct 2006

Multivalent effects of RGD peptides obtained by nanoparticle display

While a growing body of literature has shown that nanoparticle targeting can improve drug delivery and tumor imaging, there have been few systematic studies examining the net positive effect of nanoparticle targeting.

23 Oct 2006

Targeted tumor therapy has paramount consequences for future expansion of nuclear medicine

Targeted tumor therapy lobs toxic payloads directly into tumors to destroy cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed.

20 Oct 2006

Discovery of mechanism by which Ebola and Marburg viruses cause disease

Researchers in the Greene Infectious Disease Laboratory at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Caribbean Primate Research Center have discovered a key mechanism by which the Filoviruses, Ebola and Marburg, cause disease.

16 Oct 2006

Novel attachment method provides boost to biosensor development

A versatile method for attaching precise amounts of biomolecules and even cells to electrically conductive surfaces could lead to a new generation of nanoscale biosensors with broad applicability in cancer diagnostics and basic research.

9 Oct 2006

Food like an addictive drug for some people

Researchers in the U.S. have found that the same brain circuits are involved when obese people fill their stomachs as when drug addicts think about drugs and the discovery they say suggests an association between overeating and addiction.

3 Oct 2006

Research implicates brain circuits involved in drug craving and emotional response to food

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have found new clues to how the brain and the stomach interact with emotions to cause overeating and obesity.

2 Oct 2006

Leptin could combat type 2 diabetes

University of Florida researchers have discovered the appetite-controlling hormone leptin could also combat type 2 diabetes, a disease that has become a growing problem in the United States as more Americans pack on extra pounds.

21 Sep 2006

Cabernet Sauvignon may reduce incidence of Alzheimer's Disease

A new study directed by Mount Sinai School of Medicine has found that moderate red wine consumption in a form of Cabernet Sauvignon may help reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's Disease (AD).

20 Sep 2006

Study extends the number of antigenic peptides that can be produced from a single protein

Understanding medical research problems often relies on the direct, linear relationship between the sequence of a protein and the DNA encoding that protein. In fact, colinearity of DNA and protein sequences is thought to be a fundamental feature of the universal genetic code.

13 Sep 2006