Phenylalanine News and Research

RSS

Tiny gel drops for the development of regenerative therapies

Tiny drops that resemble an extracellular matrix can be used to culture cells for delivery into the human body.

9 Aug 2021

Research suggests potential new treatment strategy for phenylketonuria

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered a critical new factor in regulating phenylalanine metabolism and, therefore, in preventing the inherited metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU).

5 Aug 2021

Untargeted metabolomics profiling can improve diagnosis of metabolic disorders in newborns

A team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine found that a screening method known as untargeted metabolomics profiling can improve the diagnostic rate for inborn errors of metabolism, a group of rare genetic conditions, by about seven-fold when compared to the traditional metabolic screening approach.

12 Jul 2021

Researchers identify common epitopes across SARS-CoV-2 viral variants

While several COVID-19 vaccine candidates have been developed and deployed to arrest the spread of SARS-CoV-2, concern among scientists and public health authorities is mounting over the immunity escape potential of emerging viral variants. To address this problem, a group of scientists in Germany has undertaken research to identify molecular targets across viral variants to aid in the development of second and third-generation vaccines and novel therapeutics.

1 Jun 2021

Mouse model provides new understanding about Folling Disease

In Norway, all newborn children are tested for 25 rare genetic diseases through the Newborn Screening program, and the most common of these is phenylketonuria (abbreviated to PKU), known as Folling Disease.

7 Apr 2021

New bioprinting process uses ultrashort peptides to print hydrogel scaffolds

A new automated process prints a peptide-based hydrogel scaffold containing uniformly distributed cells. The scaffolds hold their shapes well and successfully facilitate cell growth that lasts for weeks.

5 Apr 2021

Structure of SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein-epithelial cell junction protein complex explains virulence

A new study by researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University in the U.S. describes the key interaction between the viral envelope (E) protein and the human cell junction protein, PALS1. The latter is necessary to establish and maintain cell polarity and tight junctions between cells.

26 Feb 2021

Substrain of SARS-CoV-2 variant in UK may resist antibody neutralization

Researchers at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw have identified a substrain of the recently emerged B.1.1.7 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that may confer resistance to antibody neutralization.

10 Feb 2021

Can metabolic biomarkers help clinicians stratify adverse outcome risk in COVID-19 patients?

A recent study describes the alterations in lipids and other parameters that define the state of dysfunctional metabolism in acute COVID-19 illness.

20 Jan 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 variant emerges in the U.S.

Even as the rollout of vaccines all over the world brings a glimmer of hope that the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may end in the near future, new variants continue to emerge, some with the potential to escape vaccine-induced or therapeutic antibodies. Now, a new preprint research paper published on the bioRxiv server describes a new American variant that may have become the dominant strain in the USA.

18 Jan 2021

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 NTD-directed antibodies are protective against lethal infection

As the world struggles to contain the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for over 1.6 million deaths and 76 million infections globally, researchers are trying to pin down the determinants of lethality, of infectivity and of protection. Such data would help contain its spread and develop preventive and therapeutic antivirals and vaccines. A new preprint that appeared recently on the bioRxiv* server describes the high degree of protection afforded by antibodies that target the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the virus.

24 Dec 2020

Researchers identify new biomarkers associated with incident heart failure

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital have discovered several new biomarkers that are associated with incident heart failure.

16 Dec 2020

Specific SARS-CoV-2 genomic variations are associated with higher COVID-19 deaths

A team of scientists from South Korea and the United States has conducted an interesting study to investigate whether mutations in the genome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can affect the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study findings reveal that mutations in the viral spike protein and RNA polymerase complex can increase the risk of COVID-19 mortality.

25 Nov 2020

New, non-invasive method for diagnosing and preventing colorectal cancer

Researchers from the University of Alicante(UA) and Alicante General University Hospital's Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL) have developed a new non-invasive method for diagnosing and preventing colorectal cancer (CRC) through the analysis of volatile organic compounds in stool samples.

19 Nov 2020

Metabolic biomarkers could predict COVID-19 severity

A new study suggests that metabolic biomarkers could possibly predict the severity of COVID-19 in patients.

16 Nov 2020

Increased hydroxyproline levels may be associated with joint hypermobility in autistic children

A team of researchers found out that children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) have increased levels of the amino acid hydroxyproline.

29 Sep 2020

Researchers develop 'Trojan horse' approach to destroy cancer cells

Cancer cells are killed in lab experiments and tumour growth reduced in mice, using a new approach that turns a nanoparticle into a 'Trojan horse' that causes cancer cells to self-destruct, a research team at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has found.

23 Sep 2020

Molecular dynamic simulations reveal detailed spike-ACE2 interactions

The current COVID-19 pandemic has spread throughout the world. Caused by a single-stranded RNA betacoronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is closely related to but much more infectious than the earlier highly pathogenic betacoronaviruses SARS and MERS-CoV, has impacted social, economic, and physical health to an unimaginable extent.

23 Sep 2020

Coronacept - A trap-and-destroy molecule against SARS-CoV-2

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020 reports a novel engineered molecule based on human and other mammalian orthologues of ACE2 fused with the Fc part of the antibody. This molecule interacts more tightly with the viral receptor-binding domain (RBD) to constitute a powerful immunoadhesin that targets the virus for destruction.

17 Aug 2020

Direct structural link between SARS-CoV-2 and essential fatty acid

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports the discovery of a novel free fatty acid (FFA) binding pocket on the SARS-CoV-2 virus that could explain in part the viral effects of hyperinflammation, immune modulation, and membrane structure.

21 Jun 2020