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Proteins are complex molecules that are made up of amino acids. They can be found in every cell in the body, and carry out vital processes that keep human beings alive. Mutations in proteins can lead to a multitude of diseases, the most common being cancer.

KLF6-SV1 gene variant drives the spread of breast cancer

A team of researchers led by Goutham Narla, MD, PhD, at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center, and collaborators at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Erasmus Medical Center, have discovered a gene variant that drives the spread of breast cancer.

23 Jan 2013

New apatamer can boost therapeutic effect of cell-based vaccines

A small compound called an aptamer that specifically targets and stimulates a human immune cell can greatly increase the effectiveness of an immunotherapeutic drug designed to destroy malignant or virus-infected cells. The development of a novel apatamer that recognizes activated T-lymphocytes and can boost the therapeutic effect of cell-based vaccines is described in an article in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers.

23 Jan 2013

BH3-mimetics might be new option for treatment of autoimmune conditions

Melbourne researchers have discovered that the death of immune system cells is an important safeguard against the development of diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, which occur when the immune system attacks the body's own tissues.

23 Jan 2013

Genentech receives FDA approval for new use of Avastin plus chemotherapy to treat mCRC

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new use of Avastin (bevacizumab) in combination with fluoropyrimidine-based irinotecan or oxaliplatin chemotherapy for people with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

23 Jan 2013

Novartis receives FDA approval for Exjade to treat chronic iron overload in NTDT patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approved use of Exjade (deferasirox) to treat patients ages 10 years and older who have chronic iron overload resulting from a genetic blood disorder called non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia (NTDT).

23 Jan 2013

Researchers pinpoint several inherited mutations in autism

While autism clearly runs in some families, few inherited genetic causes have been found. A major reason is that these causes are so varied that it's hard to find enough people with a given mutation to establish a clear pattern. Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have pinpointed several inherited mutations—among the first to be identified—through an unusual approach: using whole-exome sequencing to study large Middle Eastern families with autism.

23 Jan 2013

Enterococcal cytolysin synthetase helps form distinctly different, 3-D protein ring structures

While working out the structure of a cell-killing protein produced by some strains of the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis, researchers stumbled on a bit of unusual biochemistry. They found that a single enzyme helps form distinctly different, three-dimensional ring structures in the protein, one of which had never been observed before.

23 Jan 2013

SMO and AKT1 mutations appear to drive about 15% of meningiomas

Large-scale genomic sequencing has revealed two DNA mutations that appear to drive about 15 percent of brain tumors known as meningiomas, a finding that could lead to the first effective drug treatments for the tumors, report scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute.

23 Jan 2013

New targeted enzyme replacement therapy can treat X-linked myotubular myopathy

A collaborative research team including a Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) pediatric neuropathologist successfully mitigated some of the effects of a muscular disease by using a new targeted enzyme replacement therapy strategy from 4s3 Bioscience.

23 Jan 2013

GeneDiagnostics, WILEX partner to commercialize serum HER-2/neu ELISA test in China

WILEX AG today announced that its US subsidiary WILEX Inc., Cambridge, MA, has entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with GeneDiagnostics Inc. for the commercialization of the serum HER-2/neu ELISA test in China.

23 Jan 2013

UCLA researchers identify abnormal tau proteins associated with sports-related concussions

Sports-related concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries have grabbed headlines in recent months, as the long-term damage they can cause becomes increasingly evident among both current and former athletes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that millions of these injuries occur each year.

23 Jan 2013

Study details exactly how Her2 gene promotes progression and spread of breast cancer cells

Research led by Dr. Suresh Alahari, the Fred Brazda Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans and its Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, details exactly how the Her2 cancer gene promotes the progression and spread of breast cancer cells.

23 Jan 2013

Novel way to engineer specialized immune cells targeted by the AIDS virus

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found a novel way to engineer key cells of the immune system so they remain resistant to infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

23 Jan 2013

EBV reactivation can increase risk of heart disease

A new study could provide the link that scientists have been looking for to confirm that reactivation of a latent herpes virus is a cause of some heart problems.

23 Jan 2013

Studies identify cellular pathways involved in governing day-night pattern of circadian rhythms

UC Irvine-led studies have revealed the cellular mechanism by which circadian rhythms - also known as the body clock - modify energy metabolism and also have identified novel compounds that control this action. The findings point to potential treatments for disorders triggered by circadian rhythm dysfunction, ranging from insomnia and obesity to diabetes and cancer.

23 Jan 2013

Research on dystrophin gene sequence could lead to treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Muscular dystrophy is caused by the largest human gene, a complex chemical leviathan that has confounded scientists for decades. Research conducted at the University of Missouri and described this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has identified significant sections of the gene that could provide hope to young patients and families.

23 Jan 2013

UB scientists propose first genomic explanation for schizophrenia

New University at Buffalo research demonstrates how defects in an important neurological pathway in early development may be responsible for the onset of schizophrenia later in life.

23 Jan 2013

Insight into mechanical properties that break the outer segment of photoreceptors

Light-sensing cells in the eye rely on their outer segment to convert light into neural signals that allow us to see. But because of its unique cylindrical shape, the outer segment is prone to breakage, which can cause blindness in humans. A study published by Cell Press on January 22nd in the Biophysical Journal provides new insight into the mechanical properties that cause the outer segment to snap under pressure.

23 Jan 2013

Very low levels of BPS can disrupt natural estrogen hormone actions

A few years ago, manufacturers of water bottles, food containers, and baby products had a big problem. A key ingredient of the plastics they used to make their merchandise, an organic compound called bisphenol A, had been linked by scientists to diabetes, asthma and cancer and altered prostate and neurological development.

23 Jan 2013

SLU team discovers molecular pathway that contributes to triple-negative breast cancer

In research published in the Jan. 17 issue of The Journal of Cell Biology, a team led by Susana Gonzalo, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Saint Louis University, has discovered a molecular pathway that contributes to triple-negative breast cancer, an often deadly and treatment resistant form of cancer that tends to strike younger women.

23 Jan 2013

Protein News and Research

Further Reading

KLF6-SV1 gene variant drives the spread of breast cancer

New apatamer can boost therapeutic effect of cell-based vaccines

BH3-mimetics might be new option for treatment of autoimmune conditions

Genentech receives FDA approval for new use of Avastin plus chemotherapy to treat mCRC

Novartis receives FDA approval for Exjade to treat chronic iron overload in NTDT patients

Researchers pinpoint several inherited mutations in autism

Enterococcal cytolysin synthetase helps form distinctly different, 3-D protein ring structures

SMO and AKT1 mutations appear to drive about 15% of meningiomas

New targeted enzyme replacement therapy can treat X-linked myotubular myopathy

GeneDiagnostics, WILEX partner to commercialize serum HER-2/neu ELISA test in China

UCLA researchers identify abnormal tau proteins associated with sports-related concussions

Study details exactly how Her2 gene promotes progression and spread of breast cancer cells

Novel way to engineer specialized immune cells targeted by the AIDS virus

EBV reactivation can increase risk of heart disease

Studies identify cellular pathways involved in governing day-night pattern of circadian rhythms

Research on dystrophin gene sequence could lead to treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

UB scientists propose first genomic explanation for schizophrenia

Insight into mechanical properties that break the outer segment of photoreceptors

Very low levels of BPS can disrupt natural estrogen hormone actions

SLU team discovers molecular pathway that contributes to triple-negative breast cancer

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

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