Protein News and Research

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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.

New process cells use to produce proteins in low-oxygen environments

"How do bodily cells function when we are at a high altitude where the air contains little oxygen?"

7 May 2012

Cordoning off of lipids of the liver helps manage insulin resistance in the body

A Penn research team, led by Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, reports in Nature Medicine that mice in which an enzyme called histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) was deleted had massively fatty livers, but lower blood sugar, and were thus protected from glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, the hallmark of diabetes.

7 May 2012

Oral nutriceutical restores vision to otherwise hopeless patients facing permanent loss

There may be new found hope for patients whose vision is threatened when medicine injected directly into the eyes fails to cause abnormal blood vessels to recede. While injectable drugs called angiogenesis (an-gee-oh-jen-esis) inhibitors are considered a modern miracle and have become the standard of care for patients with the fast-progressive form of macular degeneration, they are not foolproof.

7 May 2012

Researchers separate low and high-PSA prostate cancer cells

Prostate cancer cells that defy treatment and display heightened tumor-generating capacity can be identified by levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) expressed in the tumor cells, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports in the May 3 edition of Cell Stem Cell.

7 May 2012

UAB experts suggest meal guidelines for summer

It's already May. The heat is rising in the South, and the rest of the country soon will follow. Of course this means swimsuit season, and a plan to arrive at a healthy weight will help you look good at the pool and make you healthier overall, say University of Alabama at Birmingham experts.

5 May 2012

Human stem cells effective in treating muscular dystrophy

Researchers from the University of Minnesota's Lillehei Heart Institute have effectively treated muscular dystrophy in mice using human stem cells derived from a new process that - for the first time - makes the production of human muscle cells from stem cells efficient and effective.

5 May 2012

New system measures strength of communication between muscle cells and motor neurons

In an effort to identify the underlying causes of neurological disorders that impair motor functions such as walking and breathing, UCLA researchers have developed a novel system to measure the communication between stem cell-derived motor neurons and muscle cells in a Petri dish.

5 May 2012

Dilp8 provides an important signal to slow body growth and delay insect development

Two independent groups of researchers have identified a hormone that is responsible for keeping the growth and development of insects on track. The results, which are reported in the journal Science, suggest that Dilp8 provides an important signal to slow body growth and delay insect development.

5 May 2012

MicroRNAs in breast cancer play a role in development of resistance to tamoxifen

Many breast cancer patients are treated with a drug called tamoxifen. The substance blocks the effect of estrogen and thus suppresses the growth signals of this hormone in cancer cells. When resistance to the drug develops, tumor cells change their growth program: They change their behavior and shape, become more mobile and also adopt the ability to invade surrounding tissue. Scientists working with PD (Associate Professor) Dr. Stefan Wiemann of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now also observed these changes in tamoxifen resistant breast cancer cells.

5 May 2012

Low levels of testosterone in men could increase risk of diabetes

Low levels of testosterone in men could increase their risk of developing diabetes, a study suggests.

5 May 2012

Isis commences ISIS-APOCIIIRx Phase 2 study in hypertriglyceridemia

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the initiation of a Phase 2 study evaluating ISIS-APOCIIIRx in patients with hypertriglyceridemia.

5 May 2012

New light on many biological differences between individual breast cancers

New findings presented at Europe's leading breast cancer translational research conference this year shed new light on the many biological differences between individual breast cancers.

4 May 2012

Nature publishes first of two controversial studies on H5N1 avian flu

"In a long-awaited study that helped prompt a contentious debate over the wisdom of conducting research that has the potential to help as well as harm, scientists reported Wednesday that they had engineered a mutant strain of [H5N1] bird flu that can spread easily between ferrets -- a laboratory animal that responds to flu viruses much as people do," the Los Angeles Times (Brown, 5/3).

4 May 2012

Malfunctioning single proteins cause disruptions in neuronal junctions leading to autism

Malfunctioning single proteins can cause disruptions in neuronal junctions leading to autistic forms of behavior. A current study, published in the scientific journal Nature, comes to this conclusion after examining genetically altered mice.

4 May 2012

New analysis may help identify breast cancer patients who will benefit from immune suppressant

A new analysis may help doctors identify breast cancer patients who will benefit from treatment with the immune suppressant drug everolimus, say French researchers at the 4th IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium.

4 May 2012

An Achilles heel within cells that bacteria exploit to cause infection

Scientists have discovered an Achilles heel within our cells that bacteria are able to exploit to cause and spread infection.

4 May 2012

Bionic eye helps two blind men see for the first time in 20 years

In a medical breakthrough two blind men have regained partial sight for the first time in more than 20 years after receiving a “bionic eye”. Scientists said the first clinical trials of the microchip eye implant, which measures just 3mm across and is fitted behind the eyeball, have proved successful and “exceeded expectations”.

4 May 2012

Researchers identify new functions of cohesin SA1 that are relevant for cancer and CdLS

Cohesin is a ring-shaped protein complex involved in the spatial organization of the genome and in mitotic chromosome structure. Vertebrate somatic cells have two versions of cohesin that contain either SA1 or SA2, but their functional specificity has been largely ignored. Researchers of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) under the direction of Ana Losada have identified new functions of cohesin SA1 that are relevant for two human diseases, cancer and Cornelia de Lange Syndrome.

4 May 2012

CSL Behring commences C1-INH phase I/II study in hereditary angioedema

CSL Behring announced today that it has initiated an international phase I/II study of a volume-reduced, subcutaneous formulation of C1-esterase inhibitor (C1-INH) concentrate in patients with hereditary angioedema.

4 May 2012

Alnylam first quarter revenues decrease to $20.6 million

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, today reported its consolidated financial results for the first quarter 2012, and company highlights.

4 May 2012

Protein News and Research

Further Reading

New process cells use to produce proteins in low-oxygen environments

Cordoning off of lipids of the liver helps manage insulin resistance in the body

Oral nutriceutical restores vision to otherwise hopeless patients facing permanent loss

Researchers separate low and high-PSA prostate cancer cells

UAB experts suggest meal guidelines for summer

Human stem cells effective in treating muscular dystrophy

New system measures strength of communication between muscle cells and motor neurons

Dilp8 provides an important signal to slow body growth and delay insect development

MicroRNAs in breast cancer play a role in development of resistance to tamoxifen

Low levels of testosterone in men could increase risk of diabetes

Isis commences ISIS-APOCIIIRx Phase 2 study in hypertriglyceridemia

New light on many biological differences between individual breast cancers

Nature publishes first of two controversial studies on H5N1 avian flu

Malfunctioning single proteins cause disruptions in neuronal junctions leading to autism

New analysis may help identify breast cancer patients who will benefit from immune suppressant

An Achilles heel within cells that bacteria exploit to cause infection

Bionic eye helps two blind men see for the first time in 20 years

Researchers identify new functions of cohesin SA1 that are relevant for cancer and CdLS

CSL Behring commences C1-INH phase I/II study in hereditary angioedema

Alnylam first quarter revenues decrease to $20.6 million

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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