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.

Scientists discover gene mutation responsible for CDG

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has discovered the gene mutation responsible for a condition in which eye and brain development is severely disrupted in affected infants.

16 Jul 2010

The Children's Hospital, UCH to jointly establish new center for advanced maternal fetal medicine

The Children's Hospital and the University of Colorado Hospital have finalized an agreement to jointly establish a center for advanced maternal fetal medicine offering state-of-the-art care for high-risk pregnant women and their babies. The two leading academic medical centers have individually provided such services for more than three decades, and by building on already existing adult and pediatric expertise, they together will be able to provide unparalleled care and treatment for the region's most at-risk moms and babies.

16 Jul 2010

Essential nutrient in eggs may reduce risk of infant heart defects

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a choline-deficient diet is associated with increased risk for heart defects during prenatal development. Choline is an essential nutrient required for normal cell activity, healthy brain and nerve function, liver metabolism and transportation of nutrients throughout the body.

16 Jul 2010

Proteinuria screening identifies risk for kidney disease progression

A morning urine test is superior to all other tests for detecting declining kidney performance in patients with diabetic kidney disease, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that clinicians should monitor kidney function by measuring the albumin:creatinine ratio from a first morning urine sample.

16 Jul 2010

Columbia scientists discover new way to alleviate chronic pain

Columbia scientists working to combat injury-related depression, substance abuse and suicide due to unremitting, persistent pain may have discovered a new way of treating that pain: a powerful analgesic dubbed N60 that leads to neither tolerance nor addiction.

16 Jul 2010

High blood pressure, diabetes leads to CKD

People with diabetes and high blood pressure need to take care of their kidneys. According to the July issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing problem in the United States. The most common causes are diabetes and high blood pressure

16 Jul 2010

Scientists discover that C35 gene becomes overactive in HER2 positive tumours

UK scientists have discovered that a gene called C35 can work together with other cancer-promoting genes to drive the growth and invasion of breast cancer cells in the lab.

16 Jul 2010

New findings on macrophage activation can facilitate development of early diagnosis tools

Immune system cells called macrophages spring into action to surround and destroy threats such as viruses or cancer cells. But sometimes the would-be protective response leads to persistent inflammation, which, in turn, can cause disease.Scientists don't know exactly how macrophages cross the line from being good cops to bad cops, but researchers at the University of Florida recently unearthed several clues about the mechanisms involved. Through the lens of two inflammation-related diseases, HIV and rheumatoid arthritis, they identified changes in specific proteins linked to the action of macrophages, white blood cells that are key to the body's natural defenses.

16 Jul 2010

QR Pharma to present positive clinical data from mechanism of action study in MCI at ICAD 2010

QR Pharma, Inc., a developer of novel drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD), is presenting a poster today on positive clinical data from its recent mechanism of action study in mild cognitive impaired (MCI) patients at the International Congress on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2010).

15 Jul 2010

Scientists gather to discuss latest advances in Alzheimer's disease at AAICAD 2010

This week, nearly 4,000 scientists from around the world gathered to report and discuss the latest advances in research on treatments, risk factors, and diagnosis for the health epidemic of the 21st century – Alzheimer's disease – at the Alzheimer's Association's 2010 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Honolulu.

15 Jul 2010

ALLOZYNE signs worldwide licensing agreement with The Scripps Research Institute

ALLOZYNE Inc. announced today the signing of a worldwide licensing agreement with The Scripps Research Institute. The agreement gives ALLOZYNE rights to a unique and powerful chemical reaction, developed by Nobel Laureate K. Barry Sharpless of Scripps Research, known as "Click chemistry." The novelty of this reaction comes from its ability to introduce two different molecular components and have them "click" together stably and irreversibly.

15 Jul 2010

Researchers use new biomarkers to study structure of protein deposits caused by Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have used a newly discovered class of biomarkers to investigate the possibility that the shape of brain protein deposits is different in people with Alzheimer's who have the highest-risk gene type than in those with the condition who have a neutral risk gene type. The study is being presented July 14 at the 2010 Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Honolulu, Hawaii.

15 Jul 2010

Watson Pharmaceuticals signs exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with Itero Biopharmaceuticals

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with Itero Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a venture-backed specialty biopharmaceutical company, to develop and commercialize Itero's Recombinant Follicle Stimulating Hormone. The product is currently in preclinical development as a biosimilar molecule for the treatment of female infertility.

15 Jul 2010

Scientists comment on two clinical trials that use Rituximab to treat small-vessel vasculitis

Two UNC School of Medicine faculty authored an editorial in the July 15, 2010 New England Journal of Medicine commenting on results from two clinical trials using the drug Rituximab to treat small-vessel vasculitis, a rare autoimmune disease.

15 Jul 2010

New use of green fluorescent protein

Scientists are reporting discovery of a way to help proteins such as the new generation of protein-based drugs -- sometimes heralded as tomorrow's potential "miracle cures" -- get past the biochemical "Entrance Forbidden" barrier that keeps them from entering cells and doing their work. The new technique, described in the monthly journal, ACS Chemical Biology, represents a new use for an engineered form of green fluorescent protein, the topic of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry that is one of the most important research tools in biosciences.

15 Jul 2010

NIH announces 5 more years of funding for Consortium of Food Allergy Research

Today, the National Institutes of Health announce that the Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR), established in 2005, will be funded for five more years. CoFAR will continue to foster new approaches to prevent and treat food allergies and also expand in scope to include research on the genetic causes underlying food allergy and studies of food allergy-associated eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs).

15 Jul 2010

Implantable artificial salivary gland to be developed for Xerostomia patients

The goal of this research was to create an ECM modified hyaluronic acid (HA) based hydrogel culture system that allows for the growth and differentiation of salivary acinar cells into functional acini-like structures capable of secreting large amounts of protein and fluid unidirectionally. Xerostomia, a condition resulting from irradiation of the head and neck, affects more than 40,000 cancer patients each year in the United States. According to this research, these patients will greatly benefit from the development of a functional implantable artificial salivary gland.

15 Jul 2010

Over half of UK swine flu hospital admissions, deaths occurred in previously healthy people: Research

Over half of UK swine flu hospital admissions and inpatient deaths occurred in people with no underlying health problems or obvious risk factors, research at the University of Liverpool has found.

15 Jul 2010

Key protein in insulin signaling pathway adds insights into development, aging

What makes a bee grow up to be a queen? Scientists have long pondered this mystery. Now, researchers in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University have fit a new piece into the puzzle of bee development. Their work not only adds to understanding about bees, but also adds insights into our own development and aging.

15 Jul 2010

New research focuses on calcium channels in lysosome membrane

In cells, as in cities, disposing of garbage and recycling anything that can be reused is an essential service. In both city and cell, health problems can arise when the process breaks down.

15 Jul 2010

Protein News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists discover gene mutation responsible for CDG

The Children's Hospital, UCH to jointly establish new center for advanced maternal fetal medicine

Essential nutrient in eggs may reduce risk of infant heart defects

Proteinuria screening identifies risk for kidney disease progression

Columbia scientists discover new way to alleviate chronic pain

High blood pressure, diabetes leads to CKD

Scientists discover that C35 gene becomes overactive in HER2 positive tumours

New findings on macrophage activation can facilitate development of early diagnosis tools

QR Pharma to present positive clinical data from mechanism of action study in MCI at ICAD 2010

Scientists gather to discuss latest advances in Alzheimer's disease at AAICAD 2010

ALLOZYNE signs worldwide licensing agreement with The Scripps Research Institute

Researchers use new biomarkers to study structure of protein deposits caused by Alzheimer's disease

Watson Pharmaceuticals signs exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with Itero Biopharmaceuticals

Scientists comment on two clinical trials that use Rituximab to treat small-vessel vasculitis

New use of green fluorescent protein

NIH announces 5 more years of funding for Consortium of Food Allergy Research

Implantable artificial salivary gland to be developed for Xerostomia patients

Over half of UK swine flu hospital admissions, deaths occurred in previously healthy people: Research

Key protein in insulin signaling pathway adds insights into development, aging

New research focuses on calcium channels in lysosome membrane

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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