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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.

Excess neuronal protein plays role in the evolution of neurodegenerative diseases: Research

In diverse neurodegenerative diseases ranging from Parkinson's to Alzheimer's, researchers have long noted accumulations of a little-understood neuronal protein called α-synuclein. Pathological and genetic evidence strongly suggested that excessive α-synuclein played a role in the evolution of these diseases, but it was unclear how too much α-synuclein culminated in synaptic damage and neurodegeneration.

17 Jun 2010

Researchers identify peptide that triggers diabetes

Researchers at National Jewish Health and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have identified the precise protein fragment, or peptide, that can trigger diabetes in mice. The finding, published in the June 15, 2010, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, supports an emerging theory about the origins of autoimmunity, and may lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in humans.

17 Jun 2010

CINJ researchers combine series of vaccination injections to treat prostate cancer

Looking to harness the body's own immune system to target prostate cancer that has spread to the bones (metastatic) and is unresponsive to standard treatment, investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey have just launched a clinical trial focusing on a combination of vaccine and radiation drug therapy.

17 Jun 2010

OncoMed, Bayer Schering Pharma to develop and commercialize novel anti-cancer stem cell therapeutics

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany, today announced a global strategic alliance to discover, develop and commercialize novel anti-cancer stem cell therapeutics targeting the Wnt signaling pathway. Cancer stem cells are a subset of tumor cells believed to play a significant role in the establishment, metastasis and recurrence of cancer.

17 Jun 2010

Stony Brook team creates live attenuated influenza virus vaccine by computer-aided rational design

A team of molecular biologists and computer scientists at Stony Brook University have used a novel method to weaken (attenuate) influenza virus by way of designing hundreds of mutations to its genetic code to create an effective vaccine. Reported online and in the July issue of Nature Biotechnology, the method may be a major step in developing more effective and safe vaccines against influenza, which claims 250,000 to 500,000 lives annually worldwide, partly because existing vaccines are not fully effective.

17 Jun 2010

QR Pharma, Massachusetts General Hospital announce Parkinson's disease research collaboration

QR Pharma, Inc. (QR) and Massachusetts General Hospital announced today a new collaborative research agreement to work on a treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD).

17 Jun 2010

Curis reports topline results from GDC-0449 Phase II clinical trial for metastatic colorectal cancer

Curis, Inc., a drug development company seeking to develop next generation targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer treatment, today announced topline results from a Phase II clinical trial conducted by Roche and Genentech, Curis' collaborator and a wholly owned member of the Roche Group, of GDC-0449, a first-in-class Hedgehog pathway inhibitor. GDC-0449 was tested in combination with Avastin® (bevacizumab) and FOLFOX or FOLFIRI chemotherapy in first-line metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

17 Jun 2010

New biomarker study explores early detection of ovarian cancer

Despite many research advances, ovarian cancer remains lethal in a majority of cases, due to late diagnosis of the disease. In a new study, Dr. Joshua LaBaer of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, along with Arturo Ramirez and Paul Lampe, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, used a novel method for identifying biomarkers-proteins in blood that can identify ovarian cancer before symptoms appear.

17 Jun 2010

Alcohol consumption associated with reduced risk of developing several arthritic conditions: Study

Alcohol consumption is associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing several arthritic conditions including Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and spondylarthropathy, according to results of a new study presented today at EULAR 2010, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Rome, Italy.

17 Jun 2010

GTC Biotherapeutics closes new $7 million secured convertible debt financing

GTC Biotherapeutics, Inc. announced the closing of a new $7 million secured convertible debt financing by its strategic partner, LFB Biotechnologies SAS, in connection with a restructuring of GTC's operations which will result in a downsizing of approximately 30 full-time positions at its headquarters and an additional 20 positions at its farm facility.

16 Jun 2010

Stress-related psychiatric disorders more common among women: Study

There may be a biological reason why depression and other stress-related psychiatric disorders are more common among women compared to men. Studying stress signaling systems in animal brains, neuroscience researchers found that females are more sensitive to low levels of an important stress hormone and less able to adapt to high levels than males.

16 Jun 2010

Predictive Biosciences completes $25M Series C financing round

Predictive Biosciences, a commercial stage, fully-integrated developer of novel molecular diagnostic cancer assays and a provider of anatomic pathology laboratory products and services, today announced the completion of a $25 million Series C round of growth capital financing. New investor ProQuest Investments led the round, joined by all current investors: Flybridge Capital Partners, Highland Capital Partners, Kaiser Permanente Ventures and New Enterprise Associates.

16 Jun 2010

AVEO granted patents for tests to identify cancer patients likely to respond to tivozanib

AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing cancer therapeutics, today announced the issuance of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,615,353, which issued in November 2009, and 7,736,861, which issued yesterday.

16 Jun 2010

Injectable bone carries living stem cells

A team of researchers at the University of Nottingham have invented a new class of materials that can be injected by surgeons as a low-viscosity fluid into the body that, using body heat as the only trigger, converts into a tough porous material with mechanical properties that mimic human cancellous bone.

16 Jun 2010

Identification of key player in signaling pathway offers hope for new targeted melanoma therapies

Identification of a key player in a signaling pathway involved in the development of melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer - may offer hope for new targeted melanoma therapies.

16 Jun 2010

Prevention, awareness of enlarged prostate can help save lives

We live in a country of excess where size often matters most. Supersize, grande, max, king size - but is bigger always better? Certainly not when it comes to male health and an enlarged prostate.

16 Jun 2010

Many Huntington's disease patients suffer from weight loss, sleeping problems

An aggregating protein causes many of the symptoms of Huntington's disease, an incurable and frequently fatal brain disorder. Mosaic winner Ahmad Aziz discovered that the abnormal protein also aggregates in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system.

16 Jun 2010

Study validates Grm1 protein as target for melanoma treatment

Research by investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) is showing new promise in the treatment of melanoma, the most serious of skin cancers. The findings, published in the May 27, 2010, online edition of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology further validate the team's clinical and pre-clinical findings that blocking the signaling normally activated by a receptor called Grm1 results in decreased cell growth and decreased migration of melanoma cells, confirming that Grm1 is a potential target for the treatment of melanoma.

16 Jun 2010

Combination of BRAF-targeted therapy and immunotherapy shows promise for treatment of melanoma

Combined targeted therapy against the BRAF/MAPK pathway with immunotherapy shows promise as a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of melanoma, according to results of a preclinical study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

16 Jun 2010

Florida State University researcher explores role of key protein in cell division

A Florida State University researcher has identified the important role that a key protein plays in cell division, and that discovery could lead to a greater understanding of stem cells.

16 Jun 2010

Protein News and Research

Further Reading

Excess neuronal protein plays role in the evolution of neurodegenerative diseases: Research

Researchers identify peptide that triggers diabetes

CINJ researchers combine series of vaccination injections to treat prostate cancer

OncoMed, Bayer Schering Pharma to develop and commercialize novel anti-cancer stem cell therapeutics

Stony Brook team creates live attenuated influenza virus vaccine by computer-aided rational design

QR Pharma, Massachusetts General Hospital announce Parkinson's disease research collaboration

Curis reports topline results from GDC-0449 Phase II clinical trial for metastatic colorectal cancer

New biomarker study explores early detection of ovarian cancer

Alcohol consumption associated with reduced risk of developing several arthritic conditions: Study

GTC Biotherapeutics closes new $7 million secured convertible debt financing

Stress-related psychiatric disorders more common among women: Study

Predictive Biosciences completes $25M Series C financing round

AVEO granted patents for tests to identify cancer patients likely to respond to tivozanib

Injectable bone carries living stem cells

Identification of key player in signaling pathway offers hope for new targeted melanoma therapies

Prevention, awareness of enlarged prostate can help save lives

Many Huntington's disease patients suffer from weight loss, sleeping problems

Study validates Grm1 protein as target for melanoma treatment

Combination of BRAF-targeted therapy and immunotherapy shows promise for treatment of melanoma

Florida State University researcher explores role of key protein in cell division

Achieving and maintaining ISO 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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