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.

Cancer fighting technology uses UV light to attack tumours

Scientists at Newcastle University have developed a cancer fighting technology which uses UV light to activate antibodies which very specifically attack tumours.

31 Oct 2007

Speed plays crucial role in breaking protein's H-bonds

Researchers at MIT studying the architecture of proteins have finally explained why computer models of proteins' behavior under mechanical duress differ dramatically from experimental observations.

31 Oct 2007

How tumors respond to EGFR inhibitors

Three papers published this month in the open access general medical journal PLoS Medicine investigate how tumors respond to a an important class of drugs used in cancer chemotherapy, known as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors.

31 Oct 2007

Cancers successfully treated by targeting the viruses that cause them

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have shown for the first time that cancers can be successfully treated by targeting the viruses that cause them.

31 Oct 2007

Aggregation propensity, amyloid peptide toxicity and Alzheimer disease

Cells have evolved multiple mechanisms to ensure proper folding, but a number of molecular and biophysical events - such as changes in pH or temperature, mutations, and oxidation - can disrupt a protein's native shape.

31 Oct 2007

Saint Louis University scientists identify chemical that triggers Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine have discovered the key brain chemical that causes Parkinson's disease - a breakthrough finding that could pave the way for new, far more effective therapies to treat one of the most common and debilitating neurological disorders.

30 Oct 2007

Stanford scientists find gene that gives dogs black fur

A discovery about the genetics of coat color in dogs could help explain why humans come in different weights and vary in our abilities to cope with stress, a team led by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine reports.

30 Oct 2007

Copper transporter plays an unexpected role in the absorption of cisplatin

Platinum complexes such as the well-known cisplatin are powerful antitumor medications. They cross the cell membrane and reach the nucleus, where they attach to DNA and stop cell growth. But how does cisplatin get to the nucleus?

30 Oct 2007

Tasigna gets the green light in the U.S. to treat Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has given approval for a new drug to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

30 Oct 2007

UGA researchers create carbohydrate-based cancer vaccine

When cells become cancerous, the sugars on their surfaces undergo distinct changes that set them apart from healthy cells.

29 Oct 2007

Risk factors that may contribute to the onset of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Researchers in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Social and Behavioral Research Lab (SBRL) are leading a study to investigate potential environmental, lifestyle, and medical variables that may contribute to the onset of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

29 Oct 2007

Scientists unveil structure of molecular target of many drugs

More than 40 years after beta blockers were first used clinically, scientists can finally get a detailed, three-dimensional look at the drugs' molecular target - the beta2-adrenergic receptor.

29 Oct 2007

Odd protein interaction guides development of olfactory system

Scientists have discovered a strange mechanism for the development of the fruit fly antennal lobe, an intricate structure that converts the chaotic stew of odors in the environment into discrete signals in the brain.

29 Oct 2007

Nventa Biopharmaceuticals receives new U.S. patent

Nventa Biopharmaceuticals Corporation has announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued Patent Number 7,262,014 to Nventa covering compositions and methods for inducing or enhancing immune responses to a human papillomavirus (HPV) antigen with or without the use of an adjuvant.

29 Oct 2007

Discovery of new peptide communication factor in bacteria

Discovery by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers of a new communication factor that enables bacteria to "talk to each other" and causes their death could have significant consequences leading to development of a new class of antibiotic medications.

29 Oct 2007