Protein Folding News and Research

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Research findings may offer new way to treat prion diseases

New research from David Westaway, PhD, of the University of Alberta and Jiri Safar, PhD, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has uncovered a quality control mechanism in brain cells that may help keep deadly neurological diseases in check for months or years.

16 Jan 2014

Acetylon Pharmaceuticals presents positive interim data from two ricolinostat clinical trials at ASH 2013

Acetylon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leader in the development of selective histone deacetylase inhibitors for enhanced therapeutic outcomes, today announced that positive interim clinical data from the two proof-of-concept clinical trials with selective HDAC6 inhibitor, ricolinostat (ACY-1215), were presented at the 55th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in New Orleans, LA.

9 Dec 2013

Stem cells from Wolfram syndrome patients used to elucidate beta-cell failure pathway in diabetes

Scientists from the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute and Columbia University Medical Center have used stem cells created from the skin of patients with a rare form of diabetes—Wolfram syndrome—to elucidate an important biochemical pathway for beta-cell failure in diabetes. The findings by Linshan Shang and colleagues were published today in Diabetes.

13 Nov 2013

Key to treating neurodegenerative prion diseases may lie in ribosome, shows research

New research results from Uppsala University, Sweden, show that the key to treating neurodegenerative prion diseases such as mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease may lie in the ribosome, the protein synthesis machinery of the cell. The results were recently published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

2 Jul 2013

Biomolecular interactions of nanoparticles can improve drug development, optical sensors and more

In chemical reactions, left and right can make a big difference. A "left-handed" molecule of a particular chemical composition could be an effective drug, while its mirror-image "right-handed" counterpart could be completely inactive.

30 Jun 2013

Molecular protein folding process may help medical researchers understand and treat diseases

Scientists using sophisticated imaging techniques have observed a molecular protein folding process that may help medical researchers understand and treat diseases such as Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's and cancer.

30 Jun 2013

Researchers uncover role of key protein linked to development of cancers

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers studying a key molecular player called Hsp70 that is responsible for protein homeostasis have uncovered how it binds together with another molecule responsible for intracellular energy transfer to enhance its overall activity and efficiency - details that have previously not been well understood.

1 Jun 2013

Study shows how high shear stress could cause VWF to change shape and form blood clots

New research from Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and the Puget Sound Blood Center (PSBC) has revealed how stresses of flow in the small blood vessels of the heart and brain could cause a common protein to change shape and form dangerous blood clots.

6 Mar 2013

Specific combination of two pharmaceutical substances show promise against multiple sclerosis

A new substance class for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases now promises increased efficacy paired with fewer side effects. To achieve this, a team of scientists under the leadership of Prof. Gunter Fischer and Dr. Frank Striggow have combined two already approved pharmaceutical substances with each other using a chemical linker structure.

27 Nov 2012

Tug of war between Hsp70 and 90 determines how much the body makes of superoxide

Two proteins are in a tug of war that determines how much the body makes of superoxide, a highly reactive and potentially destructive product of oxygen that's dramatically elevated in cardiovascular disease, researchers report.

16 Nov 2012

Leaders come together to discuss latest advances in neurosciences

Stony Brook Medicine's Neurosciences Institute brings together leaders in the field of neurosciences to present the latest advances in research and clinical care for neurodegenerative disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders, and neuro-ophthalmology.

20 Oct 2012

Protein folding: Nobel laureate Ahmed H. Zewail summarizes his insights

Living subjects are very complex systems and, at the same time, stunningly robust and accommodative. The secret of success are their proteins which build up the cells of the organisms, act as cleaners, messengers, transporter, motors, and fulfill much more jobs. How proteins are genetically coded and how their linear chains of amino acids are put together, is in principle well known.

14 Aug 2012

Researchers identify new class of compounds that inhibit spread of prions

A team of University of Alberta researchers has identified a new class of compounds that inhibit the spread of prions, misfolded proteins in the brain that trigger lethal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals.

24 Jul 2012

Registration now open for Disease Models & Mechanisms' one-day symposium

Registration is now open for Disease Models & Mechanisms' one-day symposium entitled Protein-Folding Diseases: Models & Mechanisms.

11 Jul 2012

Inhibiting IRE1α-XBP1 pathway impacts survival of myeloma cells

Results published in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology, confirm that inhibition of the IRE1α-XBP1 pathway impacts the survival of myeloma cells, suggesting a promising therapeutic option in multiple myeloma.

2 Jun 2012

Molecule that starts DNA repairs also halts them

Repairing DNA breaks can save a cell's life - but shutting off the repair machinery can be just as critical. How cells accomplish this feat was unknown. However, new research by Johns Hopkins scientists, published in the Feb. 22 issue of Nature, suggests that shutting down the repair machinery relies heavily on the same molecule used to start repair in the first place.

8 May 2012

Curcumin can help prevent clumping of proteins in Parkinson's

Curcumin, a compound found in the spice turmeric, is proving effective at preventing clumping of a protein involved in Parkinson's disease, says a Michigan State University researcher.

21 Mar 2012

Proteomics: Thermo Fisher Scientific and PREMIER Biosoft to co-market SimGlycan software

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, and PREMIER Biosoft, have announced an agreement to co-market PREMIER Biosoft’s SimGlycan® software. The agreement aims to advance glycobiology by dramatically speeding the characterization of complex glycans through automated interpretation of the rich data produced by Thermo Scientific mass spectrometer systems.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 8 Jan 2012

Studies identify genes and small molecules against protein conformational diseases

Two related studies from Northwestern University offer new strategies for tackling the challenges of preventing and treating diseases of protein folding, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cancer, cystic fibrosis and type 2 diabetes.

7 Jan 2012

Researchers discover key interaction at heart of promising new treatment for Fabry disease

A research team led by biochemist Scott Garman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered a key interaction at the heart of a promising new treatment for a rare childhood metabolic disorder known as Fabry disease.

23 Dec 2011