Rapamycin News and Research

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Rapamycin is a drug used to prevent the rejection of organ and bone marrow transplants by the body. Rapamycin is an antibiotic that blocks a protein involved in cell division and inhibits the growth and function of certain T cells of the immune system involved in the body's rejection of foreign tissues and organs. It is a type of immunosuppressant and a type of serine/threonine kinase inhibitor. Rapamycin is now called sirolimus.

New method may help make immunomodulation more effective in individuals with Type 1 diabetes

Individuals living with Type 1 diabetes must carefully follow prescribed insulin regimens every day, receiving injections of the hormone via syringe, insulin pump or some other device. And without viable long-term treatments, this course of treatment is a lifelong sentence.

17 Jan 2022

Combination treatment can effectively inhibit tumor growth

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have tested various methods to check how effective they are in combatting certain types of cancer.

15 Dec 2021

Nanocomputing agent controls the function of protein involved in cell movement, cancer metastasis

The creation of nanoscale computers for use in precision health care has long been a dream of many scientists and health care providers.

16 Nov 2021

Stem cell enlargement contributes to decline in normal function during aging

MIT biologists have answered an important biological question: Why do cells control their size? Cells of the same type are strikingly uniform in size, while cell size differs between different cell types. This raises the question of whether cell size is important for cellular physiology.

12 Nov 2021

Penn's newly created split-engineered base editors show potential for research, therapeutics

Targeted mutations to the genome can now be introduced by splitting specific mutator enzymes and then triggering them to reconstitute, according to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

28 Oct 2021

Researchers identify mechanism behind structural birth defects in fetuses of mothers with diabetes

More than 3 million women of birthing age in the U.S. and 60 million in the world have diabetes-;a disease that occurs when blood sugar is too high.

10 Sep 2021

Mystery of roe deer embryonic diapause revealed

Everyone is familiar with the roe deer, either from crossword puzzles or from real-life encounters during a jog or a hike in the forest: majestic creatures with elegant big black eyes.

28 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 proteins manipulate autophagy

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has claimed more than 4.1 million lives worldwide. This pandemic is caused by a novel single-stranded RNA virus, namely, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that was first reported in 2019 in Wuhan, China. The rapid spread of this virus is attributed to its high infectiousness and its ability to escape and counteract host immune responses, e.g., autophagy.

22 Jul 2021

New method shows how fatty acids are absorbed by single cells

A new method developed by Institute for Systems Biology and University of California, Riverside provides new insights into cancer biology by allowing researchers to show how fatty acids are absorbed by single cells.

16 Jul 2021

Study implicates placental protein as a possible regulator of an infant’s birthweight

New findings from the University of Minnesota Medical School are helping uncover why some people are more likely to be overweight and develop Type 2 diabetes -- and it starts in the womb.

10 Jun 2021

Rapamycin targets gut cells to alter the way DNA is stored

Our genetic material is stored in our cells in a specific way to make the meter-long DNA molecule fit into the tiny cell nucleus of each body cell.

10 Jun 2021

Study explores therapeutic potential of exploiting autophagy cascade against COVID-19

Researchers recently reviewed current knowledge on links between autophagy and coronaviruses and how this knowledge can be used to repurpose autophagy modulators as potential treatment options for COVID-19. The review is published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

7 Jun 2021

Researchers identify new approach to clear toxic Huntingtin protein

Researchers world-wide are focused on clearing the toxic mutant Huntingtin protein that leads to neuronal cell death and systemic dysfunction in Huntington's disease (HD), a devastating, incurable, progressive neurodegenerative genetic disorder.

2 Jun 2021

Targeting mTOR pathway can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapies for pediatric brain cancer

Two experimental drug approaches that target vulnerabilities in cancer cell metabolism may extend survival and enhance the effectiveness of standard chemotherapies for a highly aggressive type of pediatric brain cancer.

21 May 2021

Study could help understand how Tuberous Sclerosis Complex arises

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) affects between one and two of every 10,000 new-born babies. This genetic disease leads to the formation of benign tumors which can massively impair the proper functioning of vital organs such as the kidneys, the liver and the brain.

12 May 2021

Mutation in a cancer-causing gene could exacerbate cerebral cavernous malformations in the brain

Researchers have discovered an explanation for why cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs)--clusters of dilated blood vessels in the brain--can suddenly grow to cause seizures or stroke.

28 Apr 2021

Can an immunosuppressive cancer drug promote SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells?

A new study shows that rapamycin, an immunosuppressive drug used in some cancers, and its analogs, may have an undesirable effect on viral entry into the host cells. This finding could inform their use to treat symptomatic COVID-19.

20 Apr 2021

Type 2 diabetes drug can successfully reduce symptoms associated with tuberous sclerosis complex

A team of researchers led by UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) has found that metformin - a drug commonly used to treat Type 2 diabetes - can successfully reduce symptoms associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), including reduction in the frequency of seizures and the size of brain tumors.

29 Mar 2021

Malfunctioning blood-brain barrier is linked to benign forgetfulness of aging

Have you forgotten where you laid your keys? Ever wondered where you had parked your car? Or having trouble remembering the name of the new neighbor? Unfortunately, these things seem to get worse as one gets older.

19 Mar 2021

Antidiabetic drug could help reduce chronic inflammation in people living with HIV

Metformin, a drug used to treat type-2 diabetes, could help reduce chronic inflammation in people living with HIV (PLWH) who are being treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART), according to researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre.

18 Mar 2021