Serine News and Research

RSS

Russian scientists create humanized mice to test drugs and vaccines for COVID-19

Following the recent Coronavirus outbreak, almost three million people have been infected worldwide, whereas the death toll has already passed the 200,000 mark, according to official reports.

5 May 2020

Loss of smell may be related to neuroinvasive propensity of SARS-CoV-2

The novel coronavirus has rapidly infected millions over the world in over 187 countries and territories, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths. One of the often-neglected and under-reported symptoms of the virus is the loss of the sense of smell or anosmia. Now, a new study out of Germany published on the preprint server medRxiv in April 2020 provides a quantified estimate of the magnitude of anosmia as a symptom of the coronavirus.

4 May 2020

New database catalogs peptides that may halt SARS-CoV-2 cell infection

In the quest for a highly specific and tailored treatment strategy against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a recent publication available on the preprint server bioRxiv describes a repository of designed peptides that interfere with the early stages of viral invasion process.

30 Apr 2020

Venatorx and GARDP collaborate to accelerate development of new antibiotic

Venatorx Pharmaceuticals and the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) today announced a collaboration to accelerate the development of, and access to, cefepime-taniborbactam (formerly cefepime/VNRX-5133).

29 Apr 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein discovery could pave way for COVID-19 vaccine

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, have made an important discovery about a viral fusion protein found on the surface of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could help researchers develop a vaccine.

27 Apr 2020

COVID-19 unlikely to be transmitted through semen, study shows

COVID-19 is unlikely to be spread through semen, according to University of Utah Health scientists who participated in an international study of Chinese men who recently had the disease.

22 Apr 2020

Anosmia (loss of smell) confirmed as a clinical feature of COVID-19

Earlier last month, the association of ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists in the UK issued a public statement advising patients with a sudden loss of smell or taste to get tested for COVID-19. They cited not only their own observations but those from numerous other ENT consultants the world around. A review of multiple papers on the sinus and nasal symptoms and signs related to the diagnosis of COVID-19, published in April 2020, in the journal Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology, reiterates this finding.

15 Apr 2020

Pancreatitis drug Nafamostat shows promise for coronavirus

With the increasing number of infections across the globe, scientists have resorted to studying existing drugs in the hope of discovering a cure for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A team of researchers has found that an existing drug, Nafamostat or Fusan, a drug used to treat acute pancreatitis, may effectively block the process used by the novel coronavirus to spread and cause illness.

1 Apr 2020

Antihypertensive drugs may protect against COVID-19 in heart patients

Common drugs used in high blood pressure, heart failure, and diabetic patients with kidney damage, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), could be protective in patients with COVID-19.

31 Mar 2020

Characterization of novel L-fucose metabolism pathway in anaerobic bacteria

The genetic context in bacterial genomes and screening for potential substrates can help identify the biochemical functions of bacterial enzymes.

11 Mar 2020

Supplying nutritional amino acid restores spatial memory in mouse model of Alzheimer's

Scientists at the Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives and the Neurocentre Magendie have just shown that a metabolic pathway plays a determining role in Alzheimer's disease's memory problems.

3 Mar 2020

Supplementing diet with amino acid delays signs of ALS in animal study

The addition of dietary L-serine, a naturally occurring amino acid necessary for formation of proteins and nerve cells, delayed signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in an animal study.

24 Feb 2020

Scientists develop self-propelling chemical trap to corner and destroy pathogens

Antibiotics are more efficient when they can act on their target directly at the site of infestation, without dilution.

30 Jan 2020

Research reveals key molecular target for colorectal cancer therapy

Serine racemase is a multifunctional enzyme that carries out several different reactions in human cells, including the conversion of L-serine into pyruvate.

29 Jan 2020

Impaired gene expression may influence aging via altered cellular metabolism

Throughout history, humans have been obsessed with finding a way to prevent aging and prolong life. Although the mechanisms have long eluded us, modern science is revealing more and more about the aging process. Now, researchers from Japan have uncovered new information about the genetic processes that may trigger age-related disorders, including low energy production and low cellular growth.

20 Nov 2019

Research shows how bad E. coli gain a foothold over good bacteria in IBD

What if you had to plan your outings based on how your stomach felt that day or where the nearest restroom is located? For many people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), their guts have an inordinate effect on their daily quality of life.

5 Nov 2019

Researchers make major breakthrough in cell signalling

Researchers at the University of Liverpool have made a major breakthrough in the field of cell signalling.

4 Nov 2019

Researchers discover metabolic vulnerability in cancer cells with mutated spliceosomes

A research team from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center reports it has discovered a metabolic vulnerability in multiple types of cancer cells that bear a common genetic mutation affecting cellular machines called spliceosomes.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 3 Oct 2019

Study shows how a toxin produced by algal blooms in saltwater may cause ALS

Can a computer be used to explain why an environmental toxin might lead to neurodegenerative disease? According to Penn State College of Medicine researchers, a computer generated-simulation allowed them to see how a toxin produced by algal blooms in saltwater might cause Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

17 Sep 2019

LMRI scientists discover cause of debilitating eye disease

Scientists at the Lowy Medical Research Institute have discovered one cause of a progressive, debilitating eye disease called macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel).

11 Sep 2019