- Scientists discover natural flu-fighting protein in human cells
In findings that may lead to better ways to prevent and treat influenza and other viral infections, researchers report the discovery of a family of naturally occurring antiviral agents in human cells.
In experiments in human and...
(Issue date: 20 December 2009)
- New drug technology produces marked improvement in hepatitis C therapy in animals; may be useful for a wide range of diseases
In a dramatic finding, a new drug for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections that targets liver cells produced a substantial drop in blood levels of the virus in animals and continued to work up to several months after treatment, say...
(Issue date: 06 December 2009)
- Two heads better than one in new antibiotic method
An antibiotic that binds to a well-established target in a novel and unexpected way could be the inspiration for designing new, more potent antibacterial drugs.
"A completely new way to beat bacteria is an exciting find at a...
(Issue date: 06 December 2009)
- Men's genes 'may limit lifespan'
Men carry the seeds of their own destruction in the genes present in their sperm, research suggests. Scientists working on mice have highlighted a specific gene that, although carried by both sexes, appears to be active only in...
(Issue date: 06 December 2009)
- Worms may hold key to understanding Parkinson's
Scientists at the University of Dundee have received funding of more than £190,000 for research using worms which may hold a clue as to why some people develop inherited Parkinson’s Disease. The research, funded by the...
(Issue date: 06 December 2009)
- A Cells ‘Cap’ of Bundled Fibers Could Yield Clues to Disease
It turns out that wearing a cap is good for you, at least if you are a mammal cell. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Engineering in Oncology Center have shown that in healthy cells, a bundled "cap" of thread-like fibers holds...
(Issue date: 06 December 2009)
- Cancer vaccine success
A cancer vaccine carried into the body on a carefully engineered, fingernail-sized implant is the first to successfully eliminate tumours in mammals, scientists report this.
The new approach, pioneered by bioengineers and...
(Issue date: 29 November 2009)
- First-ever blueprint of a minimal cell is more complex than expected
What are the bare essentials of life, the indispensable ingredients required to produce a cell that can survive on its own? Can we describe the molecular anatomy of a cell, and understand how an entire organism functions as a...
(Issue date: 29 November 2009)
- Knockouts in human cells point to pathogenic targets
Whitehead researchers have developed a new type of genetic screen for human cells to pinpoint specific genes and proteins used by pathogens. In most human cell cultures genes are present in two copies: one inherited from the...
(Issue date: 29 November 2009)
- Hormone Ghrelin Can Boost Resistance to Parkinson’s Disease
Ghrelin, a hormone produced in the stomach, may be used to boost resistance to, or slow, the development of Parkinson’s disease, Yale School of Medicine researchers report.
Parkinson’s disease is caused by a degeneration of...
(Issue date: 29 November 2009)
- "Safety Valve" Protects Photosynthesis from Too Much Light
Photosynthetic organisms need to cope with a wide range of light intensities, which can change over timescales of seconds to minutes. Too much light can damage the photosynthetic machinery and cause cell death. Scientists at the...
(Issue date: 29 November 2009)
- Leeds research finds new piece of BSE puzzle
A new treatment route for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its human form Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD) could be a step closer thanks to scientists at the University of Leeds.
The team have found that a protein...
(Issue date: 23 November 2009)
- Saving the single cysteine: new antioxidant system found
We've all read studies about the health benefits of having a life partner. The same thing is true at the molecular level, where amino acids known as cysteines are much more vulnerable to damage when single than when paired up...
(Issue date: 23 November 2009)
- Discovery of New Type of Immune Cells Regulating Inflammation in Chronic Diseases
Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Centre of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM) of Technische Universität München have discovered a new type of immune cells - the Th22 cells - which can protect the body against...
(Issue date: 23 November 2009)
- Researchers Begin to Decipher Metabolism of Sexual Assault Drug
It’s a naturally occurring brain chemical with an unwieldy name: 4-hydroxybutyrate (4-HB). Taken by mouth, it can be abused or used as a date-rape drug.
Now, a team of Ohio and Michigan scientists have determined new routes by...
(Issue date: 23 November 2009)
- Cross-country runabouts - immune cells on the move
In order to effectively fight pathogens, even at remote areas of the human body, immune cells have to move quickly and in a flexible manner. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Biochemistry in Martinsried near...
(Issue date: 23 November 2009)
- Drug shrinks lung cancer tumours in mice
A potential new drug for lung cancer has eliminated tumours in 50% of mice in a new study. In the animals, the drug also stopped lung cancer tumours from growing and becoming resistant to treatment. The authors of the research,...
(Issue date: 16 November 2009)
- Study reveals why certain drug combinations backfire
Combination drug therapy has become a staple for treating many infections. For instance, doctors treat extensively drug resistant forms of tuberculosis with one drug that breaks down the pathogen’s protective barriers and opens...
(Issue date: 16 November 2009)
- Chromosomes dance and pair up on the nuclear membrane
Meiosis – the pairing and recombination of chromosomes, followed by segregation of half to each egg or sperm cell – is a major crossroads in all organisms reproducing sexually. Yet, how the cell precisely choreographs these...
(Issue date: 16 November 2009)
- Hoping for a fluorescent basket case –
Although recent advances have raised hopes that a protective vaccine can be developed, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) remains a major public health problem. Much has been learned about HIV-1, the virus that causes the...
(Issue date: 16 November 2009)
