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.

Call for EU to launch major project to map out all our proteins

Biologists still have no clear idea how many active genes there are coding for proteins in humans and other organisms, even though for some species the genomes have been completely sequenced.

26 Jul 2007

The future of Alzheimer's disease research

Imagine the day when a routine visit to the family doctor includes a simple blood test to predict the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD).

26 Jul 2007

New approach to rapid identification and development of malaria vaccines

Malaria is the world's most frequent parasitic disease, affecting more than 100 countries in the tropical zones, mostly in Africa, and 40% of the world population, with more than a million deaths per year.

25 Jul 2007

Alkaline diet can combat the effects of acid reflux

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), more commonly known as acid reflux, affects 19.8 percent of adults in the United States (roughly 47.3 million people).

25 Jul 2007

Allergen-free peanuts

An agricultural researcher at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has developed a simple process to make allergen-free peanuts.

24 Jul 2007

A quarter of adult New Yorkers have elevated blood mercury levels

A quarter of adult New Yorkers have elevated blood mercury levels, according to survey results released today by the Health Department, and the elevations are closely tied to fish consumption.

24 Jul 2007

Nicotine rush hinges on sugar in neurons

As with other questions involving good sensations, the answer appears to be sugar.

23 Jul 2007

Scientists clarify molecular basis of interferon action

Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara have made a significant discovery relating to viral infections in humans.

20 Jul 2007

New understanding of how anaesthetics work in the brain

An important clue to how anaesthetics work on the human body has been provided by the discovery of a molecular feature common to both the human brain and the great pond snail nervous system, scientists say today.

20 Jul 2007

Reducing insulin signaling in the brain can prolong lifespan

One route to a long and healthy life may be establishing the right balance in insulin signaling between the brain and the rest of the body, according to new research from Children's Hospital Boston.

20 Jul 2007

Protein pulling advances in protein folding science

Rice University physicists have unveiled an innovative way of finding out how proteins get their shape based on how they unfold when pulled apart.

20 Jul 2007

Protein IKKa protects checkpoint gene from chemical shutdown

A protein that is largely absent in one type of skin cancer protects an important gene in a cell's defense against harmful mutations from being silenced, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the July 20 edition of Molecular Cell.

20 Jul 2007

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein may also influence how fat cells store fat

Scientists have shown for the first time that a protein involved in the transfer of fat in the blood may also influence how fat cells store fat.

20 Jul 2007

Powerful proteomics research promises to revolutionize biomedical discovery

Human cells function through the concerted action of thousands of proteins that control their growth and differentiation.

20 Jul 2007

Critical link found between two proteins found in brain tumors

MIT researchers have identified a critical link between two proteins found in brain tumors, a discovery that could eventually help treat a form of brain cancer that kills 99 percent of patients.

20 Jul 2007

Clearer picture of host responses to HIV virus

The first genome-wide association study of an infectious disease, conducted by an international group of researchers through the Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI), has yielded a new understanding of why some people can suppress virus levels following HIV infection.

20 Jul 2007

Protein synthesis without amino acids

Usually, the synthesis of short protein chains (polypeptides) begins with the production of their components, the amino acids.

20 Jul 2007

Clue to preventing Alzheimer's found in Vindaloo

A new study by researchers in the United States has found during laboratory tests that tumeric, a spice used in curries may offer protection against Alzheimer's disease.

19 Jul 2007

Lubert Stryer wins National Medal of Science

Neurobiologist Lubert Stryer, MD, of the Stanford University School of Medicine, will receive the nation's highest scientific honor, the National Medal of Science, for his achievements in a wide range of fields that included the development of a DNA chip used in genetics.

19 Jul 2007

Affiris alzheimer's vaccine in clinical trial

The Alzheimer's vaccine known as Affitope AD01 from Affiris has now entered the clinical phase of its development. All relevant regulatory and statutory approvals have been secured and this innovative treatment is now being tested on humans for the first time.

19 Jul 2007