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.

Hormone associated with obesity also plays a key role in male fertility

Researchers in the University of Warwick’s Department of Biological Sciences have found that a hormone associated with obesity is actually also very active in the male genitals where it plays a key role in male fertility and may even influence the erection response in male sexual arousal.

6 Apr 2004

Scientists studying vaccinia virus, a relative of smallpox, have determined that a gene necessary for virus replication also has a key role in turning off inflammation

Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studying vaccinia virus, a close relative of smallpox, have determined that a gene necessary for virus replication also has a key role in turning off inflammation, a crucial anti-viral immune response of host cells.

6 Apr 2004

Fluorescent molecule used to examine real time chemical reactions that result in smooth-muscle contraction

Smooth muscle, found in the walls of blood vessels and in internal organs such as lungs, stomach and the bladder, contracts as the end result of a series of chemical reactions. In a new study, UT Southwestern researchers report that one set of chemical reactions resulting in the contraction of the smooth-muscle cells is augmented by a second chemical pathway that kicks in when the first pathway is limited.

5 Apr 2004

New device filters blood supplies on-site reducing the possible transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. has announced today that its joint venture with the American Red Cross, Pathogen Removal and Diagnostic Technology Inc. ("PRDT"), has confirmed that treatment of TSE spiked red blood cell concentrate with its Prion Reduction Device results in a significant decrease in associated infectivity.

5 Apr 2004

Online, web-based system for ordering total parenteral nutrition (TPN)

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center have designed an online, Web-based system for ordering total parenteral nutrition (TPN) that identifies and pre-emptively eliminates potentially serious calculation errors.

5 Apr 2004

Compounds that may stop replication of T-cell leukemia virus

Researchers are analyzing several compounds that may inhibit the enzyme that is essential for the reproduction of the Human T-cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 (HTLV-I), which has infected 15 to 20 million people worldwide. The virus causes the fatal adult T-cell leukemia in up to 10 percent of those infected.

1 Apr 2004

Lab discovers way to keep short-lived catalysts active for longer than five months

Enzymes, the workhorses of chemical reactions in cells, lead short and brutal lives. They cleave and assemble proteins and metabolize compounds for a few hours, and then they are spent. This sad fact of nature has limited the possibilities of harnessing enzymes as catalytic tools outside the cell, in uses that range from biosensing to toxic waste cleanup.

1 Apr 2004

Scientists have discovered that a non-genetic molecular process can effect cell behaviour

Genetic mutations, sudden, random and usually harmful changes to the structure of a gene, are only one factor that determines the ultimate fate of a cell. Chicago scientists have discovered that a non-genetic molecular process also can play a role, and that experimenters can influence this process in bacteria, they report in the April 1 issue of the journal Nature.

1 Apr 2004

T-cells in lupus patients avoid apoptosis and are stimulated to produce antibodies against the patients own DNA

Researchers studying autoimmune diseases have found a molecular mechanism that explains how T-cells in lupus patients avoid apoptosis and are stimulated to produce antibodies against the patients own DNA.

1 Apr 2004

SARS virus vaccine stimulates protective immune response

An experimental vaccine prevents the SARS virus from replicating in laboratory mice, according to a new report in the April 1 issue of Nature. Scientists at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health, developed the vaccine. The vaccine was tested in a mouse model of SARS infection recently validated by other NIAID investigators.

31 Mar 2004

DakoCytomation has acquired exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize pharmacogenomic diagnostic tests in the field of oncology

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. announced today a license agreement with DakoCytomation A/S (Glostrup, Denmark), under which DakoCytomation has acquired exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize pharmacogenomic diagnostic tests in the field of oncology based on the TRAIL Receptor-1 (TRAIL-R1) and TRAIL Receptor-2 (TRAIL-R2) proteins.

31 Mar 2004

Scientists seek cause for what makes good cell go bad

Genetic mutations--sudden, random and usually harmful changes to the structure of a gene--are only one factor that determines the ultimate fate of a cell. Chicago scientists have discovered that a non-genetic molecular process also can play a role, and that experimenters can influence this process in bacteria, they report in the April 1 issue of the journal Nature.

31 Mar 2004

Research team has found a new way to streamline gene isolation to determine their functions

A single strand of plant or animal DNA may contain tens of thousands of genes, each programmed to produce a specific protein essential for the growth or survival of the organism. The challenge for geneticists is to isolate individual genes and determine their function -- a painstaking process often requiring years of laboratory trial and error.

31 Mar 2004

Heart disease can be reduced substantially by regularly treating existing gum infections

Reinforcing the relationship between periodontal disease and heart disease, oral biologists from the University at Buffalo have shown that levels of two inflammatory proteins known to raise the risk of heart disease can be reduced substantially by regularly treating existing gum infections.

31 Mar 2004

Launch of thin needle syringe for multiple sclerosis treatment

A study conducted in Denmark showed that 86% of Rebif®-treated patients found that injections were easier and less painful using the new needle. The pre-filled syringe of Rebif® with the new needle is available in the same dosages as the previous version and will continue to carry the same indication. It is currently being launched in Europe and will be available worldwide by the end of 2004.

31 Mar 2004

Faster new cloning technique - transcript-based cloning

A single strand of plant or animal DNA may contain tens of thousands of genes, each programmed to produce a specific protein essential for the growth or survival of the organism. The challenge for geneticists is to isolate individual genes and determine their function – a painstaking process often requiring years of laboratory trial and error.

30 Mar 2004

£1.6m for research into a possible cure for muscular dystrophy

A consortium which includes Oxford researchers has won £1.6m in government funding for ground-breaking research into a possible cure for muscular dystrophy.

30 Mar 2004

Human Genome Sciences can begin cardiovascular disease research

Human Genome Sciences, Inc.announced today that it has received a clinical development milestone payment from its partner, GlaxoSmithKline, related to the initiation of Phase 1 clinical trials of 677116 for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. 677116 is a small-molecule inhibitor of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), an enzyme associated with the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.

30 Mar 2004

Researchers find new purpose for existing drugs to suppress colon cancer metastasis, secure post-radiation brain function, and trick tumors

Drugs approved for treatment of specific maladies sometimes show unexpected benefits. Researchers at the 95th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research demonstrated highlighted how some drugs may one day offer previously unforeseen benefits for patients.

30 Mar 2004

Trial of new drug that may halt progression of Type I Diabetes

The results of a long-term clinical trial on a new drug designed to inhibit the progression of type I diabetes was announced at the International Diabetes Society meeting in Cambridge, England, March 29. The findings of the 18-month long clinical trial confirm the drug's efficacy in improving a diabetic's ability to produce insulin.

30 Mar 2004

Protein News and Research

Further Reading

Hormone associated with obesity also plays a key role in male fertility

Scientists studying vaccinia virus, a relative of smallpox, have determined that a gene necessary for virus replication also has a key role in turning off inflammation

Fluorescent molecule used to examine real time chemical reactions that result in smooth-muscle contraction

New device filters blood supplies on-site reducing the possible transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Online, web-based system for ordering total parenteral nutrition (TPN)

Compounds that may stop replication of T-cell leukemia virus

Lab discovers way to keep short-lived catalysts active for longer than five months

Scientists have discovered that a non-genetic molecular process can effect cell behaviour

T-cells in lupus patients avoid apoptosis and are stimulated to produce antibodies against the patients own DNA

SARS virus vaccine stimulates protective immune response

DakoCytomation has acquired exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize pharmacogenomic diagnostic tests in the field of oncology

Scientists seek cause for what makes good cell go bad

Research team has found a new way to streamline gene isolation to determine their functions

Heart disease can be reduced substantially by regularly treating existing gum infections

Launch of thin needle syringe for multiple sclerosis treatment

Faster new cloning technique - transcript-based cloning

£1.6m for research into a possible cure for muscular dystrophy

Human Genome Sciences can begin cardiovascular disease research

Researchers find new purpose for existing drugs to suppress colon cancer metastasis, secure post-radiation brain function, and trick tumors

Trial of new drug that may halt progression of Type I Diabetes

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