Cell Membrane News and Research

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How (easily) does the novel coronavirus spread?

Viruses are tiny bundles of DNA or RNA which have the ability to infect host cells, hijack the machinery of the host cell and then replicate. Once the host cell’s resources are exhausted, the viral particles are released to infect other cells. In this way, the viruses ensure their survival, often at the expense of the host.

1 Apr 2020

What are coronaviruses and COVID-19?

The current COVID-19 pandemic is caused by a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2.

1 Apr 2020

Tracking tau protein yields insight into possible treatments for neurodegenerative diseases

In the fight against neurodegenerative diseases such as frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, the tau protein is a major culprit.

1 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

Three Australian experts explain the course of COVID-19

Researchers have been studying the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) closely since its beginning in December 2019. To date, the virus has infected over 850,000 individuals across the globe and killed over 41,000.

31 Mar 2020

Origins of SARS-CoV-2 – natural or man-made?

With over 780,000 individuals across the world infected and over 37,000 dead, the world is gripped by the pandemic caused by the novel strain of coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

30 Mar 2020

New microfluidic chip can mimic hypoxic conditions after a heart attack

Researchers led by biomedical engineers at Tufts University invented a microfluidic chip containing cardiac cells that is capable of mimicking hypoxic conditions following a heart attack - specifically when an artery is blocked in the heart and then unblocked after treatment.

30 Mar 2020

COVID-19 and its effects on the cardiovascular system

Researcher have reviewed the evidence showing the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 or novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) on the cardiovascular system. Their study titled, “Potential Effects of Coronaviruses on the Cardiovascular System: A Review,” was published in the latest issue of JAMA Cardiology.

29 Mar 2020

SLAC structural biologist discovers a strange cavity in key tuberculosis protein

Researchers from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have discovered a strange new feature of a protein that’s thought to be important in the development of tuberculosis: The protein contains a “huge” interior pocket, the likes of which has never before been seen, that appears capable of passing a wide range of other molecules into the bacterial cell.

27 Mar 2020

New molecular probes to study the behavior of opioid receptors

It could be an important step forward in the improvement of pain therapy: Thanks to newly developed molecular probes, the behavior of individual opioid receptors can now be studied in detail.

25 Mar 2020

Scientists discover tuberculosis bacterium channels vitamins into the cell

A new study published in the journal Nature in March 2020 reports a unique transport protein found within the tubercle bacillus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This huge membrane-spanning vesicular protein is different from other transport proteins and is instrumental in carrying hydrophilic molecules, notably vitamin B12 or cobalamin, across the cell membrane.

24 Mar 2020

Graphite nanoplatelets on medical devices can prevent infections

Graphite nanoplatelets integrated into plastic medical surfaces can prevent infections, killing 99.99 per cent of bacteria which try to attach - a cheap and viable potential solution to a problem which affects millions, costs huge amounts of time and money, and accelerates antibiotic resistance.

23 Mar 2020

High-speed microscope records the passage of millisecond electrical pulses through neurons

Electrical and chemical signals flash through our brains constantly as we move through the world, but it would take a high-speed camera and a window into the brain to capture their fleeting paths.

19 Mar 2020

Cryo-electron microscopy helps visualize ball-and-chain inactivation of ion channels

Ion channels, which allow potassium and sodium ions to flow in and out of cells, are crucial in neuronal 'firing' in the central nervous system and for brain and heart function.

19 Mar 2020

Engineered botox more effective

A new study reports on an engineered botulinum neurotoxin (botox) that is more effective as well as safer to use in various medical procedures. The study was published in March 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.

17 Mar 2020

EHD2 protein plays a key role in fat metabolism

Many foods - whether it's the mozzarella on your favorite pizza, the olive oil in salad dressing or hollandaise sauce during asparagus season - contain lots of fat. The fatty acids in these foods are among the essential nutrients that people need to survive.

17 Mar 2020

New type of artificial binding proteins for blocking sugar structures on cell surfaces

The laboratory directed by Arne Skerra, Professor of Biological Chemistry, has its focus on designing artificial binding proteins for therapeutic applications.

17 Mar 2020

UVA researchers discover why obesity causes high blood pressure and potential ways to fix

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered why obesity causes high blood pressure and identified potential ways of treating that form of high blood pressure.

10 Mar 2020

Scientists may have found a way to prevent coronavirus spread

Just like any other virus, the coronavirus needs a host to survive. Viruses enter the cells of the human body to cause disease by attaching to a specific receptor site on the host cell membrane. To do this, they attach to proteins in the capsid through glycoproteins found in the envelope of the virus.

8 Mar 2020