Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Aptamer Group and AstraZeneca to develop new drug delivery vehicles

Aptamer Group today announced it has signed an agreement with AstraZeneca to explore the potential of using aptamer technology to target the kidney.

From AstraZeneca 10 Jan 2019

New findings bring about better understanding of many cancers' metabolic needs

Scientists at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have discovered that squamous cell skin cancers do not require increased glucose to power their development and growth, contrary to a long-held belief about cancer metabolism.

10 Jan 2019

Chemical in sunscreen and cosmetics may harm coral by altering fatty acids

Although sunscreen is critical for preventing sunburns and skin cancer, some of its ingredients are not so beneficial to ocean-dwelling creatures. In particular, sunscreen chemicals shed by swimmers are thought to contribute to coral reef decline.

9 Jan 2019

Long-term postpartum obesity may be due to reprogramming of maternal energy metabolism

During normal pregnancy, mothers always gain body weight within a proper range. However, many women worry that extra pounds put on during pregnancy will not be lost after childbirth and, in fact, past studies have shown that excessive gestational weight gain is associated with immediate postpartum weight retention.

9 Jan 2019

Novel technique detects new strains of microbes in human fecal microbiota after obesity surgery

Using a unique bioinformatics technique developed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, UAB researchers have detected the emergence of new strains of microbes in the human fecal microbiota after obesity surgery.

9 Jan 2019

Essential nutrient may hold promise in the war against Alzheimer's disease

In a new study, researchers at the Biodesign Institute explore a safe and simple treatment for one of the most devastating and perplexing afflictions: Alzheimer's disease.

8 Jan 2019

Washington University scientists find an unknown route for cellular fuel delivery

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a previously unknown route for cellular fuel delivery, a finding that could shed light on the process of aging and the chronic diseases that often accompany it.

8 Jan 2019

Study elucidates how essential amino acid in humans acts as growth signal for cells

A recent study from the Laxman lab elucidates how a small metabolite and amino acid, methionine, acts as a growth signal for cells, by setting into motion a metabolic program for cell proliferation.

7 Jan 2019

Scientists fix flawed plant genes, make plants grow 40% larger

Researchers in the US have genetically engineered a way of shortcutting photosynthesis to increase the size of tobacco plants by up to 40%.

4 Jan 2019

A small protein plays key role in how cancer stem cells differentiate

A jagged little protein appears to be key to how cancer stem cells differentiate and enable metastasis, according to researchers at Rice University and the Duke University School of Medicine.

4 Jan 2019

Fruit fly study sheds light on the evolution of metabolism

Diet choice of animal species is highly variable. Some are specialists feeding only on one food source, such as a sugar-rich fruit or protein-rich meat. Other species, like humans, are generalists that can feed on different kinds of food sources.

3 Jan 2019

Senescent cells in the brain shown to cause obesity-related anxiety

Researchers have shown that obesity increases the level of semi-dormant senescent cells in the brain, which give rise to anxiety-like behaviors.

3 Jan 2019

Researchers reveal cause of possible genetic problems in mitochondria

A group of researchers from the Andalusian Centre for Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine has revealed the importance of eliminating any excess of defective products that might have accumulated in the mitochondria, as its presence generates mitochondrial instability and information loss on the mitochondrial genome.

3 Jan 2019

Researchers launch clinical trial to develop breath test for multiple cancers

Researchers have launched a clinical trial to develop a breath test, analyzing molecules that could indicate the presence of cancer at an early stage.

2 Jan 2019

Scientists cast new light on function of long-mysterious PCSK9 mutation

High levels of low-density lipoproteins, parcels of lipids and protein that carry cholesterol, are a leading risk factor for heart disease. Many cholesterol medications lower LDL, some of them by targeting the protein PCSK9. In the January issue of the Journal of Lipid Research, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, report on an investigation into why experiments on PCSK9 give different results in a test tube and in liver cells.

2 Jan 2019

Multi-database electronic research finds link between gene polymorphisms with zinc status

Zinc is one of the essential components in the diet of all living organisms. It is the second most abundant biological trace element after iron.

28 Dec 2018

Sleeping sickness parasite exhibits metabolic flexibility and adaptability

Parasitic protozoa called trypanosomes synthesize sugars using an unexpected metabolic pathway called gluconeogenesis, according to a study published December 27 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by David Horn of the University of Dundee in the UK, and colleagues.

28 Dec 2018

Reducing alcohol use could help quit daily smoking habit

If quitting smoking is one of your New Year's resolutions, you might want to consider cutting back on your drinking, too.

28 Dec 2018

Study suggests dopamine release in the brain occurs twice per meal

We know a good meal can stimulate the release of the feel-good hormone dopamine, and now a study in humans from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Germany suggests that dopamine release in the brain occurs at two different times: at the time the food is first ingested and another once the food reaches the stomach.

28 Dec 2018

How physical activity decreases belly fat in humans

Some of you may have made a New Year's resolution to hit the gym to tackle that annoying belly fat. But have you ever wondered how physical activity produces this desired effect? A signaling molecule called interleukin-6 plays a critical role in this process, researchers report December 27 in the journal Cell Metabolism.

28 Dec 2018