by University of Toronto What started as a hallway conversation between colleagues is now an “engine for the discovery of new therapeutic targets in cells” thanks to Medicine by Design, says Shana Kelley, a University Professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. Kelley’s lab was developing a portable, chip-like...
Category: <span>Drug</span>
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MicroRNA may reduce stroke risk
The molecule microRNA-210 stabilizes deposits in the carotid artery and can prevent them from tearing. Thus, it may prevent dangerous blood clots from forming. This is what scientists headed by Prof. Lars Mägdefessel, Professor of Vascular Biology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and head of a junior scientist group in the German Centre...
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RUNX1 may play role in proliferative diabetic retinopathy
Noting that Proliferative Diabetic retinopathy (PDR) affects those with Type 1 and 2 diabetes is a common cause of blindness in the developed world, says researchers from Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston and colleagues examined the role of RUNX1 in PDR. Researchers identified RUNX1 as a gene that was upregulated in CD31+ vascular endothelial...
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Peptide reverses Cardiac fibrosis in a pre-clinical model of Congestive heart failure
Cardiac fibrosis: An abnormal thickening of the heart wall leading to congestive heart failure, was not only halted but also reversed by a Caveolin-1 surrogate peptide (CSD) in a preclinical model, say researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in an article published online by Laboratory investigation. CSD was able to decrease the...
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Medical Marijuana
Key facts: Medical Marijuana refers to the whole plant of marijuana used for medical purposes. Cannabinoids refer to substances in cannabis that act on cells in the body to cause some effect. The 2 major ingredients in cannabinoids are Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) & Cannabidiol (CBD). Pieces of evidence are there to prove that cannabis is helpful...
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Frog slime could help fight future flu outbreaks
Frog mucus might seem like a bizarre flu remedy a witch doctor would suggest, however in the future, more respected medical professionals could be prescribing it. Researchers at Emory University have found that certain peptides excreted by frogs can fight off human flu strains and they could be used in emergency situations of flu outbreaks...
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Experimental drug turns ‘bad’ white fat into ‘good’ brown-like fat
Summary: An experimental drug causes loss of weight and fat in mice, a new study has found. Known as GC-1, the drug reportedly speeds up metabolism, or burning off, of fat cells. Known as GC-1, the drug reportedly accelerates metabolism or burning off fat cells. GC-1 increases the metabolic rate essentially converting white fat that...
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Synthetic sugar against autoimmune diseases
Summary: Researchers are working on an innovative approach to treating a rare autoimmune disease of the peripheral nervous system, using a kind of molecular sponge made of sugar to remove pathogenic antibodies from the bloodstream. Developed to treat anti-MAG neuropathy, the approach also has potential applications in the treatment of other autoimmune diseases. AMG neuropathy:...