When people think of glutamate, the first thing they remember is the flavour enhancer that is often used in Asian cuisine. Glutamate is also an important messenger substance in the nervous system of humans. There it plays a role in learning processes and memory. Some Alzheimer drugs, for example, slow down the progression of the...
by University of Oxford Oxford University scientist have discovered the molecular ‘first responder’ which detects disturbances in the flow of blood through the arteries, and responds by encouraging the formation of plaques which can lead to serious problems, including heart attack, stroke and even death. Credit: CC0 Public Domain The study, published in the journal...
You might have read something last week about how we’ll have a cure for cancer within the year. You read wrong, but it’s not your fault. The Jerusalem Post published an article last week that highlighted the Israeli biotech start-up Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies Ltd. (AEBi) and the cancer research the company has been conducting. A flurry of international headlines followed, reporting that...
An international team of researchers has uncovered a destructive mechanism at the molecular level that causes a well-known phenomenon associated with obesity, called leptin resistance. Mice fed a high-fat diet produce an enzyme named MMP-2 that clips receptors for the hormone leptin from the surface of neuronal cells in the hypothalamus. This blocks leptin from binding to...
