New study adds to our understanding of how influenza A effectively overcomes the first line of our defence against infection ELIFE Researchers have provided new insight on how two proteins help influenza A virus particles fight their way to human cells. The findings, published today in the open-access journal eLife, further explain how influenza A is able to penetrate defensive...
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Miraculous ‘bio-glue’ that sets under UV light and can heal fatal wounds to organs in seconds is developed by scientists
By YUAN REN FOR MAILONLINE It is a gel like substance that is ‘activated’ by shining ultraviolet light on it The substance can form a waterproof seal around a 6mm opening in 20 seconds Its creators say it is strong enough to withstand high pressure in the heart It could close fatal wounds quickly without the need for staples or stitches Allowing it to be...
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Enzyme PHLPP2 could be a viable drug target for treating prostate cancer
COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY Cold Spring Harbor, NY — An estimated 450,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with a cancer that’s driven by MYC, an oncogene that hijacks growth and metabolism in cancer cells. MYC has a storied past of being notoriously hard for researchers to directly disable. “Now, we have a new way of getting at this old...
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Researchers block protein that plays a key role in Alzheimer’s disease
by Lund University In recent years, it has become increasingly clear to researchers that the protein galectin-3 is involved in inflammatory diseases in the brain. A study led by researchers at Lund University in Sweden now shows the de facto key role played by the protein in Alzheimer’s disease. When the researchers shut off the gene that produces this protein in mice, the amount of Alzheimer’s plaque and the inflammatory load both decreased. Researchers at Lund...
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Relay station in the brain controls our movements
by University of Basel The relay station of the brain, the substantia nigra, consists of different types of nerve cells and is responsible for controlling the execution of movements. Researchers at the University of Basel’s Biozentrum have now characterized two of these cell populations more precisely and assigned an exact function to each of them. The results of the study have now...
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Glucosamine supplements could benefit the heart
By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MD Glucosamine supplements are used by hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide to relieve the joint pain caused due to osteoarthritis. There are controversies about its actual benefits in the joint. Now a large study with data from the UK Biobank reveals that regular use of glucosamine supplements could reduce the risk...
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Scientists discover self-defense “switch” for stem cells
With the power to turn themselves into any other cell in the body, stem cells have a future as a key treatment for a range of diseases and injuries. The problem is, they lack some of the self-defense mechanisms that other cells have, leaving them open to attack from viruses and other threats. Now, researchers...
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Multi-purpose electrochemical sensors preview the future of fitness and medical wearables
Wearable health-monitors are everywhere, from Fitbits for the health conscious to continuous glucose monitors for diabetics, but most are limited in what they can tell us, and there are issues around accuracy, calibration and reliability. Researchers in Sweden are working to change that. The technology, developed by scientists at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in...
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Shaped like a tennis ball, this cancer protein was thought ‘undruggable.’ Amgen found a way to target it
By ADAM FEUERSTEIN @adamfeuerstein Scientists have long known that a mutant form of the cell-signaling protein called KRAS causes cancer, but discovering drugs capable of blocking KRAS has proven difficult. The protein is spherical and nearly featureless — its structure has been compared to a tennisball — leaving potential drugs with few, if any, effective attachment points....
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Biomarker study detects onset of Alzheimer’s up to 30 years before symptoms appear
New research from Johns Hopkins University has identified a variety of biomarkers that can be used to predict the onset of Alzheimer’s disease years before symptoms appear. The study presents nine measures, produced from several decades of data, that can signal the onset of the disease up to 30 years before cognitive decline becomes apparent....