by American Chemical Society larger the dose of opioid, the larger the antibody response. “This was surprising,” Kyzer says. “We saw antibody responses in people who were taking large doses for as little as 6 months.” The scientists are now working on isolating the key opioid antigenic intermediates in the body that prompt the generation...
Patients taking long-term opioids produce antibodies against the drugs
by Eric Hamilton, University of Wisconsin-Madison University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists have discovered that a majority of back-pain patients they tested who were taking opioid painkillers produced anti-opioid antibodies. These antibodies may contribute to some of the negative side effects of long-term opioid use. Existing antibodies may also limit the benefit a patient receives from an...
Two existing drugs point to a potential new target against COVID-19
by Alice McCarthy, Harvard Medical School Researchers have found that an existing drug, apilimod, prevented infection of human cells with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Credit: Tomas Kirchhausen New lab-based studies show that two existing drugs, including one developed by a researcher at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, inhibit SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—from infecting...
This revolutionary new coronavirus cure is already saving lives
A breakthrough coronavirus cure might soon be available, as researchers are studying a drug that could eliminate the virus, calm the immune response, and repair damaged tissue. The drug is described in different ways: Medicinal signaling cells (MSCs), mesenchymal lineage adult stem cells, or adipose-tissue derived mesenchymal stromal cells (AT-MSC). MSCs therapy proved to be...
Exploring connections between ovarian cancer and blood cells
Dr. Abhishek Jain, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Medical Physiology in the College of Medicine, collaborated with researchers from the Departments of Gynecologic Oncology and Cancer Biology at MD Anderson Cancer Center to gain a better understanding of the interaction among ovarian cancer tumors, blood vessels and platelets....
PARP inhibitor becomes new treatment option for some men with advanced prostate cancer
by University of Chicago Medical Center Results from an international clinical trial found that men with advanced prostate cancer who have mutated BRCA1/BRCA2 genes can be treated successfully with a targeted therapy known as rucaparib, resulting in recent FDA approval. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death...
Synthetic drug ebselen could be repurposed to treat SARS-CoV-2 by targeting main protease at distant
Molecular characterization of ebselen binding activity to SARS-CoV-2 main protease AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE The synthetic drug ebselen can bind to both the catalytic region and a previously unknown distant site on the SARS-CoV-2 virus’ main protease, according to a molecular simulation analysis of the drug’s interactions with this enzyme. The results...
Study shows frequently used serology test may not detect antibodies that could confirm protection against reinfection of COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2 antibody serology assays developed by MD Anderson researchers accurately detect neutralizing antibodies UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS M. D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER RAGHU KALLURI, M.D., PH.D. view more CREDIT: THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER HOUSTON — Two different types of detectable antibody responses in SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) tell very different stories and may indicate...
Targeting the LANDO pathway holds a potential clue to treating Alzheimer’s disease
by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital are advancing understanding of a potential Alzheimer’s disease treatment. The work focuses on LC3-associated endocytosis (LANDO) and its role in neuroinflammation. The results appeared as an advance online publication today in Science Advances. The researchers previously discovered the LANDO pathway in microglial...
New ‘molecular computers’ find the right cells
by University of Washington An artist’s depiction of a Co-LOCKR nano-device coming together on the surface of a cell that has the right combination of cell surface markers. Credit: UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design Scientists have demonstrated a new way to precisely target cells by distinguishing them from neighboring cells that look quite similar....