Protein linked to hearing loss in elderly identifiedNovember 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists from University of Florida and University of Wisconsin have identified a protein that plays a critical role in development of age-related hearing loss. The protein called Bak appears to be central to processes that cause oxidative damage to cells and lead to hearing loss.
Drug candidate for treating spinal muscular atrophy identifiedNovember 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have identified a chemical cousin of the common antibiotic tetracycline that might be useful in treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a currently incurable disease that is the leading genetic cause of death in infants. The finding is based on a study conducted by Adrian Krainer, Ph.D., of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and scientists from Paratek Pharmaceuticals and Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.
Marine sponges may harbour cancer cureNovember 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A natural component found in marine sponges has shown promise in treating cancer, say researchers. Lead researcher Daniel Romo, a Texas A and M chemistry professor has identified a mechanism related to Pateamine A (PatA) that might make it a potential anti-cancer agent.
Common weed may help shed light on aging, cancerOctober 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A common weed related to cabbage, radish and mustard plant family may provide vital clues on human aging and cancer, say researchers. The research team from Texas A and M University and the University of Cincinnati (UC) examined the telomeres of Arabidopsis, a plant found throughout the world, and discovered a new set of essential telomere proteins.
Key protein behind pulmonary arterial hypertension identifiedOctober 26th, 2009 LONDON - In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have identified a key protein that promotes the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension in humans and mice. The finding has implications for future drug therapies that may extend the life of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and prevent the need for lung transplantation, currently the only cure for this debilitating disease.
Biomakers that trigger aggressive liver cancer identifiedOctober 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists from Taipei Veterans General Hospital have identified certain biomakers that appear to trigger aggressiveness of liver cancer. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or primary liver cancer forms in the epithelial tissue of the liver and is most commonly caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Scientists identify genes behind increasingly common form of cancerOctober 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Two genes believed to play a role in the development of endometrial cancer have been identified by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The discovery could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of this increasingly common form of cancer.
Gene critical to cancer cell survival identifiedOctober 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - University of York claim to have identified a gene that appears to play a crucial role in cancer cell survival. The researchers have used a process called RNA interference to target the JNK2 gene in both cancer and healthy cells.
Protein that supports aggressive breast cancer growth identifiedOctober 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have demonstrated that a protein may be required for some of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer to grow. The findings, based on the study of a mouse model of breast cancer, have been presented in a recent issue of Cancer Research.
New 'on-off switch' mechanism stops cancer's spread in miceSeptember 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have shed light on an "on-off switch" mechanism that can help stop cancer in its tracks. Experts at Yale School of Medicine and Sichuan University, China, experimented on mice and found that an RNA molecule from an area of the genome, which does not produce proteins, prevents a type of tumour-suppressor protein (TSP) from inactivating incipient cancer genes.
Found: Protein linked to storage of fatSeptember 18th, 2009 LONDON - A protein present in all cells in the body could help scientists better understand how we store fat. University of Edinburgh (U-E) researchers have found that the protein invadolysin, essential for healthy cell division, is present in lipid droplets -- the parts of cells used to store fat.
Over-expressed protein may make non-invasive breast cancer invasiveSeptember 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An over-expressed protein can convert active but non-invasive breast cancer into a different cell type, and thereby turn it into invasive breast cancer, according to scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Researchers make bacteria to produce useful proteinsSeptember 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers at the University of British Columbia have turned the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus into a protein production factory by adapting a single protein on its surface, thus making useful proteins that can act as vaccines and drugs. C. crescentus is a harmless bacterium that has a single protein layer on its surface.
Protein's 'Jekyll and Hyde' role in cancer discoveredSeptember 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - American scientists have discovered a protein's "Jekyll and Hyde" role in cancer development. While the protein called FOXO3a is thought to protect against cancer development, researchers from the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida and Harvard Medical School have found that it can actually spur the spread of tumours.
New discovery may help in developing effective cancer therapiesSeptember 3rd, 2009 LONDON - Canadian researchers have come across a novel mechanism that may be instrumental in the development of new, more effective cancer therapies. They have discovered that activation mechanism of the RAF protein kinase which, when mutated, is responsible for more than 25 per cent of cancers.
