Stanford snake venom study shows that certain cells may eliminate poison
...ast cells respond to selected venoms, they unleash proteins that break down some of the venoms' most toxic com...tal to humans. They found that mast cells released proteins that broke down a molecule called endothelin-1, one of the major toxins produced by the body during ...Scientists develop new, molecular approach to early cancer detection
...eatable." Clinicians can sometimes use antibodies, proteins that recognize and fight bodily intruders, to identify different types of cancer. That's the case, for example, with the prostate-specific antigen test for prostate cancer. Antibodies are preferable to diagnosis by appearance because they are consist...Baylor Institute for Immunology research receives $3 million grant to create cancer vaccines
...tivated against melanoma peptides (portions of the proteins that are unique to melanoma cancer cells). Patients will receive the dendritic cell vaccine in combination with cyclophosphamide (CPA), an anticancer drug known to boost immune system defenses. Pre-treatment with CPA may lead to a stronger anti-cance...Heat therapy for cancer may be key to 'Lance Armstrong Effect'
...of nanoparticles that have an affinity for surface proteins carried by cancer cells. Once the nanoparticle fi...matrix. For example, they are looking at blocking proteins whose primary role is to act as fire blankets to coat the nuclear matrix and preserve it from heat d...Radiation-killed bacteria vaccine induces broad immune response in mice
...lity to trigger innate immune system responses via proteins called toll-like-receptors. Based on that observation, says Dr. Raz, "we hypothesized that a vaccine made from whole, irradiated bacteria would retain the properties needed to evoke a broad immune response and result in a superior vaccine compared wi...Sandia work launched on space shuttle shows live cells influence growth of nanostructures
... or the course of therapy. The cells also localize proteins at the cellular interface. Assistant Professor Graham Timmins of UNM's College of Pharmacy notes that the encapsulated cells' unusual longevity may serve as a model for persistent infections such as tuberculosis, which has a long latency period. TB...Researchers demonstrate potential mechanism of food allergy
...0, 2006) -- Researchers have identified one of the proteins that may be responsible for causing food allergies, which could lead to the development of more accurate non-invasive tests to identify true food allergies, according to a study published in the July issue of Gastroenterology, the journal for the mem...Rutgers-Newark researcher discovers new motor protein mechanism linked to heart disease and strokes
...hanical energy to secrete toxins and other harmful proteins to the exterior of the bacterium cell. Once a ba...l use the SecA system to secrete specific bacteria proteins into the human body causing infections or diseases. Recent advances in NMR Spectroscopy allowed Kalo...Duke researchers link newly discovered gene to hereditary neurological disease
...to a gene called REEP1. The gene normally produces proteins that support the cell's energy source, the mitochondria. But a defect in the gene may disable its proteins from performing their normal functions in mitochondria most notably the mitochondria within the ner...Measuring proteins in spinal fluid may provide early clue to Alzheimer's disease
...rain during Alzheimer's disease, which are made of proteins known as -amyloids, begin forming years before affected individuals experience any symptoms of the disease. As -amyloid proteins, predominately of a type known as A42, clump together, fewer are available to circulate through the nervous system. The...U of M researchers discover compounds to shrink tumors
...genic protein. But, because the compounds are not proteins themselves, they have the advantage of possibly being taken in pill form and being less costly to produce. In animal studies with mice, the compounds inhibited tumor growth by up to 80 percent, and in combination with chemotherapy tumors essent...New sleep gene discovery wakes up scientists
...10.1073/pnas.0604511103 . Scientists studied two proteins (one called CKIe and another called PERIOD) that h...gulate timing in the body, and looked at how those proteins function in cells, said Forger. One of the proteins causes the other protein to degrade, and the bod...Developing natural immunity to asthma caused by research rats
...oyees or 68 percent, their highest exposure to rat proteins came during their work as a scientist." For the first time, the authors found a two-fold reduction in the risk of developing work-related chest symptoms in those who produced both rat-specific IgG4 and IgE antibodies, as compared with those produc...Proteins spur diabetic mice models to grow blood vessels, nerves
...els. The therapy involves netrins, a family of proteins that promotes nerve development. In a study to be published this week in the journal Science Express, the Utah researchers and colleagues from other universities showed netrins not only accelerated blood vessel growth in ischemic mice (those with con...Mouse model aids discovery of novel melanoma metastasis gene
...ed in this study suggest that disrupting genes and proteins associated with NEDD9 may be fruitful in halting spread of melanoma. "This is clinically important," said Chin, "because primary skin melanoma doesn't kill patients metastases are the major problem. So understanding the events that drive metastas...Johns Hopkins lab scientists tame overactive CF protein
...d degradation), which chemically "marks" defective proteins for destruction and sends them to the cell's waste... had not identified the precise search-and-destroy proteins that ERAD deploys to seek out the mutant CFTR. "We were able to confirm that to get rid of the d...Craniofacial Biology Award presented to Mina
...arly characterized the roles of bone morphogenetic proteins and FGF family members in mediating the outgrowth and morphogenesis of the chick mandible. Her research has been well-supported by peer-reviewed grants, and she has successfully supervised a large number of doctoral and post-doctoral fellows. Th...Cancer-causing protein may heal damaged spinal cord and brain cells
...ncer Genetics, and the study's lead author. The proteins known as Id proteins - are abundant in the cells of many different types of cancer, including brain, breast cancer and pe...Rheumatoid arthritis patients can benefit from Enbrel in combination with methotrexate
... the dominant inflammatory cytokines or regulatory proteins that play an important role in both normal immune function and the cascade of reactions that causes the inflammatory processes of rheumatoid arthritis. The binding of ENBREL to TNF renders the bound TNF biologically inactive, which can result in sig...Identification of role for proteins in children's muscle disease could open up new treatment options
...s and they may complain of tummy pain. Heat shock proteins (HSP) are a group of proteins whose expression is increased when the cells are exposed to elevated temperatures. Production of hig...