When talking to the key immune system fighters known as T-cells, it helps to speak their language. Now researchers from Columbia University in New York and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia have discovered two new conditions for communication that may help scientists one day harness the power of T-cells to fight diseases such as cancer.
31 October, 2012
Scientists at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto have established that a drug recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat a rare form of cystic fibrosis works in an unconventional way. Their results reveal new possibilities for treating various forms of cystic fibrosis.
30 October, 2012
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have figured out the three-dimensional shape of the protein responsible for creating unique bonds within the cell wall of the bacteria that cause tuberculosis. The bonds make the bacteria resistant to currently available drug therapies, contributing to the alarming rise of these super-bacteria throughout the world.
26 October, 2012
European pharmaceutical giant Servier has thrown its support behind a new drug being developed in Victoria that may halt the development of Alzheimer’s disease while also alleviating its symptoms.
25 October, 2012
A link has been discovered between Alzheimer’s disease and the activity level of a protein called eIF2alpha. This has been reported in a new study conducted at the University of Haifa’s Sagol Department of Neurobiology, recently published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. According to Prof. Kobi Rosenblum, head of the Department, altering the performance of this protein through drug therapy could constitute a treatment for Alzheimer’s, which is incurable.
23 October, 2012
Cold viruses generally get a bad rap, which they've certainly earned, but new findings by a team of scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies suggest that these viruses might also be a valuable ally in the fight against cancer.
18 October, 2012
World Mental Health Day is a day set aside to raise public awareness and promote open discussion of mental disorders, their prevention and treatment. This year’s theme is “Depression: A Global Crisis”. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression affects more than 350 million people globally, and although there are known effective treatments, access to such treatments is problematic in some countries, with sometimes fewer than 10% of those in need receiving treatment.
15 October, 2012
A University of Michigan biophysical chemist and his colleagues have discovered the smallest and fastest-known molecular switches made of RNA, the chemical cousin of DNA. The researchers say these rare, fleeting structures are prime targets for the development of new antiviral and antibiotic drugs.
08 October, 2012
Scientists at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre, located at the Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network have developed the first lab study in the world to accurately predict the outcomes of a human clinical for their drug that protects the brain against the damaging effects of stroke.
05 October, 2012
When Linda Tuttle was diagnosed with breast cancer, she never imagined her experience would inspire her colleagues to design new treatments to tackle the disease. An administrative assistant in the Department of Chemistry at Wake Forest University, Tuttle was more accustomed to talking to faculty and staff about meetings and course loads – not doctors’ appointments and treatment plans. But after her 2009 diagnosis, Tuttle’s use of tamoxifen, a drug commonly used to treat breast cancer, inspired medicinal chemist Ulrich Bierbach to develop a targeted therapy that delivers a sneak attack to the disease, similar to a Trojan horse.
03 October, 2012