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- July 2013
Novel Technologies News for July 2013
Thiols are sulfur-containing molecules found in most proteins of the human body. Characterized by their 'garlicky' smell, they also give coffee, sweat and the spray of skunks their unique odor. Because they are so widespread in biology, medicine and materials science, thiols are ideal targets for connecting molecules like drugs or polymers together, except that they must first be fitted with a chemical group that acts like an adaptor to other molecules.
22 July, 2013
Scientists have found a way to sneak nanoparticles carrying tumor-fighting drugs past cells of the immune system, which would normally engulf the particles, preventing them from reaching their target. The technique takes advantage of the fact that all cells in the human body display a protein on their membranes that functions as a specific ‘passport’ in instructing immune cells not to attack them. By attaching a small piece of this protein to nanoparticles, scientists were able to fool immune cells in mice into recognizing the particles as ‘self’ rather than foreign, thereby increasing the amount of medication delivered to tumors.
17 July, 2013
NY-Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have identified two promising candidates for the development of drugs against human adenovirus, a cause of ailments ranging from colds to gastrointestinal disorders to pink eye. A paper published in FEBS Letters, a journal of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies, describes how the researchers sifted through thousands of compounds to determine which might block the effects of a key viral enzyme they had previously studied in atomic-level detail.
03 July, 2013
The Myelin Repair Foundation (MRF) today has granted a non-exclusive sublicense to Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) for the use of MRF’s technologies to generate a novel mouse model for all demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Biogen Idec, an independent biotechnology company with a strong focus on multiple sclerosis therapies, will use the MRF technology in its in-house drug discovery programs. The Myelin Repair Foundation and Biogen Idec will collaborate to improve the licensed technologies to enhance discovery of myelin repair therapeutics and speed clinical development.
02 July, 2013