Life Sciences and Chemistry

With the help of snake venom and sophisticated laboratory testing, scientists believe they’ve uncovered the reason why a group of new heart medications were doing some patients more harm than good. Researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues report the findings in the current on-line issue of The Journal of Molecular Biology.

“Our findings suggest that drug developers should take a different approach,” said Roy Hantgan, Ph.D., principal invest

A look inside a wristwatch reveals that timekeeping is a complex affair, involving the coordination of mechanical parts providing the impulses and feedback needed to achieve precisely recurring movement. Biological clocks are equally complex, regulated by a network of genes and transcriptional factors that interact to stabilize the rhythms of numerous physiological systems. Unlike the wristwatch, however, there is no visible readout or display showing an individual’s body time, a lack which h

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers have designed a blood test to detect ovarian cancer using three proteins found in common in the blood of women with the disease. Their preliminary studies with the new test suggest a molecular signature exclusive to this deadly cancer, known for its ability to remain undetected and spread quickly.

The Hopkins test, described in the August 15 issue of Cancer Research, identifies the proteins as a truncated form of transthyretin, a fragm

When a protein misfolds, the results can be disastrous. An incorrect change in the molecule’s shape can lead to diseases including Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s. But scientists have discovered that misfolded proteins can have a positive side in yeast, helping cells navigate the dicey current of natural selection by expressing a variety of hidden genetic traits.

What’s more, at the center of this process is a prion, a protein that changes shape in a self-perpetuatin

An important receptor for estrogen in ovarian cells has been shown to suppress tumor growth, according to a new study published in the August 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research. When ovarian tumors develop, however, the number of these receptors–known as estrogen receptor beta (ER beta)–diminishes, encouraging these tumors to advance toward malignancy and metastasis. This disappearing act may help explain why ovarian cancers are often typically resistant to anti-estrogen drugs including Tam

By comparing three different species’ genomes and adding some good old-fashioned genetic analysis, scientists have uncovered the identity of the last of eight genes known to contribute to Bardet-Biedl syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by a combination of some otherwise common problems, including obesity, learning difficulties, diabetes and asthma.

The identification of the BBS3 gene ends the search for primary BBS-causing genes in families studied for years by a team of sc