cusabio2015的部落格

A collaborative research team has shown that genetic mutations in a gaint protein also impact heart function in healthy people. The heart may be healthy initially but it reacts to this genetic stress. And when an additional stressor occurs, the heart may bucome unhealthy. The study appears in Nature Genetics.

Scientists have known for some time that genetic mutations in a protein called titin can cause dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a common disease of the heart muscle. DCM -- a common cause of heart failure -- can also contributes to irregular heartbeats, blood clots or sudden death. This inherited heart condition can affect people of all ages including children, but is most common in men ages 20 to 60. According to estimates, 1 in 250 people will develop this disease. However, many people that carry titin mutations exhibit no sign of disease.

Allergic diseases such as asthma affect a large number of people in the world. Severe allergy attack can be painful and even life-threatening. Existing therapies for allergy mainly work by blocking the effects of histamine or by inhibiting the body's overall immune response. The latter approach can cause severe side effects. In addition, these therapies are not always effective.

IgE, mast cells, basophils, and eosinophils are essential components of allergic inflammation. Allergic diseases are driven by two types of cells: mast cells and basophils. Moreover, there is evidence that both IgE antibodies and mast cells are also key drivers of the long-term pathophysiological changes and tissue remodeling associated with chronic allergic inflammation in a variety of allergic and inflammatory diseases. IgE antibodies and IgE-mediated mast cell and eosinophil activation contribute to these allergic diseases.

Extranodal natural killer T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) is a rare, aggressive cancer that mainly affects Asian and Latin American people. Patients with the disease often have poor prognosis. It has been known for some time that a virus called EBV is strongly associated with NKTCL. But the exact mechanism and other risk factors of NKTCL remain unclear. 

A team composed of scientists from China and Singapore has recently identified a genetic risk factor associated with this cancer type. The research team, headed by Prof?Jin-Xin Bei at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, China, has has shown that a mutation a gene called c NKTCL. The findings appear in The Lancet Oncology.

A research team led by scientists from the Texas A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology has identified a potential way to combat infections caused by Staphylococcus (or "staph") bacteria. What’s more, the method used in the study is less likely to cause the problem of drug resistance. The scientists have already published their findings in EBioMedicine.

Although a lot of progress has been made in treating bacterial infections, many species of bacteria are still killing. For example, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that has become resistant to many of the commonly used antibiotics. Bacteria like MRSA are called superbugs, which kill approximately 11,000 people in America annually. People often get exposed to these extremely harmful bacteria in health case settings, in particular hospitals. It is necessary to take measures to clean these places in order to prevent their spread.

Flu virus kills a large number of people each. Finding effective vaccines is of great significance. Described in Nature Medicine, a new research led by Prof. George Georgiou from The University of Texas provides new insight into the process that flu vaccine induces production of protective antibodies against flu virus. This work indicates there is way to promote the effect of traditional flu vaccine.

The study reveals that quadrivalent flu vaccines, which are relativley expensive, might not provide significant benefits over trivalent flu vaccines, and that certain antibodies are able to fight agaisnt multiple stains of the virus.

Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) -- antibodies that can defend a cell by neutralizing different strains of the pathogen -- shows promise in preventing and treating HIV infection. But a couple of researches now have shown it's difficult to use bNAbs to fight HIV. A such antibody, VRC01, blocked HIV for only a short time. In all the 24 HIV-infected patients that were enrolled in the research, the virus reappeared within 8 weeks after the patients stopped conventional anti-viral treatment.

One research was undertaken by the universities of Pennsylvania and Alabama investigators,showing that combinations of neutralizing antibodies are necessary for HIV long-term control. This is consistent with former studies suggesting that it's required to attack HIV in multiple ways to avoid potential drug resistance and viral resurgence. Pennsylvania investigators led a trial of 14 HIV-infected individuals. Results showed that these participates harbored a pre-existing virus that was resistant to VRCO1. Moreover, they had a virus that developed resistance to VRCO1 during treatment.

The exosomes are small membrane vesicles secrected by most cell types. These small vesicles can travel to distant tissues to influence cell behavior and physiology. For example, the exosomes are responsible for drug resistance in certain types of cancers.  In pancreatic cancer, the exosomes secrected by the supportive cells can help the cancer cells to survive drug treatments. Now, scientists at the University of Notre Dame and the Harper Cancer Research Institute have found that blocking the exosomes could help treat patients with pancreatic cancer. CusAb is a biotech company specialized in production of bio-products like Recombinant CDHR4

According to estimates, 53,000 people in the USA will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and another 41,000 will die from the disease in 2016. Although pancreatic cancer survival rates have been improved, the disease is still considered largely incurable. The one-year relative survival rate is 20%, and the five-year rate is 8%. Besides, the development procedure for new drug is complicated, time-consuming, and expensive.

McMaster researchers and collaborators have identified genetic mutations that impairs synaptic connections in patients with autism, a finding that may guide development of new autism treatments.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurological and developmental disorders that can cause significant social communication and behavioral challenges. ASD is estimated to affect one in 68 people and it is around 4.5 times more common among boys than girls. Tens of millions of people worldwide are affected by autism.

New research from University of Pennsylvania shows that using an antibody to block a specific bone protein can reduce radiotherapy-induced bone loss in mice. The finding may reduce side effect of radiotherapy and thus improve cancer treatment.

Radiotherapy is a treatment that involves the use of high-energy radiation. Radiotherapy is one of the most common treatments for cancer. At least one in two people with cancer would benefit from radiotherapy. High-energy radiation kills or damages cancer cells and stops them from growing and multiplying. However, radiation also affects nearby normal cells. Despite advances in radiotherapy, the therapy can cause patients to lose bone density, which in turn increases the risk of broken bones.

Oxford have have a way to treat autoimmune disorders and decrease adverse effects of treatment. The findings appear in Science Translational Medicine.

An autoimmune disorder is a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks a normal body part. Overall, autoimmune diseases are common, affecting a large number of people worldwide. Common autoimmune diseases include type 1 diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus, and inflammatory bowel disease. Currently, there are a variety of treatment options for autoimmune diseases. But these treatments may compromise the patients' immune system, making them vulnerable to other opportunistic illnesses. So there is an need to develop novel treatments that cause less side effects.