Self-assembling proteins can be used for higher performance, more sustainable skincare products

NYU Tandon researchers have created a novel protein-based gel as a potential ingredient in sustainable and high-performance personal skincare products. This innovation could also streamline the creation of more eco-friendly skincare products, offering increased efficacy and durability while addressing market demands for ethically sourced ingredients.

UTokyo and NARO develop new vertical seed distribution trait for soybean breeding

We have probably all seen a soybean plant, about 1 meter high with leaves and pods compactly arranged on a main stem with a few short side branches. The wild relative of the domesticated soybean is a long vine with pods widely distributed on many side branches. Plant breeding by farmers thousands of years ago is to thank for this dramatic change.

Researchers Find Ground Beef Packs Bigger Muscle-Building Punch than Soy-Based Alternative

New research from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) reveals that 100% ground beef packs a bigger punch for muscle protein synthesis than a soy-based counterpart. In fact, the study suggests that a person would need double the amount of soy-based protein to achieve the same results.

Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study examined the anabolic response — how the body builds muscle — after consuming a 4-ounce beef patty versus one or two 4-ounce patties of a soy-based product. The results? Just one serving of beef did the job, while two servings of the soy-based alternative were necessary to see the same muscle-building benefits.

Mouse study explores 3D structure of DNA in nerve cells

New mouse model research led by scientists at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, College of Medicine and Imperial College London explored how nerve cells repair themselves, which could lead to new treatments for nerve injuries.

Egg-White Rice – an Innovative Alternative Food Rich in Nutrients that Appeals to the Health Conscious

Chula Faculty of Allied Health Sciences has launched a ready-to-eat flourless rice innovation made from egg whites, branded as “eggyday”. This product is low in calories, filled with good-quality protein, high in calcium, complete with dietary fibers, and free of gluten.

Controlling thickness in fruit fly hearts reveals new pathway for heart disease

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys and Salk Institute for Biological Studies have uncovered a new role for a protein known for its role in the brain helping control feelings of hunger or satiety, as well as in the liver to aid the body in maintaining a balance of energy during fasting. The new study shows that this protein also supports the maintenance of heart structure and function, but when it is overactive it causes thickening of the heart muscle, which is associated with heart disease.

Hahn Awarded CZI Grant to Monitor, Manipulate Proteins Important in Nervous System Function, Neurological Disease

Klaus Hahn, PhD, the Ronald G. Thurman Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at the UNC School of Medicine, will co-lead this Chan Zuckerberg Initiative project with colleagues at Duke University and North Carolina State University.

Biochemists discover what affects the development of autoimmune diseases

The biochemist of RUDN University and Institute of Biomedical Chemistry was the first to study how variants of the protein that controls T-lymphocytes affect the development of autoimmune diseases using the example of multiple sclerosis. This will help find new approaches to the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

A change in rigidity switches the function of protein condensates involved in sensing touch

A team of researchers describes in Nature Cell Biology the mechanism by which the MEC-2 protein condensates of the touch receptor neurons transition from fluid to solid-like states, switching their role in the transmission of mechanical forces. These findings pave the way for developing innovative therapies and treatments.

Researchers Report Protein Mutation Creates ‘Super’ T Cells with Potential to Fight Off Cancer and Infections

Using laboratory-grown cells from humans and genetically engineered mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have evidence that modifying a specific protein in immune white blood cells known as CD8+ T cells can make the cells more robust, potentially opening the door for better use of people’s own immune system T cells to fight cancer.

Protein p53 regulates learning, memory, sociability in mice

Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology have established the protein p53 as critical for regulating sociability, repetitive behavior, and hippocampus-related learning and memory in mice, illuminating the relationship between the protein-coding gene TP53 and neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.

New research finds mechanism that regulates PTSD in the female brain

From humans to plants to single-cell organisms, there’s a protein that rules them all. This protein does general housekeeping of the cells, regulating them through normal daily functions. Virginia Tech researchers found that one specific form of this ubiquitous protein has a different function in the female brains – it helps regulate events in the memory that cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Researchers identify a potential new therapeutic target in Parkinson’s disease

In a study published in Nature Communications, a team led by Krembil Brain Institute at UHN Senior Scientists, Drs. Lorraine Kalia and Suneil Kalia, and University of Toronto (U of T) Professor, Dr. Philip M. Kim, identified a protein-protein interaction that contributes to Parkinson’s disease. In the disease, a protein called α-synuclein (a-syn) accumulates in the brain and leads to cell death.

Chula Medicine Reveals Innovative Detection of Latent Dementia A 10-Year Awareness May delay Alzheimer’s Onset in Elderly

Thai Red Cross Emerging Infectious Diseases Health Science Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University has researched a blood test for markers of Alzheimer’s that can give a 10-year warning, so people can be prepared to slow down the development of dementia in old age.

UCSF Researchers Uncover New Pathway for Molecular Cancer Drug Therapies

In a study published December 8, 2022 in Science, UCSF researchers Kevin Lou, an MD-PhD student, Luke Gilbert, PhD, and Kevan Shokat, PhD, reveal the discovery of a cellular uptake pathway important for larger molecules. These large and complex molecules bind in unconventional ways to their targets, are efficiently taken up by target cells, and can be harnessed to create new drugs for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.

Blood Protein Levels and Birth Control Pills May Increase Blood Clot Risk in Female Astronauts

Article title: Albumin, oral contraceptives and venous thromboembolism risk in astronauts Authors: Sara R. Zwart, Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor, Martina Heer, M. Mark Melin, Scott M. Smith From the authors: “We report here evidence of an association between oral contraceptive use…