LONDON – An eight-year study that involved sifting the genome of the malaria parasite has delivered a list of proteins that the parasite cannot do without – as well as determining at what point in the parasite's life cycle each of the proteins is expressed.
LONDON – Faults in the process by which cells in the brain remove debris may lie at the heart of several different neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
LONDON – A study in mice suggests that it may be possible to develop a vaccine to protect against recurrence of glioma, a type of brain cancer. Researchers in Germany hope to begin phase I trials of the vaccine in early 2015.
LONDON – It will be possible to develop a new generation of antibiotics that work by blocking a channel present in the outer membrane of bacteria, researchers predict. Studies suggest that the strategy will reduce the chances that bacteria will become resistant to the new drugs, because they will act on a molecule that is accessible from outside the microorganisms.
LONDON – A strategy of boosting the immune response against cancer, using a drug which has already delivered highly encouraging results for patients with leukemias and other hematological malignancies, may be equally successful when applied to solid tumors such as those of the breast and lung, new animal studies suggest.
LONDON – Apoptosis is a well-known type of programmed cell death, but it's not the only way that cells can bring about their own death. There's also necroptosis – in which cells spectacularly burst and die, rather than withering away as in apoptosis.
LONDON – The discovery of a compound that can prevent replication of various coronaviruses – which cause common respiratory infections as well as rare but highly dangerous infections – has raised hopes that it may be possible in the future to develop drugs to treat these infections.
LONDON – A massive study exploring the ways in which common genetic variants influence the levels of various metabolites in human blood has delivered a treasure trove of information ready for scientists, researchers and drug developers to explore.
