Toxin News and Research

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Toxins produced by tube-dwelling anemones have pharmacological potential, shows research

Researchers based in Brazil and the United States have completed the first-ever mapping exercise to profile the toxins produced by tube-dwelling anemones, or cerianthids, a family of marine animals belonging to the same phylum (Cnidaria) as sea anemones, jellyfish and corals.

30 Oct 2020

Bioinformatics expert to design antibody-antigen interface to predict peptide sequences

Dmitri Klimov, Professor, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, is creating a computational platform for designing an antibody-antigen interface based on DNA origami.

19 Oct 2020

Peptide therapy prevents overreaction of the immune system against infections

Individuals require enough action to remove offensive viruses or bacteria, but not so much that their body suffer a considerable damage.

From UC San Diego 15 Oct 2020

New interactive tool finds toxins lurking in drinking water

Exposure to hydraulic fracturing fluid in drinking water has been shown to increase the risk of respiratory problems, premature births, congenital heart defects, and other medical problems.

24 Sep 2020

Allergic immune responses protect against bacterial infections

Allergy is one of the most common diseases in Europe, it is estimated that more than 150 million Europeans suffer from recurring allergies and by 2025 this could have increased to half of the entire European population.

10 Sep 2020

Food additives prove to be efficient at controlling bacteria on tomatoes preharvest

When vegetable farmers harvest crops, they often rely on postharvest washing to reduce any foodborne pathogens, but a new University of Georgia study shows promise in reducing these pathogens - as well as lowering labor costs-- by applying sanitizers to produce while it is still in the fields.

From University of Georgia 9 Sep 2020

Scientists identify antigen valencies that work best in vaccine designs for HIV, SARS-CoV-2

Designing a vaccine starts with finding the right ingredients. Every infectious agent has molecules, called antigens, that the immune system could potentially recognize and attack. So scientists must carefully consider which antigens should go into a vaccine.

28 Aug 2020

A New Way of Killing Tuberculosis

AZoLifeSciences speaks to Dr. Tim Blower about his research into tuberculosis, and how the discovery of a new toxin could lead to new anti-TB drugs.

From Durham University 5 Aug 2020

Study solves longstanding mysteries about frogs

Frogs and toads are green for a very good reason - it makes them harder to see in their leafy environments. Good camouflage allows them to eat and not be eaten. But not all frogs have arrived at this life-saving greenness in the same way.

14 Jul 2020

New type of molecular editor can make precise changes in mitochondrial DNA

The genome in mitochondria -- the cell's energy-producing organelles -- is involved in disease and key biological functions, and the ability to precisely alter this DNA would allow scientists to learn more about the effects of these genes and mutations.

9 Jul 2020

Study provides roadmap for developing effective vaccine against Staphylococcal infections

Experiments in mice have shown early success in vaccinating them against potentially deadly bacterial infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcal aureus, or MRSA, the strain resistant to most drug treatments.

1 Jul 2020

Princeton researcher solves long-standing mysteries of membrane protein structure

Ion channels and membrane transporters are in the business of moving ions and small molecules across cellular membranes. They are essential for metabolic and cellular homeostasis, and for a host of biological signaling pathways.

30 Jun 2020

C. difficile hijacks the wound healing system to cause serious and persistent disease

Monash University researchers have discovered that the devastating bacterial superbug Clostridioides difficile hijacks the human wound healing system in order to cause serious and persistent disease, opening up the development of new therapies to treat the disease.

26 Jun 2020

Study shows how the innate immune system fights off toxin-producing bacteria

The innate immune system is the main line of defense against infections caused by microorganisms.

24 Jun 2020

Researchers identify bacterium responsible for causing intestinal bleeding in pigs

A research team from University of Bern has recently identified the reason behind a fatal intestinal bleeding in piglets caused by bacterium.

5 Jun 2020

Synthetic red blood cells mimic favorable properties of natural ones

Scientists have tried to develop synthetic red blood cells that mimic the favorable properties of natural ones, such as flexibility, oxygen transport and long circulation times.

4 Jun 2020

Stem cell model sheds new light on neurodegeneration process

A new study published today in Neuron led by The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute's Valentina Fossati, Ph.D., creates astrocytes - an integral support cell in the brain - from stem cells and shows that in disease-like environments, these normally helpful cells can turn into neuron-killers.

2 Jun 2020

Inhibiting host cell proteases can help prevent COVID-19 infection

How can we prevent the novel coronavirus from invading a host cell in an attempt to prevent infection?

2 Jun 2020

Eating one meal high in saturated fat may affect our ability to focus

Fatty food may feel like a friend during these troubled times, but new research suggests that eating just one meal high in saturated fat can hinder our ability to concentrate - not great news for people whose diets have gone south while they're working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

19 May 2020

New algorithm links large-scale membrane changes to molecular level simulations

Researchers have devised a new technique that integrates different levels of resolution in a computer simulation of biological membranes.

11 May 2020