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New Study Uncovers How Viral Infections Trigger Pain, Identifies Potential Target for Relief

Findings indicate nociceptors detect viral nucleic acids, activating STING and TRPV1, highlighting new pain mechanisms in viral infections like HSV-1.

23 Oct 2024

Membrane Tension and Calcium Signaling Regulate Phospholipid Scrambling

Researchers at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS) at Kyoto University have discovered new information regarding how cells control the distribution of lipids in their cell membrane.

16 Sep 2024

Breakthrough in Understanding Brain's Master Protein

Proteins engage in intricate molecular movements to fulfill their biological roles. The NMDAR protein, crucial for brain function, performs a particularly complex dance.

1 Aug 2024

Study Reveals Titin Mutation Effects on Cardiac Development and Atrial Fibrillation

Millions of adults have atrial fibrillation -; an irregular beating of the upper chambers of the heart that yields increased risk of heart failure, stroke and death.

25 Jul 2024

New Gene Editing Technique Outperforms Existing Therapies

Cystic fibrosis, a prevalent genetic disorder, leads to thick mucus accumulation in the lungs and other parts of the body, resulting in breathing difficulties and infections.

11 Jul 2024

Breakthrough Imaging Reveals the Dynamics of the Brain's Fast-Acting Kainate Receptor

New groundbreaking images of one of the brain's fastest-acting proteins are providing critical clues that may lead to the development of targeted therapies to treat epilepsy and other brain disorders.

18 Jun 2024

Super-Cooled Brain Cell Molecules Shed Light on Epilepsy Drug Action

By super cooling a molecule on the surface of brain cells down to about minus 180 degrees Celsius -; nearly twice as cold as the coldest places in Antarctica -; scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have determined how a widely-used epilepsy drug works to dampen the excitability of brain cells and help to control, although not cure, seizures.

11 Jun 2024

Metrion Biosciences Strengthens Team with Three Key Appointments

Metrion Biosciences Limited (“Metrion”), the specialist ion channel contract research organisation (CRO) and drug discovery company, has promoted Clare Rutty to CFO and welcomes two new hires in Sue Peffer as Head of Marketing and Leanne Clarke as HR Officer.

12 Mar 2024

Novel Endogenous Acid Sensor and a Calcium Store Found in Plant Guard Cells

When plants are infected by pathogens, suffer from a lack of water or have to react to other external stimuli, the first thing they do is increase the proton and calcium concentration in the affected cells.

18 Dec 2023

MIT Chemists Discover Structure of SARS-CoV-2 Ion Channel in Open State

The genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus encodes 29 proteins, one of which is an ion channel called E. This channel, which transports protons and calcium ions, induces infected cells to launch an inflammatory response that damages tissues and contributes to the symptoms of Covid-19.

16 Oct 2023

Scientists Gain Insights into Biophysical Properties of Neurons with New Workflow

Biophysically detailed neuronal models provide a unique window into the workings of individual neurons.

5 Oct 2023

New Device Mimics Biology to Detect Disease

In living organisms, cells have a very high capacity to process and communicate information by moving molecules or ions through tiny channels that span the cell membrane. UC Santa Cruz Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Marco Rolandi's lab and collaborators at MIT have created a device that mimics this biological concept in order to detect disease.

19 Sep 2023

Scientists Develop New Method to Control Insulin Release with Music

Diabetes is a condition in which the body produces too little or no insulin. Diabetics thus depend on an external supply of this hormone via injection or pump. Researchers led by Martin Fussenegger from the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH Zurich in Basel want to make the lives of these people easier and are looking for solutions to produce and administer insulin directly in the body.

23 Aug 2023

Researchers Elucidate STING Protein's New Role in Immune Defense

A signaling protein known as STING is a critical player in the human immune system, detecting signs of danger within cells and then activating a variety of defense mechanisms.

7 Aug 2023

Study Shows How Sensory Neurons Control Gastrointestinal Tracts

Gastrointestinal and digestive issues impact roughly 3 million people across the United States alone, and that number is growing.

4 Aug 2023

Glucose-Sensing Neurons May Play a Role in Regulating Blood Sugar

The body's blood glucose level needs to be maintained in a relatively narrow range. It cannot be too high, as it can lead to diabetes, and it cannot be too low because it can cause fainting or even death.

12 Jul 2023

Rescue Treatment Found From Plant Extracts for People With Ataxia

A University of California, Irvine-led team of researchers have discovered that extracts from plants used by the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nations peoples in their traditional botanical medicine practices are able to rescue the function of ion channel proteins carrying mutations that cause human Episodic Ataxia.

22 Jun 2023

Metrion Biosciences Appoints Dr Steve Jenkinson as VP, Drug Discovery and Safety Assessment to Strengthen US Operations

Metrion Biosciences Ltd (“Metrion”), the specialist ion channel contract research and drug discovery company, today announced the appointment of Dr Steve Jenkinson as Vice President, Drug Discovery and Safety Assessment.

12 Jun 2023

How Bacteria Take Action to Break Out of Dormancy

Solving a riddle that has confounded biologists since bacterial spores -; inert, sleeping bacteria -; were first described more than 150 years ago, researchers at Harvard Medical School have discovered a new kind of cellular sensor that allows spores to detect the presence of nutrients in their environment and quickly spring back to life.

2 May 2023

Tiny Protein Interacts with Ion Channels to Make Our Eyes Sensitive to Dim Light

Using cryo-electron microscopy and mass spectrometry, researchers from PSI have deciphered the structure of an ion channel found in the eye while it interacts with the protein calmodulin – a structure that has eluded scientists for three decades.

4 Apr 2023