Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan have developed a new computational mass-spectrometry system for identifying metabolomes—entire sets of metabolites for different living organisms. When the new method was tested on select tissues from 12 plants…
Proteon Therapeutics’ Kidney Disease Drug Flunks Phase III Trial
Proteon Therapeutics, based in Waltham, Mass., announced that its PATENCY-2 Phase III clinical trial of vonapanitase in chronic kidney disease (CKD) failed to meet its co-primary endpoints. Vonapanitase was being evaluated in patients with Kidney disease (CKD) undergoing the creation of a radiocephalic…
NIH study finds no evidence that calcium increases the risk of AMD
Calcium-rich foods include milk, yogurt, and cheese, as well as non-dairy sources such as kale, white beans, and sesame seeds. NEI Eating a calcium-rich diet or taking calcium supplements does not appear to increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD),…
Weekend catch-up can’t counter chronic sleep deprivation
The study found that weekend sleep didn’t make up for the harmful effects of sleep deprivation on the body’s metabolism. A good night’s sleep is vital for your health. Sleep helps your brain work properly. A lack of adequate sleep over…
Scientists find a new approach that shows promise for treating cystic fibrosis
In people with cystic fibrosis, a protein that releases a key infection-fighting agent (red spheres), is missing or defective (brown ribbon). Amphotericin (white structure) can form channels to release bicarbonate, restoring the antibiotic properties of the airway surface liquid, which plays…
Sage Wins FDA Approval for ‘Game-Changing’ Postpartum Depression Treatment
Shares of SAGE Therapeutics are up more than 3 percent in premarket trading after the company snagged approval for its postpartum depression treatment Zulresso (brexanalone) Tuesday afternoon. With the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Zulresso is the first and only medicine…
Chemical Probe can Regulate Signaling Pathway and Block Cell Invasion by Arboviruses
Cells in humans and other vertebrates, as well as invertebrates, have to signal pathways that play essential roles in embryo development, cell proliferation, and tissue structuring. Dysregulation in one of these signaling pathways, known as the beta-catenin-dependent Wnt signaling pathway, can…
Leading Scientists Call for a Moratorium on Specific Types of CRISPR Editing
In the wake of the scandal caused by a Chinese researcher’s use of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to alter the DNA of embryos for seven couples, leading scientists called for a moratorium on heritable genome editing. In November 2018, He Jiankui, a researcher in Shenzhen, China,…
Seawater Bacteria Provides Leads to Fight Melanoma
Malignant Melanoma can be a particularly dangerous form of cancer, and more therapeutic options are needed. Now, researchers report in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters that a bacteria from seawater has inspired promising leads for an entirely new way to treat the…