Scientists laser-poke ‘bizarre’ brain cell droplets

A bizarre class of molecules may play a role in disease: proteins that cluster together to form spherical droplets inside human cells.

Charlotte Hsu-Buffalo • futurity
March 19, 2019 ~5 min

This blood protein is vital for liver regeneration

The liver is the only organ that can regenerate, but it doesn't always work after surgery. New research sheds light on why.

Sarina Gleason-Michigan State • futurity
March 10, 2019 ~3 min


Unique vibrations lead to protein ‘fingerprints’

The way proteins vibrate can help scientists identify them, which could lead to new medical tests or ways to evaluate drugs.

Charlotte Hsu-Buffalo • futurity
March 5, 2019 ~4 min

Key pathway in embryonic cells has a varied job

"The WNT pathway is different in stem cells and differentiated cells," research finds. That comes as a surprise.

Mike Williams-Rice • futurity
March 4, 2019 ~6 min

Exercise, fasting shown to help cells shed defective proteins

A new study from the Blavatnik Institute finds that intense exercise and fasting activate hormones that boost cells’ capacity to dispose of defective proteins, which clog up the cell, interfere with its functions, and, over time, precipitate diseases including neurodegenerative conditions such as ALS and Alzheimer’s.

Ekaterina Pesheva • harvard
Feb. 21, 2019 ~9 min

Predicting sequence from structure

Researchers have devised a faster, more efficient way to design custom peptides and perturb protein-protein interactions.

Raleigh McElvery | Department of Biology • mit
Feb. 15, 2019 ~7 min

Watch ‘flares’ repair leak in protective cell barrier

See how the barriers that protect our organs from disease-causing invaders get fixed when cracks form.

Jim Erickson-Michigan • futurity
Feb. 15, 2019 ~5 min

Fluorescent tags light up when proteins misfold

A method highlights forms of proteins that likely play a role in several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Gail McCormick-Penn State • futurity
Feb. 14, 2019 ~4 min


Can extra fuel delivery recharge aging cells?

When older cells' fuel tanks start to get low, they have trouble performing their functions. A new discovery could change that.

Julia Evangelou Strait-WUSTL • futurity
Feb. 4, 2019 ~6 min

Lungless salamanders’ skin expresses protein crucial for lung function

A recent study shows that a gene that produces surfactant protein c — a key protein for lung function — is expressed in the skin and mouths of lungless salamanders, suggesting it also plays an important role for cutaneous respiration.

Peter Reuell • harvard
Jan. 31, 2019 ~8 min

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