(Cardiff University) In 2011 a Cardiff University team revealed that a protein call calmodulin could protect the pancreas against the effects of alcohol. In cells without calmodulin, alcohol speeds up a chain reaction causing cells to self-destruct, leading to pancreatitis and potentially to pancreatic cancer. Now the team has secured a £2M MRC Program Grant to investigate the potential of this calcium-like molecule further.

(Rice University) Rice University bioengineering researcher Jane Grande-Allen has won an Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association for a multiyear study of the role played by proteoglycans (PGs) and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in heart-valve health. PGs are specialized carbohydrate-protein assemblies and GAGs are complex carbohydrates. A better understanding of their role in creating and maintaining healthy heart valves could lead to new treatments for the 100,000 Americans per year who undergo heart-valve surgery.

(Iowa State University) In the two and a half years since Adam Bogdanove of ISU and colleagues discovered how a class of proteins find and bind specific sequences in plant genomes, researchers worldwide have moved fast to use this discovery. Now, the next step has been taken by determining the 3-D structure of a TAL effector bound to DNA. The research is now in the journals Science and Nature.

(Rice University) Rice University bioengineering researcher Jane Grande-Allen has won an Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association for a multiyear study of the role played by proteoglycans (PGs) and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in heart-valve health. PGs are specialized carbohydrate-protein assemblies and GAGs are complex carbohydrates. A better understanding of their role in creating and maintaining healthy heart valves could lead to new treatments for the 100,000 Americans per year who undergo heart-valve surgery.

(American Friends of Tel Aviv University) Dr. Dan Frenkel of Tel Aviv University has discovered that when mice with diabetes are injected with a specific protein, they experience the same brain lesions and disabilities that occur in human MS patients. Monitoring this brain lesion process through magnetic resonance imaging, Dr. Frenkel says he’s on the path to treating MS more effectively.

(Rice University) Rice University bioengineering researcher Jane Grande-Allen has won an Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association for a multiyear study of the role played by proteoglycans (PGs) and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in heart-valve health. PGs are specialized carbohydrate-protein assemblies and GAGs are complex carbohydrates. A better understanding of their role in creating and maintaining healthy heart valves could lead to new treatments for the 100,000 Americans per year who undergo heart-valve surgery.

(Iowa State University) In the two and a half years since Adam Bogdanove of ISU and colleagues discovered how a class of proteins find and bind specific sequences in plant genomes, researchers worldwide have moved fast to use this discovery. Now, the next step has been taken by determining the 3-D structure of a TAL effector bound to DNA. The research is now in the journals Science and Nature.

(Iowa State University) In the two and a half years since Adam Bogdanove of ISU and colleagues discovered how a class of proteins find and bind specific sequences in plant genomes, researchers worldwide have moved fast to use this discovery. Now, the next step has been taken by determining the 3-D structure of a TAL effector bound to DNA. The research is now in the journals Science and Nature.

(Wiley-Blackwell) A phase II clinical trial found that rilonacept, an inhibitor of the protein interleukin-1, significantly reduced acute gout flares that occur when initiating uric acid-lowering therapy. Results of the trial — the first placebo-controlled study investigating IL-1 targeted therapy in prevention of gout flares — show rilonacept to be generally well tolerated with no serious infections or treatment-related serious adverse events reported. Full findings are published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.

(Iowa State University) In the two and a half years since Adam Bogdanove of ISU and colleagues discovered how a class of proteins find and bind specific sequences in plant genomes, researchers worldwide have moved fast to use this discovery. Now, the next step has been taken by determining the 3-D structure of a TAL effector bound to DNA. The research is now in the journals Science and Nature.