https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A multi-institute team led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and UT Southwestern Medical Center investigators established for the first time how certain drugs used to treat epilepsy affect their target. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-anti-epilepsy-drugs-key-brain.html Tue, 02 Dec 2025 14:29:26 EST news683908142 New research from Johns Hopkins Medicine shows that the enzyme biliverdin reductase A (BVRA) plays a direct protective role against oxidative stress in neurons, independent of its role producing the yellow pigment bilirubin. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-protein-plays-unexpected-dual-role.html Mon, 03 Nov 2025 15:47:04 EST news681407222 According to the World Health Organization, tuberculosis accounts for one in three deaths among people living with HIV. In fact, even when receiving effective antiretroviral treatment, HIV-positive individuals are 15 to 30 times more likely to contract tuberculosis than HIV-uninfected people. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-tuberculosis-vulnerability-people-hiv-viral.html Thu, 18 Sep 2025 14:00:04 EDT news677410270 New research by Wistar Institute scientists shows how targeting a cleft in the retinoblastoma protein can kill tumor-protecting macrophages in ovarian cancer. The discovery provides a novel therapeutic target that could potentially make ovarian and other cancers more sensitive to immunotherapies. Their findings are published in Cancer Immunology Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-scientists-therapeutic-ovarian-cancer.html Tue, 09 Sep 2025 13:15:04 EDT news676642502 Peptidyl-arginine deiminase 2 (PAD2) enzyme converts arginine amino acid residues in histone proteins into citrulline groups and promotes tumor cell proliferation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, report researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan. Administration of PAD inhibitors reduced PRUNE1 expression and suppressed tumor cell proliferation in both pancreatic cancer cell lines and mouse models. The study thus lays the foundation for future anticancer therapies targeting PAD2 enzymatic activity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-pad2-enzyme-key-driver-pancreatic.html Wed, 27 Aug 2025 14:35:26 EDT news675524123 A research team led by Prof. Chen Chang from the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Prof. Huang Zhangjian of China Pharmaceutical University, has uncovered a previously unknown molecular mechanism essential for learning and memory. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-camkii-redox-mechanism-revealed-key.html Thu, 21 Aug 2025 11:16:04 EDT news674993762 A computational approach by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists promises to make designing T-cell-based immunotherapies that target two cancer-related antigens at the same time far easier and faster. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-ai-approach-car-bi-specific.html Wed, 13 Aug 2025 14:47:05 EDT news674315222 Reliable and gentler control of cellular activity with light: Researchers at the Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging (MBExC) and the Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Optogenetic Therapies (EKFZ OT) of the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) have developed a light-sensitive protein that can restore vision and hearing and regulate heart rhythm. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-molecular-sight-heart-rhythm.html Mon, 28 Jul 2025 11:05:34 EDT news672919529 A new study by researchers in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, has identified 18 potential drug targets for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The study may pave the way for new treatment strategies and drug development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-potential-drug-multiple-sclerosis.html Tue, 01 Jul 2025 12:57:28 EDT news670593445 A ready-made version of a cutting-edge cancer immunotherapy can effectively defeat blood cancers, a new study says. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-senti-ready-immune-therapy-effective.html Mon, 28 Apr 2025 07:03:47 EDT news665042619 A small protein involved in neurodegeneration leading to Parkinson's disease also drives a type of skin cancer known as melanoma, new research led by Oregon Health & Science University finds. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-discovery-reveals-protein-involved-parkinson.html Wed, 09 Apr 2025 14:00:26 EDT news663410283 For decades, scientists have focused on amyloid plaques—abnormal clumps of misfolded proteins that accumulate between neurons—as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease. But anti-amyloid therapies haven't made strong headway in treating the devastating condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-technique-reveals-axon-alzheimer-disease.html Tue, 11 Mar 2025 11:15:13 EDT news660910510 A discovery at Duke-NUS Medical School offers new hope in the battle against pulmonary fibrosis, a debilitating lung condition that progressively makes it harder for patients to breathe. Scientists have pinpointed proteins in immune cells that, when blocked, could significantly reduce lung tissue scarring. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-blocking-specific-proteins-immune-cells.html Thu, 20 Feb 2025 07:25:05 EST news659258702 Researchers from the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine identified an enzyme, alpha-kinase 2 (ALPK2) that is specifically expressed in the heart. They found that the enzyme may prevent a stiff heart through activating the gene TPM1 in heart muscle fibers. ALPK2 is a promising new therapeutic target for the treatment of heart failure, especially heart failure with preserved ejection function (HFpEF). The work is published in The FASEB Journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-enzyme-alpk2-therapeutic-lethal-heart.html Thu, 30 Jan 2025 11:08:04 EST news657457681 In type 2 diabetes, the body's ability to release insulin is impaired, which leads to high blood glucose levels. Research led by Lund University shows how the levels of a particular protein are elevated in the pancreas of people with type 2 diabetes. By knocking out the gene for the protein IGFBP7, the researchers discovered that insulin secretion improved. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-protein-affects-ability-secrete-insulin.html Wed, 08 Jan 2025 13:13:04 EST news655564381 Each cell in our body experiences up to tens of thousands of DNA-damaging events per day, primarily from routine cellular maintenance or exposure to toxins in our environment. Despite the high frequency of wear-and-tear, cells have efficient repair mechanisms that work tirelessly, allowing our bodies to maintain our DNA in each one of our cells throughout our lifetimes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-dna-vulnerabilities-female-reproductive-cancers.html Mon, 18 Nov 2024 11:47:10 EST news651152826 Scientists from Cleveland Clinic and Cornell University have designed a publicly-available software and web database to break down barriers to identifying key protein-protein interactions to treat with medication. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-10-ai-tool-protein-interaction-mutations.html Thu, 24 Oct 2024 05:00:01 EDT news648897212 An international team of neuroscientists, led by Duke-NUS Medical School, have uncovered a mechanism that controls the reactivation of neural stem cells, which are crucial for repairing and regenerating brain cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-10-neuroscientists-mechanism-reactivate-dormant-neural.html Thu, 17 Oct 2024 11:20:04 EDT news648382801 Experts from the University of of Dundee's Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation (CeTPD), working with Boehringer Ingelheim scientists, have developed a breakthrough small-molecule drug, a "protein degrader." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-small-molecule-drug-potential-hard.html Mon, 23 Sep 2024 12:57:27 EDT news646315040 One of the things that makes brains so incredibly difficult to understand is their ability to adjust and adapt. Our learning experiences can set off complex signaling cascades that reshape neurons—and their synaptic connections—at the cellular level. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-gaining-insights-chemical-basis-aversive.html Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:06:55 EDT news645966411 Liver cancer ranks as the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in China, with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) being the most prevalent type. Current treatments for liver cancer encounter several significant challenges, including limited target availability, severe side effects, low response rates, and the emergence of acquired drug resistance. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-proof-concept-strategy-liver-chimeras.html Tue, 10 Sep 2024 12:25:03 EDT news645189901 Researchers at Korea University College of Medicine have identified a new candidate marker for determining the severity and metastasis of sarcoma and developed a molecular sensor that enables fluorescence imaging targeting this marker. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-molecular-sensor-enables-fluorescence-imaging.html Fri, 06 Sep 2024 13:32:03 EDT news644848321 Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have used artificial intelligence to identify drug targets based on mapping regulatory networks in patient tumors. The study, published in Cell Systems, experimentally identified and validated four drug candidates for neuroendocrine, liver and renal cancers, which have a dismal prognosis with current therapeutic options. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-approach-yields-cancer.html Thu, 05 Sep 2024 16:27:10 EDT news644772426 Scientists at Van Andel Institute and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a potent anti-cancer compound that inhibits cancer cell growth in a tough-to-treat type of infant leukemia. The findings are published in the journal Science Advances. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-anti-cancer-degrader-protein-essential.html Fri, 30 Aug 2024 09:06:23 EDT news644227565 Generative artificial intelligence (AI) powered by human language has made remarkable progress and gained widespread use through tools such as ChatGPT. While it is mostly known for helping with reading and writing, scientists are starting to explore how this type of AI can be used in research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-explore-potential-ai-biomedical-science.html Wed, 21 Aug 2024 14:28:44 EDT news643469321 A multi-institutional team of biochemical engineers has developed an exosome-based delivery system that can carry beneficial proteins into cells to allow new kinds of medical treatments. Their paper is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-maplex-exosome-based-delivery-therapeutic.html Thu, 08 Aug 2024 09:30:01 EDT news642328105 Researchers at the University of Bonn have isolated a DNA molecule that is suitable for combating allergic contact dermatitis in mice. The aptamer binds to certain immune system messenger substances, rendering them ineffective. This even works if the active ingredient is applied to the skin in the form of an ointment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-07-ointment-dna-molecules-combat-allergic.html Fri, 05 Jul 2024 09:10:06 EDT news639389401 Researchers show for the first time that engineered human plasma B cells can be used to treat a disease—specifically leukemia—in a humanized animal model. The results mark a key step in the realization of ePCs as therapies to treat cancer, auto-immune disorders, and protein deficiency disorders. The results appear July 2 in the journal Molecular Therapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-07-plasma-cells-antileukemic-mice.html Tue, 02 Jul 2024 11:00:01 EDT news639128401 Northwestern investigators have identified a novel transcription factor that regulates a signaling mechanism utilized by a fertilized embryo to protect its mother from cellular and environmental stress, according to a study to published in the journal Genes & Development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-07-embryo-mechanism-healthy-aging-combat.html Mon, 01 Jul 2024 13:00:10 EDT news639057607 Since it was first detected in birds in late 2021, avian flu has killed millions of poultry and infected animals that were previously thought to be immune, including dairy cows. The FDA has documented the H5N1 virus in animals in 48 states. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-qa-discusses-avian-flu-dont.html Thu, 13 Jun 2024 16:47:10 EDT news637516026