Category Biology/Biotechnology

The LeuT-fold neurotransmitter:sodium symporter MhsT has two substrate sites. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018; 201717444 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1717444115

Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) have found new evidence of how certain transport proteins are working at the molecular level, paving the way for new, improved drugs to treat psychiatric disorders. The study’s findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Neurotransmitter:sodium symporters (NSS) regulate signals between nerve cells, and are the molecular target of antidepressants (SSRIs like Prozac) and of various psychostimulants...

Soy protein improves tibial whole-bone and tissue-level biomechanical properties in ovariectomized and ovary-intact, low-fit female rats. Bone Reports, 2018; 8: 244 DOI: 10.1016/j.bonr.2018.05.002

Researchers now have discovered through a new animal study that soy protein found in food might counter the negative effects of menopause on bone and metabolic health. Moreover, the researchers believe that soy protein might also have positive impacts on bone strength for women who have not yet reached menopause.

Osteoporosis, decreased physical activity and weight gain are serious health concerns for postmenopausal women...

A smart wristband with a wireless connection to smartphones.
Credit: Abbas Furniturewalla

Engineers invent biosensor technology for wearable devices. Rutgers University-New Brunswick engineers have created a smart wristband with a wireless connection to smartphones that will enable a new wave of personal health and environmental monitoring devices. Their technology, which could be added to watches and other wearable devices that monitor heart rates and physical activity, is detailed in a study published online in Microsystems & Nanoengineering...

Cellular senescence in human cells. Credit: Eva Latorre

Breakthrough could be ‘basis for a new generation of anti-degeneration drugs’. Key aspects of the ageing of human cells can be reversed by new compounds developed at the University of Exeter, research shows. In a laboratory study of endothelial cells – which line the inside of blood vessels – researchers tested compounds designed to target mitochondria.

In the samples used in the study, the number of senescent cells (older cells that have deteriorated and stopped dividing) was reduced by up to 50%. The Exeter team also identified 2 splicing factors (a component of cells) that play a key role in when and how endothelial cells become senescent.

The findings raise the possibility of future treatments not only for blood vessels – which be...