Category Biology/Biotechnology

Recombinant protein construction and PNp generation and characterization

Researchers have developed a universal vaccine to combat influenza A viruses that produces long-lasting immunity in mice and protects them against the limitations of seasonal flu vaccines, according to a study led by Georgia State University. The CDC estimates influenza has resulted in between 12,000 and 56,000 deaths annually in the U.S. since 2010.

Seasonal flu vaccines must be updated each year to match the influenza viruses that are predicted to be most common during the upcoming flu season, but protection doesn’t always meet expectations or new viruses emerge and manufacturers incorrectly guess which viruses will end up spreading...

Kiwi fruit, among others, contains a powerful antioxidant shown to halt or prevent fatty liver disease in young mice.

As obesity continues to rise in the U.S., non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a major public health issue, increasingly leading to cancer and liver transplants. But new research from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has discovered that a powerful anti-oxidant found in kiwi fruit, parsley, celery and papaya known as pyrroloquinoline quinone, or PQQ, can halt or prevent the progression of fatty liver disease in the offspring of mice fed a high-fat Western-style diet.

Growing evidence suggests that childhood obesity and fatty liver disease is influenced by maternal diet and the infant’s microbiome...

Turmeric powder and roots. Turmeric contains curcumin, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Credit: © pinkomelet / Fotolia

Twice-daily supplements boosted cognitive power over 18 months. Daily consumption of a certain form of curcumin improved memory and mood in people with mild, age-related memory loss, according to the results of a study conducted by UCLA researchers. The research, published online Jan. 19 in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, examined the effects of an easily absorbed curcumin supplement on memory performance in people without dementia, as well as curcumin’s potential impact on the microscopic plaques and tangles in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Found in turmeric, curcumin has previously been shown to ha...

Rutgers researchers identified a small set of simple protein building blocks (left) that likely existed at the earliest stages of life’s history. Over billions of years, these “Legos of life” were assembled and repurposed by evolution into complex proteins (right) that are at the core of modern metabolism. Credit: Vikas Nanda/Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Rutgers scientists have found the “Legos of life” – 4 core chemical structures that can be stacked together to build the myriad proteins inside every organism – after smashing and dissecting nearly 10,000 proteins to understand their component parts...