Bz-423, a mitochondrial F1F0-ATP synthase inhibitor, that has previously shown promise for the treatment of autoimmune disorders such as lupus, arthritis and psoriasis has now been shown to halt the progression of established graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in mouse models of…
Blog Archives
The Right Tool for the Job?
Tool compounds are used to explore the role of a specific protein in a biological context and – it goes without saying – that to obtain meaningful results in a complex situation, the tool compound should have appropriate potency and…
Barring Leukocytes May Reduce Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
Multiple sclerosis (MS), believed to be an immune-mediated disorder, is the most common disabling condition of the central nervous system (CNS) affecting young adults. Infiltration of leukocytes into the brain, helped by upregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) which cleave components…
Single Catastrophic Event Can Lead to Cancer
Development of cancer is conventionally viewed as a gradual process, taking years to accumulate multiple point mutations and chromosomal rearrangements, and progressing through increasingly malignant phenotypes. New research by a team at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute has shown that,…
A Closer Look at the Immune Response to Cancer Cells
Last week it was reported that a daily (low) dose of aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of dying from a variety of cancers, and a study published in PloS Biology now opens a new window on the role of…
Cold Receptors Bring Tears to the Eyes
Transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels mediate a variety of sensations including thermal stimuli. The channels also react to multiple ligands: for example, TRPV1 channels respond to heat as well as to ligands which elicit a hot sensation such as…
Blocking Faulty Replication Could Boost Response to Chemotherapy
Many chemotherapy drugs, including cisplatin, cause damage to DNA and kill cancer cells by interfering with DNA replication and cell division. The damage activates cellular DNA repair mechanisms but, if the damage is too extensive, the cell undergoes apoptosis. Unfortunately,…
Stressful ‘Lifestyle’ is Bad for Neurons
Parkinson’s disease is characterised by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the area of the midbrain known as the substantia nigra. Although mitochondrial stress – an accumulation of damaging superoxide and free radicals – is believed to be the cause of…
New Insight into Reducing Stroke Damage
Stroke is the third most common cause of death in the developed world and is also the leading cause of serious long-term adult disability; many survivors never recover sufficient function to live independently. Although rapid intervention to restore blood flow…
No More (Involuntary) Laughing and Crying
Pseudobulbar affect (PBA) occurs in people with brain injury or underlying neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease and is characterised by unpredictable and uncontrollable fits of laughing or crying that may not reflect the…
