Results 81 to 90 of 108
Scientists have created a new method to structure peptides, which they say will be cheaper and make the process of using stapled peptides in drug discovery much more widely available. The method developed by the nine-strong University of Leeds team, and exploiting synthetic chemistry developed at University College London, is more versatile, cheaper, completely reversible...
Scientists have uncovered why the Zika virus may specifically target neural stem cells in the developing brain, potentially leading to microcephaly. The study shows that the Zika virus hijacks a human protein called Musashi-1 (MSI1) to allow it to replicate in, and kill, neural stem cells. Almost all MSI1 protein in the developing embryo is...
Biopharma and food businesses working with proteins now have access to better information about how a type of fluid flow used in manufacturing processes can affect the quality of their products. This process which can be highly damaging to bio-molecules, such as protein-based biopharmaceutical therapeutics, dissolved in the fluid, is known as ‘extensional flow’ and...
Scientists at the Universities of Leeds, York and Helsinki say they are a step closer to cracking what researchers have called the ‘Enigma code’ of the common cold virus. The research findings revealed the workings of a ‘hidden code’ within the genome of Human Parechovirus, a member of the Picornavirus family that includes the common...
Over 50,000 people in Yorkshire and the Humber carry a faulty gene putting them at high risk of developing heart disease or sudden death, according to new estimates by the British Heart Foundation. Of these, nearly 11,000 people in the University’s region are living with the specific faulty gene which causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). University...
Scientists have identified new ways to provide vaccines against polio, which do not require the growth of live virus for their manufacture. Despite the success of vaccines produced from "virus-like particles" (VLPs) for hepatitis B and human papilloma viruses, poliovirus VLPs have proved to be too unstable to make practical vaccines. Now, a research team...
The results of a £17 million investment in advanced biological research equipment have been unveiled at the University today, with the official opening of the Astbury BioStructure Laboratory. Wellcome Director Dr Jeremy Farrar launched the centre, which hosts a 950 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer and two 300 kV electron microscopes. These are amongst the...
A virus that causes childhood coughs and colds could help in the fight against primary liver cancer. Reovirus stimulates the body’s own immune system to kill off the cancerous cells, researchers from the University of Leeds discovered. In addition, Reovirus is able to kill off the hepatitis C virus – a common cause of primary...
In the last 60 years mankind has come to rely on the wonder-cure of antibiotics to solve a multitude of ills by inhibiting disease-causing bacteria and curing potentially fatal infections. However, misuse of antibiotics can lead to some bacteria becoming immune to the effects of antibiotics, stopping us getting better. This is known as anti-microbial...
A new approach has been developed to combat diseases caused by herpesvirus infections, including everything from cold sores to cancer. Researchers at the University of Leeds have discovered a way to prevent herpesviruses hijacking important pathways in cells which are required for the virus to replicate and cause disease. Read the full press release here...