Although fully organized patient-run trials are still few and far between, patients are taking a more active role in clinical research.
Although fully organized patient-run trials are still few and far between, patients are taking a more active role in clinical research.
Present in every tissue of the body, ubiquitin appears to be involved in a dizzying array of functions, from cell cycle and division to organelle and ribosome biogenesis, as well as the response to viral infection. The protein plays at least two role
Despite its discovery as a protein that seems to show up everywhere, at least in eukaryotic cells, researchers are only beginning to scratch the surface of all of the cellular functions involving ubiquitin. As a monomer, ubiquitin can bind and tag ot
Gene therapies typically involve the introduction of genetic material into target cells to replace or supplement an existing, usually dysfunctional, gene. Techniques for delivering the corrective payload vary widely. Many gene therapies utilize modif
A rare peek inside the subterranean home of the naked mole-rat
Sangamo Biosciences is putting a different spin on gene therapy. Rather than replace or supplement a mutated gene with an accurate copy, Sangamo researchers are introducing a mutant copy of the gene for the HIV co-receptor CCR5 into the T cells of HI
Telomeres are repetitive, noncoding sequences that cap the ends of linear chromosomes. They consist of hexameric nucleotide sequences (TTAGGG in humans) repeated hundreds to thousands of times. Telomeres protect the protein-coding sequences of DNA on
A lot changes in a child’s body over the course of development, and not all changes occur linearly: gene expression can fluctuate, and organs can perform different functions on the way to their final purpose in the body. Here are some of the key deve
Vitamin D has a variety of actions in the body. It binds to the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which then binds to the retinoid X receptor (RXR) and activates the expression of numerous genes. Through this mechanism, vitamin D promotes calcium absorption
Normal pancreatic function depends on the precise flow of calcium within and into the acinar cells of the organ. When food is eaten, low concentrations of the pancreas-stimulating hormone cholecystokinin or of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine cause