PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

UAB researchers develop a harmless artificial virus for gene therapy

2015-04-08
(Press-News.org) Researchers of the Nanobiology Unit from the UAB Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, led by Antonio Villaverde, managed to create artificial viruses, protein complexes with the ability of self-assembling and forming nanoparticles which are capable of surrounding DNA fragments, penetrating the cells and reaching the nucleus in a very efficient manner, where they then release the therapeutic DNA fragments. The achievement represents an alternative with no biological risk to the use of viruses in gene therapy.

Gene therapy, which is the insertion of genes into the genome with therapeutic aims, needs elements which can transfer these genes to the nucleus of the cells. One of the possibilities when transferring these genes is the use of a virus, although this is not exempt of risks. That is why scientists strive to find an alternative. With this as their objective, emerging nanomedicines aim to imitate viral activities in the form of adjustable nanoparticles which can release nucleic acids and other drugs into the target cell.

Among the great diversity of materials tested by researchers, proteins are biocompatible, biodegradable and offer a large variety of functions which can be adjusted and used in genetic engineering. Nevertheless, it is very complicated to control the way in which protein blocks are organised, in order to form more complex structures which could be used to transport DNA in an efficient manner, as happens with viruses.

Professor Antonio Villaverde's group has discovered the combination necessary to make these proteins act as an artificial virus and self-assemble themselves to form regular protein nanoparticles capable of penetrating target cells and reaching the nucleus in a very efficient manner. In chemical terms, the key lies in a combination of cation-peptide and hexahistidine placed respectively at the amino and C-terminus ends of the modular proteins.

Researchers from the UAB have demonstrated that, when in the presence of DNA, these artificial viruses surround it and carry out structural readjustments so that the DNA is protected against external agents in a similar fashion to how natural viruses protect DNA inside a protein shell. Even the forms adopted by the resulting structures seem to imitate virus forms. "It is important to highlight that this ability to self-assemble does not depend on the structural protein chosen and does not seem limited to one particular type of protein. This provides the opportunity to select proteins which could avoid any type of immune response after being administered, which is of great advantage in terms of therapeutic uses", Villaverde points out. "These artificial viruses are promising alternatives to natural protein nanoparticles, including viruses, given that their limitations, such as a rigid architecture and a lack in biosecurity, can be less adequate when used in nanomedicine", states Esther Vázquez, co-author of the study and responsible for the Clinical Nanobiotechnology research line within the Nanobiotechnology Unit of the UAB Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (IBB).

What occurs in chemotherapy as a cancer treatment can also be compared to the problems in gene therapy. Conventional treatments have an extremely high toxicity which limits their applicability. For this reason, UAB researchers, in collaboration with Professor Ramon Mangues from Sant Pau Hospital and Professor Ramon Eritja from CSIC, are now adapting these artificial viruses to be able to transport anti-cancer drugs directly to tumour cells. In this way, they will be capable of releasing large therapeutic doses in a very localised manner.

INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Don't blame kids if they do not enjoy school, study suggests

2015-04-08
COLUMBUS, Ohio - When children are unmotivated at school, new research suggests their genes may be part of the equation. A study of more than 13,000 twins from six countries found that 40 to 50 percent of the differences in children's motivation to learn could be explained by their genetic inheritance from their parents. The results surprised study co-author Stephen Petrill, who thought before the study that the twins' shared environment - such as the family and teachers that they had in common - would be a larger factor than genetics. Instead, genetics and nonshared ...

Unraveling the origin of the pseudogap in a charge density wave compound

2015-04-08
The pseudogap, a state characterized by a partial gap and loss of coherence in the electronic excitations, has been associated with many unusual physical phenomena in a variety of materials ranging from cold atoms to colossal magnetoresistant manganese oxides to high temperature copper oxide superconductors. Its nature, however, remains controversial due to the complexity of these materials and the difficulties in studying them. By combining a variety of different experimental techniques and theory, a group led by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne ...

New emotion recognition model

2015-04-08
Philosophers at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum have put forward a new model that explains how humans recognise the emotions of others. According to their theory, humans are capable of perceiving feelings directly via pattern recognition. They do not have to deduce feelings by interpreting other people's behaviour. That model is described by the philosophers Prof Dr Albert Newen and Dr Anna Welpinghus, together with Prof Dr Georg Juckel from the LWL University Hospital for Psychiatry, in the journal Mind & Language. An emotion is a pattern of typical features A key ...

Osteoporosis-related fractures in China expected to double by 2035

2015-04-08
The results of the first study using a health economics model to project osteoporosis-related fractures and costs for the Chinese population, shows that the country's healthcare system will face a dramatic rise in costs over the next few decades. The study forecasts that the incidence and costs of osteoporotic fractures in China will double by 2035, with costs rising to approximately USD 25.58 billion by 2050. In the study, published in the journal 'Osteoporosis International', investigators from the University of Tasmania, Anhui Medical University and Nanjing Medical ...

Fracking fluid chemicals uncovered, helping test for contamination

2015-04-08
The organic chemicals in fracking fluid have been uncovered in two new studies, providing a basis for water contamination testing and future regulation. The research, published in Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry and Science of the Total Environment, reveals that fracking fluid contains compounds like biocides, which are potentially harmful if they leak into the groundwater. The authors behind the new study say it's time for the relatively new science to catch up with the extensive public awareness. They say an increasing research focus on contamination from ...

Mental disorders and physical diseases co-occur in teenagers

2015-04-08
Every third teenager has suffered from one mental disorder and one physical disease. These co-occurrences come in specific associations: More often than average, depression occurs together with diseases of the digestive system, eating disorders with seizures and anxiety disorders together with arthritis, heart disease as well as diseases of the digestives system. These findings were reported by researchers from the University of Basel and the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Their results based on data from 6,500 U.S. teenagers have been published in the scientific journal ...

Gene study helps explain Legionnaires' probe complications

2015-04-08
Genetic research helps to explain why tracing the source of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that claimed four lives has proven to be more complicated than scientists hoped. A DNA study of bacteria samples taken from patients infected during the 2012 outbreak in Edinburgh shows that it was caused by several subtypes of the bacteria. The unexpected discovery means that tracing the source of this - and any future outbreaks - will be challenging, researchers say. There were 92 confirmed or suspected cases during the outbreak in 2012 in addition to the four deaths. ...

Researchers urge stronger warning for indoor tanning risks

2015-04-08
AURORA, Colo. (April 8, 2015) - The U.S. Surgeon General should declare that indoor ultraviolet radiation tanning causes skin cancer, according to an article published today by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Robert P. Dellavalle, MD, PhD, MSPH, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the Anschutz Medical Campus, is the corresponding author of the article, which says there is enough evidence for the Surgeon General to clearly state that use of indoor tanning beds causes skin cancer. Dellavalle and his co-authors ...

Overconfidence in new technologies can influence decision-making

2015-04-08
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Technological advances in recent decades have transformed most aspects of daily life, and technology now plays a major role in business and society. However, little is known about how perceptions of technology might influence decision-making. Now, University of Missouri researchers have shown that people tend to overestimate the likelihood of new technologies' success; this overconfidence can influence important decisions, such as investment choices. "Technology has advanced to the extent that people may not understand how a particular technology works, ...

Women, regardless of their backgrounds, seek help for the 'got to go' feeling

2015-04-08
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- Regardless of their racial, ethnic, educational or socioeconomic background, women seek help for a frustrating -- and ubiquitous -- feature of becoming "a woman of a certain age:" the need be close to the women's room. Those are the findings of a large study by UC Davis of urinary incontinence in menopausal women, based on data from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN), a nine- year investigation of diverse menopausal women from six sites across the United States. The study is published online today in Obstetrics and Gynecology. The ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

Healthy nutrition and physical lifestyle choices lower cancer mortality risk for survivors, new ACS study finds

Mass General Brigham researchers reveal 17 modifiable risk factors shared by stroke, dementia, and late-life depression

Promising drug discovery research gets funding boost from Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

Carbon capture could become practical with scalable, affordable materials

[Press-News.org] UAB researchers develop a harmless artificial virus for gene therapy