SciLifeLab and AstraZeneca use cryo-EM to advance biomedicine

A study published in Science Advances reveals the mechanism by which the receptor tyrosine kinase RET can increase neuronal survival in degenerative diseases. To understand the mechanism of this signalling complex, the study ...

A light-activated remote control for cells

What if doctors had a remote control that they could use to steer a patient's own cells to a wound to speed up the healing process? Although such a device is still far from reality, researchers reporting in the ACS journal ...

How microvilli form

The gut is lined by cells containing brush borders, which are composed of arrays of microvillar protrusions that help in nutrient absorption and provide a barrier against pathogens and toxins. Microbes such as E. coli can ...

Receptor tyrosine kinases control mechanosensors

Researchers at the Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have identified a role of receptor tyrosine kinases in the regulation of the cellular mechanosensory machinery, which has relevance ...

A new model for transmembrane cell-surface receptor activation

"This 'rotation model', which made the cover of BioEssays, represents a true paradigm shift in the membrane receptor field," stated Prof. Pierre De Meyts, a renowned researcher of insulin and receptor binding for almost half ...

New device for identifying aggressive breast cancers

A new disposable device based on advances in microfluidics may help identify advanced breast cancer patients who are candidates for therapy with the drug trastuzumab (Herceptin). The device is described in the American Institute ...