Feeding the Spore: A Molecular Structure of the SpoIIIAG Channel from Bacillus subtilis
Natalie Zeytuni and colleagues in the Strynadka Lab at the CBR have determined the structure of SpoIIIAG, a key protein contributed by the mother cell of the sporulation channel from the Gram-positive bacterium, Bacillus subtilis.
Rational Design of Universal Heparin Reversal Agent (UHRA) Makes it a Highly Specific Antidote to Heparins
The only FDA approved heparin antidote is protamine, but it has many limitations. In a recent paper, Dr. Kalathottukaren and team discuss how the rational design of UHRA makes it a better antidote to heparins compared to protamine.
Look! Down in the petri dish! It’s a Superplatelet!
Dr. Kastrup, a scientist in UBC’s Michael Smith Laboratories and the Centre for Blood Research, has developed a potential strategy for making the coagulation process more resilient. If it’s proven to work in clinical situations, “superplatelets” might become a standard part of emergency department supplies, along with bandages, oxygen, and saline.
Hancock Lab Demonstrates the Role of a Bacterial Starvation Response in Wound Infections
When bacteria are starved or stressed, they can become resistant to antibiotics. In Frontiers in Microbiology, members of the Hancock lab explored the importance of a specific stress response and its mechanism in infection.
Innate Defence Regulator Peptides: An Anti-Inflammatory Therapy?
Inflammation is an important component of our body’s defence system, but excessive or inappropriate inflammation is the main cause behind many human diseases. In a recent publication, Bing Catherine Wu and Amy Lee of the Hancock Lab identify a new potential anti-inflammatory therapy: Innate Defence Regulator (IDR) peptides.
Using Human Kidney Organoids to Model Disease
There is an urgent need for curative therapies to treat kidney failure. The laboratories of Dr. Kelly M. McNagny and Dr. Benjamin S. Freedman have demonstrated that human kidney organoids grown in a culture dish can accurately model kidney development and disease. This technology is promising for expediting future kidney research.
To Transfuse or not to Transfuse?
Thanks to their dramatic lifesaving effects, blood transfusions have become commonplace in modern medicine. However, do transfusions actually improve patient outcomes under the existing standards and procedures?
Can Temperature Modulation be the Answer to Extending Platelet Shelf Life?
The most common cause of having to discard units of platelets is the short storage life of platelet concentrates. Researchers have proposed an alternative storage condition for platelets in the hopes of extending platelet shelf life.
Bromme Lab Has Found a Potential Osteoporosis Treatment in Compound Derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine
Researchers in the Bromme lab demonstrated the anti bone-resorptive activity of a compound found in traditional Chinese medicine. This may be promising for the treatment of bone deteriorating conditions.
Iron Chelation Therapy – A Clinical Front in the Treatment of MDS Patients?
CBR investigator and staff hematologist, Dr. Heather Leitch (St. Paul’s Hospital), and co-workers analyzed the Canadian Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) Registry to evaluate whether there is superior survival in MDS patients receiving iron chelation therapy. Find out about their conclusions.