Paradigm Shifts in Cell Wall Biogenesis Understanding
Antibiotic resistance has become a major issue in recent years, and is believed to be directly linked to the livestock industry which accounts for ~80% of antibiotic use in North America. Frighteningly, this is expected to rise by nearly 70% globally by 2030.
Gene-trap Mutagenesis Identifies a Crucial Role for a Cryptic Member of the ABC Superfamily
The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) super-family of proteins is one of the largest families of proteins to have representatives in all living organisms from prokaryotes to humans.
McNagny Lab Uncovers a New Protective Role for an Old Protein During Lung Repair
Members of the McNagny lab at the Centre for Blood Research focus their efforts on understanding CD34, a cell surface protein typically used as a marker for progenitors of blood cells. In their paper, Bernard Lo of the McNagny lab, and collaborators, investigated the role of CD34 in lung disease using mouse models of acute lung injury.
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?