So THAT’S Why Drinking Alcohol Makes You Feel Worse As You Get Older
Yana Iskayeva via Getty Images At a certain decade in life, many of us lose the enzyme to metabolize alcohol (alcohol dehydrogenase). “Drink in moderation” is advice we hear often, but as most people can attest to after a booze-filled holiday season, it isn’t easy to stick to. When we can stick to moderate drinking, […]
Discovery of metabolic switch could lead to targeted treatment of obesity, cancer
An Iowa State University research team has discovered a method for modifying the function of an enzyme crucial to fat production, which could lead to more effective treatments for childhood obesity and cancer. While the research was in fruit fly larvae, being able to speed up or slow down lipid metabolism could have significant implications […]
Promising Results in First Test of In Utero Enzyme-Replacement Therapy
The first test of in utero enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) proved safe and effective for a baby with infantile-onset Pompe disease, according to a case report. An infant with cross-reactive immunologic material (CRIM)-negative infantile-onset Pompe disease — the most severe end of the disease spectrum — had no cardiac manifestations following treatment, compared to her […]
Researchers take first-ever cryo-EM images of nitrogenase in action: Atomic-level-resolution images may provide new pathway to ammonia production
Previously, it has been impossible to capture the high-resolution images of nitrogenase, the only enzyme capable of reducing nitrogen into ammonia, during catalytic action. Now, for the first time, researchers at the University of California San Diego report near-atomic-resolution snapshots of nitrogenase during catalysis using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM). The results were published in the […]
New Enzyme Therapy OK’d for Pompe Disease
The FDA approved avalglucosidase alfa-ngpt (Nexviazyme) on Friday as a new enzyme replacement therapy for Pompe disease. Avalglucosidase alfa is an intravenous drug that targets the M6P receptor, and is indicated for late-onset disease for those ages 1 year and older. In patients with the disease, which is marked by dysfunction of the lysosomal enzyme […]