By Clarice Tse The discovery of autophagy and its mechanism in action was elucidated by Yoshinori Ohsumi in the 1990s. As years passed, the expansion of knowledge in autophagy such as its role and function in bioenergetic homeostasis and host defense, and its impact in the study of human health and disease, has put thisContinue reading “Autophagy and its role in Cancer”
Category Archives: Molecular Biology
Traf3: A potential new target to improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy
By Haoyu Li In recent years, cancer immunotherapy has developed rapidly. Immune checkpoint inhibitors activate the patient’s own immune system by targeting and suppressing immune checkpoints, significantly improving the prognosis of many cancer patients. However, most cancer patients are still resistant to immune checkpoint therapy. Among them, the lack or down-regulation of cancer cell antigenContinue reading “Traf3: A potential new target to improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy”
Myogenic Progenitors in Skeletal Muscle Regeneration
By Ng Chi Wai, Jessie A century ago, it was discovered that skeletal muscles can regenerate new muscle fibres after being damaged. Alexander Mauro was a great contributor to the understanding of this regeneration process; in 1961, he observed mononuclear cells between the basal lamina surrounding each muscle fibre and its plasma membrane and namedContinue reading “Myogenic Progenitors in Skeletal Muscle Regeneration”
Can nutrigenomics serve up the perfect diet?
By Ellie Fung While it is disputed whether Hippocrates had ever uttered “let food be thy medicine”, there is no denying that food is inextricably linked to health. More recently, it was recognised that food can induce different responses in different individuals, and a subset of the population can benefit from a certain food thatContinue reading “Can nutrigenomics serve up the perfect diet?”
miRNA: interaction between the host and the virus
By Ashley Lai The interaction between host cell miRNAs and the virus is vital for virus pathogenesis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that regulate the protein expression by mRNA cleavage, degradation and hence repressing their translation (Wahid et al., 2010). Therefore during infections, cellular miRNAs are also involved in regulating their immune response andContinue reading “miRNA: interaction between the host and the virus”
Autoimmunity: Why does your body attack your own cells?
By MingMing Yang Our immune system is complex and vital for our survival. Unlike other body systems, it is pervasive, spreading throughout our body involving many kinds of cells, organs, and tissues (The immune system: Cells, tissues, function, and disease., 2018). In normal conditions, it recognizes invading pathogens and damaged cells in our body, mountingContinue reading “Autoimmunity: Why does your body attack your own cells?”
CBD: is it worth the high-pe?
By Shivani Raja Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of over 120 cannabinoids found in the plant cannabis sativa, from which the drug cannabis can also be produced. Whilst cannabis usage is illegal in the UK, CBD is a legal cannabis sativa isolate which has garnered interest for its therapeutic uses. CBD has been reported to treatContinue reading “CBD: is it worth the high-pe?”
The Angiogenic Switch
By Mark Comer Sustained angiogenesis is one of the six hallmarks of cancer, presented in the seminal publication by Hanahan & Weingberg in 2000. The ‘switch’ refers to a distinct event during cancer progression where the tumour microenvironment is altered to support growth of new vasculature. The exact steps and pattern of vascularisation are diverseContinue reading “The Angiogenic Switch”
Understanding the skin’s circadian rhythm and metabolome
By Yeji Hong Circadian rhythms, which are 24-hour oscillations in behaviour and physiology, play a role in the function of all cells in the body to optimize cellular functions to adapt to environmental challenges throughout the day. Visible light is considered as the most powerful ‘master’ clock to act upon humans, through the retina. TheContinue reading “Understanding the skin’s circadian rhythm and metabolome”
Benefits of exercise in Alzheimer’s disease
By Sarah Choi With lockdown, quarantine, and the pandemic having continued for more than a year, many have been unable to go to the gym, and have had much less opportunity for physical activity. However, while people may be spending an unprecedented amount of time indoors nowadays, the popularisation of exercising at home has providedContinue reading “Benefits of exercise in Alzheimer’s disease”
