Los Angeles, CA (Scicasts) – UCLA scientists have shown that temporarily blocking a protein critical to immune response actually helps the body clear itself of chronic infection. Published in the April 12 edition of Science, the finding suggests new approaches to treating persistent viral infections like HIV and hepatitis C.

Burlington, VT (Scicasts) – Studied for decades for their essential role in making proteins within cells, several amino acids known as tRNA synthetases were recently found to have an unexpected – and critical – additional role in cancer metastasis in a study conducted collaboratively in the labs of Dr. Karen Lounsbury, University of Vermont professor of pharmacology, and Dr. Christopher Francklyn, UVM professor of biochemistry.

Braunschweig, Germany (Scicasts) – Almost everything that happens inside a cell, including autophagy, is tightly regulated on a biochemical level. Like that, the cell makes sure that processes only take place when they are needed and that they are shut off when the need has expired.