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Disease Spotlight: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

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Estimated to occur in as many as 18 per 100,000 persons per year, the disease I’m highlighting today is more common in men than in women and is rare in anyone under 50. In fact, the average age at diagnosis is sixty-five. Shockingly, the average time between the diagnosis of this disease and the death of the patient is only 2-5 years. Scientists are on the case to better understand this disease, figure out methods of treatment, and extend the quality and length of life for individuals with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Let me tell you a bit about what they have figured out. In Broad Strokes: The structure and cells of our lungs Our lungs are the entry point for life-giving oxygen to enter the bloodstream. From there the oxygen is sent off to be used by the rest of the body. Air enters our nose and mouth, and then goes through the trachea, or windpipe, before entering the lungs. From the trachea, several smaller tubes branch off, and from these, even smaller tube...
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Protein Archetype: The Chaperone

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Yes, the cellular environment can be full of all kinds of snares for a young, not yet fully formed protein. New-come to the world, some proteins have to be chaperoned in their early life. If not, they might meet a bad end. And I’m talking a really bad end: like being whisked off and chopped up to bits. Thankfully, the strict, straight-laced chaperone proteins are present to help a new protein make something worthwhile out of itself. Broadly Speaking: In a cell, there are many proteins which function as “molecular chaperones.” Chaperone proteins are most commonly found in the cytoplasm as well as in the lumen, or inner portion, of the organelle called the endoplasmic reticulum. Chaperones in general have three main jobs to do. These jobs are: helping newly-made proteins get into the proper shape for their future careers, keeping proteins from clumping up together after a stressful event, and finally, refolding stressed-out proteins back into shape. The job description for molecul...
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Cellular Overview

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You and I, we’re made up of cells – all sorts of them. Cells are the structural and functional units of all living organisms. The size of one of our cells can be a range between 5 to 100 microns in diameter, or across its width. (As examples of these sizes, consider this: 500 microns is about the size of a granule of table salt and 100 microns is the thickness of a human hair.) Though very different in their specialized functions, the cells from which we are made are all derived from one cell (the fertilized oocyte) and are all more similar in their basic operations than they are dissimilar. Think about that. Think of how different your eye is from your skin and how different those cells must be compared to the cells in your brain, it’s really amazing to know that they all came from one cell. The workings of these cells are intricate, intriguing, and still not completely understood. Every day, more discoveries are made about how our bodies do what they do through their cellula...
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