Severe newborn jaundice could be preventable, mouse study shows

(University of California - San Diego) In a mouse study, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have identified a protein that inhibits the enzyme that breaks down bilirubin in newborns. Methods that block this inhibitor, and thus restore the enzyme's activity, could provide a new therapeutic approach for preventing or treating severe newborn jaundice. The study is published Feb. 6 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news