Biochemistry News and Research

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Leptin's fat-burning role in humans

For nearly a decade, scientists have known that leptin plays an important fat-burning role in humans. But the map of leptin's path through the body – the key to understanding how and why the hormone works – is still incomplete.

27 Jul 2004

How ulcer bugs stick to stomach

Scientists working to develop a vaccine for the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, the primary cause of ulcers and a contributor to stomach cancers, have uncovered new intricacies in the way the bacterium sticks to the lining of the human stomach.

26 Jul 2004

$1.6 million to develop gene therapy strategies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a fatal, childhood-onset disease

The Muscular Dystrophy Association has announced it has awarded $1.6 million to Asklepios, a biotechnology company closely allied with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to develop gene therapy strategies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a fatal, childhood-onset disease.

23 Jul 2004

Genome decoded of distant relative of human pathogens

The Sanger Institute has completed the sequence and analysis of Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica strain SCRI1043 (ATCC BAA-672).

21 Jul 2004

Russian scientists incorporate HIV antigen into a tomato

Russian scientists are currently creating a pleasant and harmless vaccine, and edible one at that. So far, they managed to incorporate the protein gene – HIV antigen in tomatoes. The research is supported by International Science and Technology Center.

19 Jul 2004

Researchers find key light-detecting molecule in the eye moves in response to changes in light intensity

In experiments with fruit flies, Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered how a key light-detecting molecule in the eye moves in response to changes in light intensity.

17 Jul 2004

Research team developing new defenses against plague and smallpox

Using a federal biodefense grant, a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center team will try to develop new approaches to immunizing people against the plague and smallpox, two of the most feared potential agents of bio-terrorism.

15 Jul 2004

Chromatin array a new technology for examining DNA

A new technique for examining DNA is giving scientists a more detailed picture of which genes have the propensity for activation, offering a new tool for understanding how genes function and possibly for diagnosing disease.

8 Jul 2004

Gene responsible for the onset of aging

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a gene responsible for the onset of aging, including age-related disorders such as infertility, reproductive problems and cataracts.

7 Jul 2004

Key proteins that regulate neurofibromatosis could be targets for new drugs

More than 100,000 Americans suffer from the painful and debilitating genetic disorder known as neurofibromatosis, or NF, which causes tumors to grow in various types of nerve tissue throughout the body.

7 Jul 2004

Research to unravel exactly what is going on chemically, when Alzheimer's sets in

Science understands Alzheimer's disease as the progressive decline of a particular region of the brain. But the underlying mechanisms leading to this decline are still very much a mystery.

7 Jul 2004

By altering a single gene you could live longer and be thinner

Imagine that by altering the function of a single gene, you could live longer, be thinner and have lower cholesterol and fat levels in your blood.

30 Jun 2004

Research for faster Polymerase Chain Reaction technology

Imagine being able to diagnose a viral strain at the site of an outbreak or identifying a deadly pathogen on the battlefield.

28 Jun 2004

Molecular biologists find chink in the armor of Candida, the most common human fungal pathogen

Molecular biologists at Rice University have discovered a key defense mechanism that the yeast Candida albicans uses against attack by the human immune system.

26 Jun 2004

MRSA superbugs emerged independently in at least eight countries including the UK

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria that are increasingly resistant to vancomycin, the antibiotic of last resort in the war against superbugs, have emerged independently in at least eight countries including the UK

24 Jun 2004

Cutting down on cigarettes may actually increase consumption of smoke, carbon monoxide and nicotine

Smokers who pride themselves on successfully cutting back as a step toward quitting tobacco altogether may be caught in a haze of self-deception.

21 Jun 2004

Antarctic worms may hold the key to future storage of organ transplants

The secret to Antarctic worms’ survival in the most extreme conditions may have implications for future storage of organ transplants, say University of Otago researchers.

21 Jun 2004

Paclitaxel analog kills more cancer cells than natural product

Paclitaxel, a natural compound from yew trees, is the world's best-selling anticancer drug. Several analogs are in clinical trial, with others in preclinical development. One problem that paclitaxel and all its analogs share, however, is that they are all highly complex compounds, and cannot be prepared synthetically in a commercially viable way.

21 Jun 2004

Class of molecules that could lead to treatments for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, arthritis, and heart disease

By making use of model compounds in drug design, chemists at the University of California, San Diego identified a class of molecules that could lead to treatments for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, arthritis, and heart disease.

21 Jun 2004

A natural molecule that blocks a key bacterial enzymes could lead to a new generation of antibiotics

Rutgers scientists have deciphered the complex mechanics of microcin J25 (MccJ25), a tiny, natural molecule that acts like a cork in a bottle to block a key bacterial enzyme – potentially leading to a new generation of antibiotics.

17 Jun 2004

Biochemistry News and Research

Leptin's fat-burning role in humans

How ulcer bugs stick to stomach

$1.6 million to develop gene therapy strategies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a fatal, childhood-onset disease

Genome decoded of distant relative of human pathogens

Russian scientists incorporate HIV antigen into a tomato

Researchers find key light-detecting molecule in the eye moves in response to changes in light intensity

Research team developing new defenses against plague and smallpox

Chromatin array a new technology for examining DNA

Gene responsible for the onset of aging

Key proteins that regulate neurofibromatosis could be targets for new drugs

Research to unravel exactly what is going on chemically, when Alzheimer's sets in

By altering a single gene you could live longer and be thinner

Research for faster Polymerase Chain Reaction technology

Molecular biologists find chink in the armor of Candida, the most common human fungal pathogen

MRSA superbugs emerged independently in at least eight countries including the UK

Cutting down on cigarettes may actually increase consumption of smoke, carbon monoxide and nicotine

Antarctic worms may hold the key to future storage of organ transplants

Paclitaxel analog kills more cancer cells than natural product

Class of molecules that could lead to treatments for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, arthritis, and heart disease

A natural molecule that blocks a key bacterial enzymes could lead to a new generation of antibiotics

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