Spectroscopy News and Research

RSS

Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between radiation (electromagnetic radiation, or light, as well as particle radiation) and matter.

Renishaw inVia to support development of nanomolecular probes in Kircher Laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering

The Kircher laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering is developing novel nanoprobes for molecular imaging, image-guided therapy and theranostics.

4 Mar 2016

Unlocking H5N1 virus replication: an interview with Martin Blackledge

We were able to show that one small domain of the polymerase, the part that is essential for entry of a piece of the polymerase into the cell nucleus, changes its conformation to allow it to interact with the transporter protein than takes it into the nucleus.

3 Mar 2016

Advances in the field of MPI: an interview with Professor Kannan Krishnan

In around 2004, there was a Phillips paper that discussed a new imaging technique called MPI. At that time, I had an eager, promising graduate student named Matt Ferguson who wanted a project, so I asked him to take a look.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 1 Mar 2016

Light reflectance spectroscopy may lead to real-time tissue analysis during prostate cancer surgery

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that light reflectance spectroscopy can differentiate between malignant and benign prostate tissue with 85 percent accuracy, a finding that may lead to real-time tissue analysis during prostate cancer surgery.

27 Feb 2016

Unlocking intrinsically disordered proteins: an interview with Peter Wright

I'm a professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology at The Scripps Research Institute. I have been performing NMR research on proteins for nearly 40 years.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 11 Feb 2016

2D-NMR could be a powerful complementary technique for assessing biosimilarity of protein drugs

A first-ever interlaboratory study of four versions of a therapeutic protein drug—all manufactured from living cells—reports that an established analytical tool akin to magnetic resonance imaging reliably assessed the atomic structures of the biologically similar products, yielding the equivalent of a fingerprint for each.

10 Feb 2016

Study finding could shed light on molecular mechanisms underlying Huntington's disease

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have shown that the core of the protein clumps found in the brains of people with Huntington's disease have a distinctive structure, a finding that could shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the neurodegenerative disorder.

4 Feb 2016

Using Single-Molecule Studies to Understand Cellular Processes: An Interview with Professor W. E. Moerner

Single fluorescent molecules provide a local nanometer-sized probe of complex systems. We can measure the motion of the single molecule, use them to achieve imaging on a scale down to 20 nanometers, or we can infer aspects of the behaviour of the object under study by the details of the light that is emitted.

From Pittcon 26 Jan 2016

WASF3 protein appears to be solid target for reducing cancer metastasis

A protein that is constantly expressed by cancer cells and quiescent in healthy ones appears to be a solid target for reducing cancer's ability to spread, scientists report.

19 Jan 2016

New study shows neurocognitive benefits of stand-height desks in classrooms

Do students think best when on their feet? A new study by the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health indicates they do.

18 Jan 2016

Determining Ectopeptidase Activity: An Interview with Professor Stephen Weber, University of Pittsburgh

The scope of the activity of neuropeptides is remarkably broad. For example, neuropeptides are involved in pain control, mood/depression/eating disorders, social and emotional behaviour, body weight, drug abuse, stress, reproduction, motor control, memory, and in maintaining neuronal health when they are stressed.

From Pittcon 14 Jan 2016

Researchers reveal secondary structure of Lewy bodies in the brain of Parkinson's disease patients

Lewy bodies had been considered to be a key element of pathogenesis for Parkinson's disease. Although structural analysis for Lewy bodies with an electron microscope had been performed, it had no secondary structural information of proteins, which is important for the development of drugs.

13 Jan 2016

Inflammation associated with elevated glutamate in the brain could guide depression treatments

Psychiatrists investigating depression have been energized in recent years by reports of rapid, successful treatment with drugs that interfere with the brain chemical glutamate, such as the anesthetic ketamine.

13 Jan 2016

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy emerges as fast, cost-efficient method for biomass analysis

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is emerging as a fast, cost-efficient method for identifying the total amount and specific compounds that comprise the inorganic component of biomass. Accurate and reliable analysis of these minerals, such as aluminum, calcium, iron, and silicon is essential, as this "ash" can cause problems when converting biomass to hydrocarbon biofuels, as described in a study published in Industrial Biotechnology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

12 Jan 2016

ImpediMed introduces L-Dex system for clinical assessment of lymphedema in U.S.

ImpediMed Limited, a global provider of medical technology to measure, monitor and manage fluid status in patients, has announced the U.S. commercial launch of its L-Dex system to aid in the clinical assessment of lymphedema.

7 Jan 2016

CMFT adopts ZedScan system to improve cervical cancer care

DP Medical Systems Ltd has secured a deal with Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT) to adopt ZedScan™ as part of its cervical cancer care pathway.

From Zilico 21 Dec 2015

Harvard scientists link specific neurotransmitter in the brain with autistic behavior

In a discovery that could offer valuable new insights into understanding, diagnosing and even treating autism, Harvard scientists for the first time have linked a specific neurotransmitter in the brain with autistic behavior.

18 Dec 2015

Can Nanostructured Microelectrodes be Used to Analyze Biomarkers? An Interview with Dr Shana Kelley

Electrochemical methods are appealing because simple and inexpensive instrumentation can be used to make highly sensitive measurements. However, it has been quite difficult to realize clinically-relevant levels of sensitivity using electrochemistry in highly complex, real-world samples.

From Pittcon 15 Dec 2015

New analysis provides insight into the way water and DNA interact

In a biological system, the ratio of water-to-non-water molecules, known as the hydration level, influences both the arrangement of biomolecules and the strength of the electric interactions that occur between biomolecules, free ions, and functional groups, which are groups of atoms within molecules that strongly influence the molecules' chemical properties.

15 Dec 2015

Neuroscientists find link between neurotransmitter GABA and tactile learning

In an international collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD, USA), neuroscientists at the Ruhr-University Bochum have determined a link between brain levels of the neurotransmitter GABA, the main source of inhibition in the brain, and tactile learning. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, they were able to show that success in learning can be predicted by baseline GABA levels.

11 Dec 2015