Molecular Biology News and Research

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Molecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. The field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular biology chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interactions between DNA, RNA and protein biosynthesis as well as learning how these interactions are regulated.

TSRI researchers uncover new molecular mechanism underlying neurodegenerative diseases

A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute suggests that cells construct protein "clumps" to protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a.k.a. ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

10 Mar 2016

Novel nanoparticle technology can decipher protein structures and help access drug targets

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, have developed a nanoparticle technology that can be used to stabilise membrane proteins so that their structure can be studied in a lipid environment. The method, described in Nature Methods, makes it possible to access drug targets that previously could not be investigated and therefore potentially allows for the development of novel drugs, therapeutic antibodies and vaccines.

9 Mar 2016

Research proves importance of designing patient interactions with medical technologies

Patients risk experiencing anxiety and fear when health care does not meet individual patients' needs. New approaches to reduce anxiety for instance over radiotherapy are needed and design research is well-suited to meet these challenges. This is according to a dissertation at Umeå University in Sweden.

9 Mar 2016

CNIO researchers find panoramic view of proteins that intervene in a cellular process

Three years ago, the research team directed by Óscar Fernández-Capetillo, head of the Genomic Instability Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, obtained, for the first time, a panoramic view of the proteins that intervene in one of the most important and delicate cellular processes: the copying of genetic material during cellular division. They observed that the parts of the genome where the DNA was copied were also very rich in the modification by some very particular proteins, SUMOylations, and poor in others, ubiquitinations, but they were unable to understand why.

8 Mar 2016

Study: Liposomes cannot penetrate the skin's barrier without breaking

Many cosmetic companies praise liposomes for their alleged ability to transport juvinating and nourishing agents deep into the skin, but also drug researchers have high hopes for liposomes: If they can carry nourishing agents through the skin, then they can also carry medical agents into the body.

8 Mar 2016

Researchers discover how E. coli bacteria adhere to urinary tract

Almost every second woman suffers from a bladder infection at some point in her life. Also men are affected by cystitis, though less frequently. In eighty percent of the cases, it is caused by the intestinal bacterium E. coli.

8 Mar 2016

Research could change the way people look at gene expression, immune response

Research from the Single-Cell Genomics Centre on the Wellcome Genome Campus could change the way we look at gene expression and immune response. Published in Nature Methods, the new method, TraCeR, provides a powerful tool for research into immune response, vaccination, cancer and autoimmunity.

8 Mar 2016

MSU scientists identify new kind of stem cell that could advance regenerative medicine

Scientists at Michigan State University have discovered a new kind of stem cell, one that could lead to advances in regenerative medicine as well as offer new ways to study birth defects and other reproductive problems.

4 Mar 2016

Study identifies gene linked to rare, complex diseases

IRB Barcelona identifies GEMC1 as a master gene for the generation of multiciliated cells—cells with fine filaments that move fluids and substances—which are found exclusively in the brain, respiratory tract, and reproductive system.Defects in multiciliated cells lead to ciliopathies—rare and complex diseases that are poorly understood and for which not all causative genes have been identified.

3 Mar 2016

Prebiotic may help curb obesity in moms and babies

Obesity is a global epidemic and the evidence is clear: if a mother is obese or gains too much weight during pregnancy chances are the child will be at higher risk of being obese throughout its life.

2 Mar 2016

New screening technique to test drug compounds used in Ewing sarcoma treatment

In Ewing sarcoma, cancer cells' DNA is unwound abnormally from a condensed, compact state. Once sections of genetic code are open, key genes are turned on to help direct aggressive and cancerous cell growth.

1 Mar 2016

New study allows researchers to see how insulin in islets responds to sugar

"Scientists and doctors have wanted to know how much insulin a person has in their body, but haven't been able to know the exact amount without the patient being deceased and actually removing the pancreas," says Peter Arvan, division chief of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes at the University of Michigan.

25 Feb 2016

Omega-3 fatty acids can lower risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal obese women

Omega-3 fatty acids may lower the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal obese women, according to researchers.

24 Feb 2016

Study reveals role of 'Kurly' protein found in cilia

A new study of a protein found in cilia - the hair-like projections on the cell surface - may help explain how genetic defects in cilia play a role in developmental abnormalities, kidney disease and a number of other disorders.

24 Feb 2016

SOM0226 (tolcapone) drug could significantly improve pharmacological treatment of ATTR

Researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (IBB-UAB), in collaboration with the biopharmaceutical company SOM Biotech, located in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), have published, in Nature Communications, the results of a drug repositioning study in which they describe a powerful drug, SOM0226 (tolcapone) that could significantly improve the pharmacological treatment of familial transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR).

24 Feb 2016

Researchers identify common molecular alteration in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive manifestation of brain tumours. Due to its high invasive capacity and uncontrolled, infiltrating growth, it is particularly difficult to manage. Currently, the treatment for this disease consists of a combination of surgery (when possible), radiation and chemotherapy.

22 Feb 2016

Study may lead to potential drug targets for tumor formation in pulmonary tuberous sclerosis complex

In a new study published in the American Association of Cancer Research's journal Cancer Research, a pair of investigators at Rutgers and Columbia universities has identified a gene that may provide a new source of potential drug targets for tumors that arise in pulmonary tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).

18 Feb 2016

Scientists discover new subgroups of ILC immune cells using single-cell RNA sequencing

A relatively newly discovered group of immune cells known as ILCs have been examined in detail in a new study published in the journal Nature Immunology. By analysing the gene expression in individual tonsil cells, scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found three previously unknown subgroups of ILCs, and revealed more about how these cells function in the human body.

16 Feb 2016

Confirming nasogastric tube placement through an assay? An interview with Ian Fotheringham

Nasogastric tubes are placed directly into the stomach in order to feed or medicate patients. If an NG tube accidentally goes into the lung instead, which can happen, it can cause serious harm to the patient, with food, liquid or medication potentially entering the lung.

15 Feb 2016

Intracellular process of autophagy plays role in prostate cancer development, shows research

Research from investigators at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Medical Center, shows the intracellular process of autophagy plays a role in the development of prostate cancer.

15 Feb 2016

Molecular Biology News and Research

Further Reading

TSRI researchers uncover new molecular mechanism underlying neurodegenerative diseases

Novel nanoparticle technology can decipher protein structures and help access drug targets

Research proves importance of designing patient interactions with medical technologies

CNIO researchers find panoramic view of proteins that intervene in a cellular process

Study: Liposomes cannot penetrate the skin's barrier without breaking

Researchers discover how E. coli bacteria adhere to urinary tract

Research could change the way people look at gene expression, immune response

MSU scientists identify new kind of stem cell that could advance regenerative medicine

Study identifies gene linked to rare, complex diseases

Prebiotic may help curb obesity in moms and babies

New screening technique to test drug compounds used in Ewing sarcoma treatment

New study allows researchers to see how insulin in islets responds to sugar

Omega-3 fatty acids can lower risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal obese women

Study reveals role of 'Kurly' protein found in cilia

SOM0226 (tolcapone) drug could significantly improve pharmacological treatment of ATTR

Researchers identify common molecular alteration in glioblastoma

Study may lead to potential drug targets for tumor formation in pulmonary tuberous sclerosis complex

Scientists discover new subgroups of ILC immune cells using single-cell RNA sequencing

Confirming nasogastric tube placement through an assay? An interview with Ian Fotheringham

Intracellular process of autophagy plays role in prostate cancer development, shows research

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