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.

Researchers determine 3D structure of two proteins for first time

A team led by David Reverter, a researcher at the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine of the UAB, has determined for the first time the three-dimensional structure of a protein pair: LC8 and Nek9.

12 Apr 2013

MD Anderson scientists demonstrate new way to restore tumor suppression

Tumor suppression, the family business of the sibling genes p53, p63 and p73, is undermined from within by the split personalities of p63 and p73, which each produce protein forms that not only block the work of the other two genes but also shut down its own cancer-stifling fraternal twin.

10 Apr 2013

Hebrew University professor wins 2013 Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research

The American Association for Cancer Research has chosen Prof. Alexander Levitzki of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as the winner of its 2013 Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research.

9 Apr 2013

Transposons increase in abundance and activity in brains as they age

As the body ages, the physical effects are notable; wrinkles in the skin appear, physical exertion becomes harder. But there are also less visible processes going on. Inside aging brains there is another phenomenon at work, which may contribute to age-related brain defects.

9 Apr 2013

Gene behind Vel blood group discovered

Researchers have uncovered the gene at the root of a human blood group that has remained a mystery for the past 60 years. They showed that a genetic deletion on this gene is responsible for the lack of this blood group in some people.

8 Apr 2013

Study examines developmental delays in children within six weeks of CSE

Researchers from the UK determined that developmental delays are present in children within six weeks following convulsive status epilepticus -a seizure lasting longer than thirty minutes.

8 Apr 2013

A*STAR's professor receives Szent-Gy-rgyi prize for groundbreaking cancer pill

Professor Alex Matter, Chief Executive Officer of A*STAR's Experimental Therapeutics Centre (ETC), has been awarded the 8th Annual Szent-Gy-rgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research by the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) for his contributions to the development of the first drug specifically targeting a molecular lesion in cancer.

7 Apr 2013

Nobel Prize recipient describes on innate immunity at Annual Drosophila Research Conference

A young scientist's astute observation - that grasshoppers don't get sick - eventually led to profound insights into our own immunity.

6 Apr 2013

Johns Hopkins scientist awarded Ho-Am prize for discovery of myostatin

South Korea's Ho-Am Foundation announced that Johns Hopkins researcher Se-Jin Lee, M.D., Ph.D., has won this year's Ho-Am Prize in Medicine.

5 Apr 2013

Study offers new possibilities for developing potent antibacterial drugs

A new study which was performed jointly at Ume- University and the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, discovered that bacteria can degrade the cell membrane of bacterial competitors with enzymes that do not harm their own membrane.

5 Apr 2013

Metallothioneins play major role in virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans

Metallothioneins, proteins able to capture metal ions, play a major role in the virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans, a fungal pathogen which causes severe infections in immunodeficient and immunocompetent individuals (AIDS patients, transplant receivers, etc.)

5 Apr 2013

Molecular diagnostic testing in lung cancer offers new hope for patients

The emergence of molecular diagnostic testing in lung cancer offers new hope for patients battling the number one cancer killer in the United States and abroad.

4 Apr 2013

New research shows children with autism have excess of duplicated DNA

Children with autism have increased levels of genetic change in regions of the genome prone to DNA rearrangements, so called "hotspots," according to a research discovery to be published in the print edition of the journal Human Molecular Genetics.

4 Apr 2013

Scientists say DHA-rich fish oil enhances B cell activity

Fish oil rich in DHA and EPA is widely believed to help prevent disease by reducing inflammation, but until now, scientists were not entirely sure about its immune enhancing effects. A new report appearing in the April 2013 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, helps provide clarity on this by showing that DHA-rich fish oil enhances B cell activity, a white blood cell, challenging the notion that fish oil is only immunosuppressive.

2 Apr 2013

New born neurons as a therapeutic strategy: an interview with Mi-Hyeon Jang, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota

There are two regions in the brain that continue to produce new neurons well into adulthood. One of these regions is the hippocampus and as we converse this region is actively involved in memory formation, mood regulation and cognition.

2 Apr 2013

LabCorp launches expanded IBD testing profile

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings announced today the availability of an expanded testing menu to help clinicians diagnose, treat and monitor the course of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

1 Apr 2013

Study suggests rats can be used as animal model to investigate human brain

A study led by Zachary Mainen, Director of the Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, and published today (March 28th) in the scientific journal, Neuron, reports that when rats were challenged with a series of perceptual decision problems.

29 Mar 2013

Study promises effective treatment for stroke patients

Two molecules may provide, for the first time, an indication of which stroke patients will suffer a further, long-term neurological deficit, allowing doctors to tailor treatment more effectively.

29 Mar 2013

Microbiologists identify unique resistance mechanisms of E. coli to carbapenems

As public health authorities across the globe grapple with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, Tufts University School of Medicine microbiologists and colleagues have identified the unique resistance mechanisms of a clinical isolate of E. coli resistant to carbapenems.

27 Mar 2013