Crystallography News and Research

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Rejected antibiotic candidate could be worth a second look, research finds

An antibiotic candidate compound shelved in the 1970s in favour of more worthwhile drugs could be worth a second look, new research has found.

15 Dec 2017

Researchers solve 3D structure of primary optogenetic tool

An international team of researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, the Institut de Biologie Structurale, and the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics has determined the 3-D structure of channelrhodopsin 2, a membrane protein widely used in optogenetics to control nerve cells with light.

28 Nov 2017

Scientists develop new approach to combating antibiotic resistance

A team of researchers have developed a way of preventing the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria.

22 Nov 2017

Researchers find new way to boost cancer-destroying ability of T-cells

Researchers at Cardiff University have found a way to boost the cancer-destroying ability of the immune system's T-cells, offering new hope in the fight against a wide range of cancers.

20 Nov 2017

Neutron crystallography study could open avenues for new drugs to battle diseases

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have performed neutron structural analysis of a vitamin B6-dependent protein, potentially opening avenues for new antibiotics and drugs to battle diseases such as drug-resistant tuberculosis, malaria, and diabetes.

1 Nov 2017

IBN researchers create DNA technology with two new genetic alphabets

Just like how alphabets are strung together to form words, our DNA is also strung together by alphabets to encode proteins. Our DNA contains only 4 natural genetic alphabets - A, C, G and T, which hold the blueprint for the production of proteins that make our bodies work.

26 Oct 2017

Fundamental discovery may open potential for new types of cancer drugs

Many approved cancer therapies target a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that regulates many crucial cellular processes and can speed the proliferation of tumor cells.

11 Oct 2017

Researchers use multi-modal integrated approach to develop potential anti-Chagas therapies

Chagas disease is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, and is transmitted to humans through triatomine blood-sucking bugs that are commonly referred to as "kissing bugs" or "vampire bugs".

26 Sep 2017

Researchers design novel small antibody fragment with improved crystallizability

Antibodies are a powerful weapon system in defending our body against invaders such as bacteria and viruses. Each antibody consists of four polypeptide chains: two heavy chains and two light chains joined to form a Y-shaped molecule.

21 Sep 2017

Molecular map shows novel way to stop dangerous bioweapon

During World War II, the Soviet Red Army was forced to move their biological warfare operations out of the path of advancing Nazi troops. Among the dangerous cargo were vials of Francisella tularensis, the organism that causes tularemia and one of the world's most infectious pathogens.

6 Sep 2017

Researchers identify control mechanisms of synapse formation

DGIST announced that the research team of Professor Ko Jae-won at the Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences and the research team of Professor Kim Ho-min at KAIST conducted a joint research and observed the three-dimensional structure of proteins that regulate neuronal cell connections for the first time in the world and have identified the control mechanisms of synapse formation.

21 Aug 2017

Study sheds new light on how anti-cancer agent inhibits tumor growth

Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have published a study in Nature Communications shedding new light on how K-80003 (TX803), an anti-cancer agent discovered at the Institute, prevents activation of the PI3K pathway, resulting in inhibition of cancer cell growth.

4 Aug 2017

Two new discoveries provide better understanding of how bacteria resist antibiotics

Two new discoveries from Edward Yu's Iowa State University laboratory are adding to the scientific understanding of how bacteria resist antibiotics.

1 Aug 2017

Structure of protein in salmon virus could inform strategies to treat flu in humans

The structure of a protein key to the survival and spread of a virus that affects salmon could inform strategies to treat the flu in humans, according to scientists at Rice University.

28 Jul 2017

Researchers discover how new molecular scissors unzip and cleave DNA with high accuracy

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), led by the Spanish researcher Guillermo Montoya, have discovered how Cpf1, new molecular scissors unzip and cleave DNA.

6 Jul 2017

Scientists find new clues to how RSV causes disease

By age 2, most children have been infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which usually causes only mild cold symptoms. But people with weakened immune systems, such as infants and the elderly, can face serious complications, including pneumonia and -- in some cases -- death.

30 Jun 2017

Scientists resolve 3D protein structures to combat dangerous infectious diseases

An international team of scientists including the Computation Institute has determined the 3-D atomic structures of more than 1,000 proteins that are potential targets for drugs and vaccines to combat some of the world's most dangerous emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.

22 Jun 2017

Scientists discover new approach for antifungal drug treatments

Each year, invasive fungal infections sicken an estimated 2 million people worldwide and kill nearly 800,000 - but a team of international scientists have discovered a new approach for antifungal drug treatments.

15 Jun 2017

Researchers identify key Lassa virus structure using powerful Argonne X-rays

Before Ebola virus ever struck West Africa, locals were already on the lookout for a deadly pathogen: Lassa virus.

13 Jun 2017

TSRI study reveals first-ever structure of Lassa virus protein

Before Ebola virus ever struck West Africa, locals were already on the lookout for a deadly pathogen: Lassa virus. With thousands dying from Lassa every year - and the potential for the virus to cause even larger outbreaks- researchers are committed to designing a vaccine to stop it.

1 Jun 2017