Biochemistry News and Research

RSS

Bioinformatics researchers investigate functional diversity of proteins

No two human beings are the same. Although we all possess the same genes, our genetic code varies in many places. And since genes provide the blueprint for all proteins, these variants usually result in numerous differences in protein function. But what impact does this diversity have? Bioinformatics researchers at Rutgers University and the Technische Universitaet Muenchen have investigated how protein function is affected by changes at the DNA level.

6 Sep 2013

Researchers explore seas and oceans to discover novel antibiotics and other medical compounds

The life that inhabits the world's oceans has almost infinite variety. It remains an untapped source of diversity. "The oceans can be deep or shallow, they can be more or less tidal, and they can include unique environments such as volcanic vents," says Brian McNeil ofStrathclyde University in Scotland, UK.

5 Sep 2013

Research into 'personalised' medicine is being led by Greenwich team

Research into 'personalised' medicine is being led by a University of Greenwich team. Currently, many medicines which are prescribed to patients either do not work properly or have some significant side effects. The aim of personalised medicine, sometimes called 'precision' medicine, is to ensure that the most appropriate medicine is given to each patient and that the medicine is both effective and safe.

5 Sep 2013

Brown University establishes research center to study attention and other related behaviors

With a major new federal grant, Brown University has established a research center to study key questions in the neuroscience of attention and related behaviors. The COBRE Center for Central Nervous System Function will encompass five projects, each led by a junior faculty member with mentoring from a more senior professor, with the dual goals of better explaining the brain and generating potential new ideas for addressing disorders such as autism.

5 Sep 2013

Study: Changes in expression of various isoforms might play role in cancer development

Spool-like proteins called histones play a crucial role in packaging the nearly seven feet of DNA found in most human cells. A new study shows that a group of histones that are thought to behave the same way actually are functionally distinct proteins.

4 Sep 2013

Research: Male sexual development less stable than other genetic programs

The idea that men and women are fundamentally different from each other is widely accepted. And throughout the world, this has created distinct ideas about which social and physical characteristics are necessary in each gender to maintain healthy human development.

3 Sep 2013

New quick test promises to reduce economic, health burden of syphilis cases in Latin America

Demystifying the chemical processes that create a wine's aroma, and the invaluable potential application of that understanding in winemaking, is the new objective of scientists in Uruguay who, with European partners, also recently sequenced the genome of the high-value Tannat grape, from which "the most healthy of red wines" are fermented.

2 Sep 2013

Researchers study reproductive stage that remains most mysterious

Mississippi State University scientists are working to find out why some pregnancies are successful and others are not.

31 Aug 2013

Study: Mosquitoes able to smell major human host odorants better at night

In work published this week in Nature: Scientific Reports, a team of researchers from the University of Notre Dame's Eck Institute for Global Health, led by Associate Professor Giles Duffield and Assistant Professor Zain Syed of the Department of Biological Sciences, revealed that the major malaria vector in Africa, the Anopheles gambiae mosquito, is able to smell major human host odorants better at night.

31 Aug 2013

New angle for developing drugs to prevent thrombosis and heart attack

Platelets, which allow blood to clot, are at the heart of numerous cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks and stroke. New research has uncovered a key platelet protein that could offer a new angle for developing drugs to prevent thrombosis, or dangerous blood clots, in patients who are at high risk such as those with atherosclerosis or a history of heart problems.

31 Aug 2013

Scientists identify protein that blocks death of high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified a protein that certain high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells need to survive and have used that knowledge to fashion a more effective method of killing tumor cells. The findings appear in the August 29 edition of the journal Blood.

30 Aug 2013

Research suggests clingy blood platelets may offer hope for people with rheumatoid arthritis

No one likes clingy people, but "clingy" blood platelets may offer hope for millions of people with rheumatoid arthritis. According to new research findings published in The Journal of Leukocyte Biology, a sub population of immune cells (lymphocytes) known to play a significant role in rheumatoid arthritis has platelets attached to their surface.

30 Aug 2013

Texas A&M University biologist receives federal grant to study Clostridium difficile

A Texas A&M University biologist has received a federal grant to study the fecal samples of hundreds of people to better understand the gut bacteria Clostridium difficile - the cause of some 14,000 deaths a year in America - and to help lay the basic science foundation to develop drugs to combat its deadly results.

30 Aug 2013

UT finds way to blend passion for chemistry with ideals of environmental sustainability

A University of Texas at Arlington junior who found a way to blend a passion for chemistry with ideals of environmental sustainability is getting help from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further his education and his research.

29 Aug 2013

Reformulated OxyContin®: an interview with Dr. Paul Coplan, Executive Director, Risk Management and Epidemiology, Purdue Pharma

OxyContin contains oxycodone, which is an opioid agonist. It is used for the management of moderate to severe pain when a constant opioid analgesic is needed for a prolonged period of time.

29 Aug 2013

Scientists develop method to generate functioning brain cells that produce myelin

Stem cell technology has long offered the hope of regenerating tissue to repair broken or damaged neural tissue. Findings from a team of UC Davis investigators have brought this dream a step closer by developing a method to generate functioning brain cells that produce myelin - a fatty, insulating sheath essential to normal neural conduction.

29 Aug 2013

Researchers identify novel mechanism that particular superbug uses to fend off antibiotic

Investigators working to stem the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have taken a major step in their efforts to develop new treatments.

29 Aug 2013

Researchers identify possible treatment strategy for ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders

Researchers have tied mutations in a gene that causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative disorders to the toxic buildup of certain proteins and related molecules in cells, including neurons. The research, published recently in the scientific journal Cell, offers a new approach for developing treatments against these devastating diseases.

29 Aug 2013

Alzheimer’s drug trial: an interview with Geoffrey Kempler, Chairman & CEO Prana Biotechnology

Approval for the IMAGINE trial was granted by the Austin Health Research Ethics Committee in November 2011, with the first patients dosed in March the following year. However, well before the trial was approved, PBT2 had already shown promise in significantly changing Abeta levels in spinal fluid while improving cognition in a previous 12-week trial conducted in 2006.

28 Aug 2013

Researchers develop ddPCR technology to quantify rejection biomarker in organ transplant injury

A recently reported blood test for the early detection of organ transplant injury could enable more timely therapeutic intervention in transplant patients and thus help to avoid longer term damage. As described by scientists at the University Medical Center G-ttingen and Chronix Biomedical, a molecular diagnostics company, the new method uses Bio-Rad Laboratories' Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR-) technology to overcome the obstacles of earlier tests, which were both time-consuming and costly.

28 Aug 2013

Biochemistry News and Research

Bioinformatics researchers investigate functional diversity of proteins

Researchers explore seas and oceans to discover novel antibiotics and other medical compounds

Research into 'personalised' medicine is being led by Greenwich team

Brown University establishes research center to study attention and other related behaviors

Study: Changes in expression of various isoforms might play role in cancer development

Research: Male sexual development less stable than other genetic programs

New quick test promises to reduce economic, health burden of syphilis cases in Latin America

Researchers study reproductive stage that remains most mysterious

Study: Mosquitoes able to smell major human host odorants better at night

New angle for developing drugs to prevent thrombosis and heart attack

Scientists identify protein that blocks death of high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

Research suggests clingy blood platelets may offer hope for people with rheumatoid arthritis

Texas A&M University biologist receives federal grant to study Clostridium difficile

UT finds way to blend passion for chemistry with ideals of environmental sustainability

Reformulated OxyContin®: an interview with Dr. Paul Coplan, Executive Director, Risk Management and Epidemiology, Purdue Pharma

Scientists develop method to generate functioning brain cells that produce myelin

Researchers identify novel mechanism that particular superbug uses to fend off antibiotic

Researchers identify possible treatment strategy for ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders

Alzheimer’s drug trial: an interview with Geoffrey Kempler, Chairman & CEO Prana Biotechnology

Researchers develop ddPCR technology to quantify rejection biomarker in organ transplant injury

Measuring Drug-Target Residence Times with Biochemical Assays eBook

Latest eBooks

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (3rd edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Microbiome (1st edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition)

Advancing degrader and proximity-based drug development

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo