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 manipulate life span of yeast by mutating chemical residues

Collaborations between Johns Hopkins and National Taiwan University researchers have successfully manipulated the life span of common, single-celled yeast organisms by figuring out how to remove and restore protein functions related to yeast aging.

22 Nov 2011

Targeting synthetic RNA to specific gene could help reduce severity of SMA

A team of University of Missouri researchers have found that targeting a synthetic molecule to a specific gene could help the severity of the disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) - the leading genetic cause of infantile death in the world.

22 Nov 2011

Cisplatin anti-cancer drug binds pervasively to RNA

An anti-cancer drug used extensively in chemotherapy binds pervasively to RNA -- up to 20-fold more than it does to DNA, a surprise finding that suggests new targeting approaches might be useful, according to University of Oregon researchers.

21 Nov 2011

New method for counting molecules

Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have developed a new method for counting molecules.

21 Nov 2011

Study examines how mice with genetic bone defects respond to infusions of BMMSC

A new study in Nature Medicine describes how different types of immune system T-cells alternately discourage and encourage stem cells to regrow bone and tissue, bringing into sharp focus the importance of the transplant recipient's immune system in stem cell regeneration.

21 Nov 2011

Scientists isolate and analyze antibody that neutralizes Sudan virus

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and the US Army's Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases have isolated and analyzed an antibody that neutralizes Sudan virus, a major species of ebolavirus and one of the most dangerous human pathogens.

20 Nov 2011

AMP announces Council's unanimous approval of strategic plan for personalized medicine

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) today announced the AMP Council's unanimous approval of a strategic plan intended to guide the organization over the next four years.

19 Nov 2011

Research shows how the bite of a small Texas snake causes extreme pain

Examining venom from a variety of poisonous snakes, a group of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco has discovered why the bite of one small black, yellow and red serpent called the Texas coral snake can be so painful.

17 Nov 2011

Cancer cells tap into natural recycling system to obtain energy

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered that cancer cells tap into a natural recycling system to obtain the energy they need to keep dividing. In a study with potential implications for cancer treatments, Einstein researchers used genetic manipulation to turn off this recycling system within the walls of cells and stop both tumor growth and metastasis.

17 Nov 2011

Non-therapeutic antibiotic usage in food animals creates resistance genes, promotes antibiotic resistance

In a review study, researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine zero in on the controversial, non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in food animals and fish farming as a cause of antibiotic resistance.

16 Nov 2011

Human pluripotent stem cells rely heavily on glycolysis to drive their metabolic activities

Human pluripotent stem cells, which can develop into any cell type in the body, rely heavily on glycolysis, or sugar fermentation, to drive their metabolic activities.

16 Nov 2011

Researchers identify key processes by which estrogen activates genes in breast-cancer cells

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) have discovered key processes by which estrogen, the female sex hormone, activates genes in breast-cancer cells.

16 Nov 2011

Long-term AED therapy may increase risk of atherosclerosis in epilepsy patients

New research reveals that patients with epilepsy who were treated for extended periods with older generation antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may be at increased risk for developing atherosclerosis, a common disorder known as hardening of the arteries.

15 Nov 2011

HIV and syphilis on the rise among MSM

Rates of HIV and syphilis are very high and rising among men who have sex with men (MSM) in New York City, reports a study in the November issue of JAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

15 Nov 2011

New clues about connections among fat, inflammation and insulin resistance

In a new study, scientists report that they substantially curbed weight gain, improved metabolism, and improved the efficacy of insulin in mice by engineering them to express a specific human enzyme in their fat tissue. Although the obesity prevention came at the significant cost of widespread inflammation, the research offers new clues about the connections among obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and inflammation.

14 Nov 2011

Amplification of ALK gene may drive rapid breast cancer metastasis

Amplification of anaplastic lymphoma kinase, which has been reported in other cancers such as non-small cell lung cancers, may be a primary driver of the rapid metastasis that patients with inflammatory breast cancer experience.

14 Nov 2011

Researchers uncover mechanism that governs cell specialization

Researchers at then Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have uncovered a mechanism that governs how cells become specialized during development.

10 Nov 2011

POPG inhibits influenza infections in cell cultures and mouse models

A natural lipid in the fluid lining the lungs inhibits influenza infections in both cell cultures and mouse models, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. These findings, combined with previous studies demonstrating effectiveness against respiratory syncytial virus, suggest that the molecule, known as POPG, may have broad antiviral activity.

10 Nov 2011

ScreenCell, Transgenomic sign collaboration and distribution agreement for CTC technology

Transgenomic, Inc. and ScreenCell, a privately-held company, today announced the signing of a perpetual, worldwide collaboration and distribution agreement for ScreenCell's Isolation Devices and Dilution Buffers, designed for the collection of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood.

9 Nov 2011

Study: Genes that are active in brain are transcribed with special mechanism

Knowledge about the development of the nervous system is of the greatest importance for us to understand the function of the brain and brain disorders. Researchers at Uppsala University have examined the key step when genes are read and found that genes that are active in the brain are transcribed with a special mechanism.

8 Nov 2011