Biochemistry News and Research

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New cooling method uncovers inner workings of key iron-containing enzyme

A team of Michigan State University scientists -- using a new cooling method they created - have uncovered the inner workings of a key iron-containing enzyme, a discovery that could help researchers develop new medicines or understand how enzymes repair DNA.

27 Feb 2010

Librede to develop technologies for improving ion channel drug discovery and screening at CNSI incubator

Librede Inc. has joined the UCLA on-campus technology incubator space at the California NanoSystems Institute, where the startup company will work on developing technologies to improve ion channel drug discovery and screening.

26 Feb 2010

Comprehensive development strategy yields two potential drugs that block cancer-promoting pathways

A comprehensive drug development strategy that starts with extensive screening of potential targeting agents and then narrows down to a small-molecule prototype has yielded two potential drugs that block cancer-promoting pathways in novel ways, a team led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in two papers published back-to-back online at the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science.

26 Feb 2010

Researchers keep wary eye on emerging tick-borne diseases in Missouri

Stories of environmental damage and their consequences always seem to take place far away and in another country, usually a tropical one with lush rainforests and poison dart frogs.

26 Feb 2010

New dietary supplement blocks triggering mechanism causing breast cell mutations

Every 13 minutes a woman loses her battle with breast cancer and in 2009 alone more than 27,000 men died from prostate cancer. These powerful statistics continue to fuel research and new developments. With tens of millions of dollars in financial support from the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Department of Defense, scientists have identified when estrogen metabolism is out of balance it can start the process leading to breast cell mutations.

26 Feb 2010

Retinitis Pigmentosa: Embryonic stem cells for replacement of diseased retinal cells and restoration of sight

An international research team led by Columbia University Medical Center successfully used mouse embryonic stem cells to replace diseased retinal cells and restore sight in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa. This strategy could potentially become a new treatment for retinitis pigmentosa, a leading cause of blindness that affects approximately one in 3,000 to 4,000 people, or 1.5 million people worldwide.

25 Feb 2010

Biochemical link between misery and death discovered

In ongoing work to identify how genes interact with social environments to impact human health, UCLA researchers have discovered what they describe as a biochemical link between misery and death. In addition, they found a specific genetic variation in some individuals that seems to disconnect that link, rendering them more biologically resilient in the face of adversity.

25 Feb 2010

Scientists create tiny RNA molecule to synthesize proteins

An extremely small RNA molecule created by a University of Colorado at Boulder team can catalyze a key reaction needed to synthesize proteins, the building blocks of life. The findings could be a substantial step toward understanding "the very origin of Earthly life," the lead researcher contends.

23 Feb 2010

UCI researchers create new breed of flightless mosquitoes for dengue control

UCI researchers and colleagues from Oxitec Ltd. and the University of Oxford created the new breed. Flightless females are expected to die quickly in the wild, curtailing the number of mosquitoes and reducing - or even eliminating - dengue transmission. Males of the strain can fly but do not bite or convey disease.

23 Feb 2010

Agilent Technologies wins breach of contract case against Advanced Materials Technology

Agilent Technologies Inc. today announced a favorable decision in its trade secrets and breach of contract case against Advanced Materials Technology, Inc. (AMT) and three of its employees in the Delaware Court of Chancery. Agilent filed the lawsuit in January 2008 to protect confidential and proprietary information relating to its high-performance liquid chromatography technology.

23 Feb 2010

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals co-founder discovers new ribosomal structures of antibiotics

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development-stage antibiotics company with a broad product pipeline based on its innovative discovery platform, and Yale University today announced the discovery by Thomas Steitz, Ph.D., co-founder of Rib-X and Yale University professor, of important new ribosomal structures of antibiotics, enabling the potential creation of novel treatments for drug resistant infections, including resistant tuberculosis (TB).

19 Feb 2010

University of Missouri researchers visualize "terminals" inside proline degrading enzyme

If subway terminals didn't exist and people had to exit subway stations to switch subway lines, transit time would increase. People also may encounter distractions, such as grabbing a cup of coffee, instead of getting on the other line. Molecules also use "terminals" to save transit time during enzyme-catalyzed processes. Using advanced X-radiation techniques, University of Missouri researchers were able to visualize one of these terminals inside of an enzyme that degrades proline, which is an amino acid that has a central role in metabolism.

19 Feb 2010

Study analyzes genome and exome sequence data from hunter-gatherer participants of South Africa

In a study published online today in Nature, a team of researchers from Penn State University and the University New South Wales present the complete genome sequences of an indigenous hunter-gatherer from the Kalahari Desert and a Bantu from southern Africa, along with three additional whole exome sequences of Kalahari hunter-gatherers.

19 Feb 2010

Mechanism by which Plasmodium replicates itself in human blood to spread disease identified

Malaria remains one of the most deadly infectious diseases. Yet, how Plasmodium, the malaria parasite, regulates its infectious cycle has remained an enigma despite decades of rigorous research.

19 Feb 2010

SRI International establishes new Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Program

SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development institute, announced today that a new Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Program has been established within its Center for Health Sciences. This new SRI group of neuroscientists and researchers working at the cutting edge of science brings $6.2 million of funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).

19 Feb 2010

Research shows natural compound in marine sponges reduces cancer cell motility

Investigators at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham, formerly Burnham Institute for Medical Research) led by Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D., have discovered that the natural compound sceptrin, which is found in marine sponges, reduces cancer cell motility (movement) and has very low toxicity.

19 Feb 2010

Mechanosensitive ion channels play a key role in pain sensation

Humans and animals are able to perceive even the slightest vibration and touch of the skin. Mechanosensitive ion channels play a crucial role in the mediation of these sensations. Ion channels are pores in the cell membrane which are highly responsive to external signals.

19 Feb 2010

Cellular metabolism plays a key role in cancer development

It is not unusual to hear people blame their metabolism after gaining a few pounds. But changes in metabolism - the process that shapes how our bodies turn food into energy -- can have much more sinister effects than making it hard to fit into your favorite jeans.

19 Feb 2010

Intezyne announces new patents covering IVECT Method in major pharmaceutical markets

Intezyne today announced the issuance of new patents that cover multiple dimensions of the Company’s revolutionary technology platform, the IVECTTM Method, in the major pharmaceutical markets of the United States, Europe, and Japan. All patents are wholly owned by Intezyne.

18 Feb 2010

Gilead Sciences’ “Quad” regimen for HIV exhibits antiretroviral activity comparable to Atripla

Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced Phase II clinical trial results today showing that its investigational fixed-dose single-tablet “Quad” regimen of elvitegravir, GS 9350 (cobicistat) and Truvada® (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for the treatment of HIV infection exhibited antiretroviral activity comparable to that of Atripla® (efavirenz 600 mg/ emtricitabine 200 mg/ tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg).

18 Feb 2010

Biochemistry News and Research

New cooling method uncovers inner workings of key iron-containing enzyme

Librede to develop technologies for improving ion channel drug discovery and screening at CNSI incubator

Comprehensive development strategy yields two potential drugs that block cancer-promoting pathways

Researchers keep wary eye on emerging tick-borne diseases in Missouri

New dietary supplement blocks triggering mechanism causing breast cell mutations

Retinitis Pigmentosa: Embryonic stem cells for replacement of diseased retinal cells and restoration of sight

Biochemical link between misery and death discovered

Scientists create tiny RNA molecule to synthesize proteins

UCI researchers create new breed of flightless mosquitoes for dengue control

Agilent Technologies wins breach of contract case against Advanced Materials Technology

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals co-founder discovers new ribosomal structures of antibiotics

University of Missouri researchers visualize "terminals" inside proline degrading enzyme

Study analyzes genome and exome sequence data from hunter-gatherer participants of South Africa

Mechanism by which Plasmodium replicates itself in human blood to spread disease identified

SRI International establishes new Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Program

Research shows natural compound in marine sponges reduces cancer cell motility

Mechanosensitive ion channels play a key role in pain sensation

Cellular metabolism plays a key role in cancer development

Intezyne announces new patents covering IVECT Method in major pharmaceutical markets

Gilead Sciences’ “Quad” regimen for HIV exhibits antiretroviral activity comparable to Atripla

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