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.

EMBL-EBI hosts drug discovery database

ChEMBLdb, a vast online database of information on the properties and activities of drugs and drug-like small molecules and their targets, launches today with information on over half a million compounds. The data lie at the heart of translating information from the human genome into successful new drugs in the clinic.

19 Jan 2010

Scientists determine structure of enzyme essential to the survival of protozoan parasites

After many years of study, a team of researchers is releasing data today that it hopes will lead to new drug therapies that will kill the family of parasites that causes a deadly trio of insect-borne diseases and has afflicted inhabitants of underdeveloped and developing nations for centuries.

18 Jan 2010

Researchers identify six essential oils that can suppress inflammation

For those who do not drink, researchers have found that six essential oils -from thyme, clove, rose, eucalyptus, fennel and bergamot-can suppress the inflammatory COX-2 enzyme, in a manner similar to resveratrol, the chemical linked with the health benefits of red wine. They also identified that the chemical carvacrol was primarily responsible for this suppressive activity.

18 Jan 2010

Mutagenic drugs designed to kill viruses may make them stronger, says research

As the flu season continues in full-swing, most people can appreciate the need for drugs that stop viruses after they take hold in the body. Despite this serious need for new drugs, a team of researchers from the University of Texas at Austin raise serious concerns about an emerging strategy for stopping viral infections.

18 Jan 2010

Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease are the same

Nearly 20 years ago Huntington Potter kicked up a storm of controversy with the idea that Down syndrome and Alzheimer's were the same disease. Now the evidence is in: He was right.

18 Jan 2010

Sirnaomics certifies polypeptide nanoparticle technology

Sirnaomics, Inc. (www.sirnaomics.com) announced today that the company has licensed a polypeptide nanoparticle technology invented by Professor A. James Mixson of University of Maryland Medical School.

18 Jan 2010

Joubert Syndrome - an inherited neurological disease found among Ashkenazi Jews

Two scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) are part of an international team that has discovered a genetic mutation that causes Joubert Syndrome. JBTS, as it is commonly called, is a devastating inherited neurological disease that is very rare in the general population but found relatively more often among Ashkenazi Jews.

18 Jan 2010

3D structure of PI3Kdelta: An important drug target for a wide range of diseases

Intellikine announced today the publication of an article entitled, "The p110delta structure: mechanisms for selectivity and potency of new PI(3)K inhibitors," now available as an advanced online publication at Nature Chemical Biology.

12 Jan 2010

miRagen Therapeutics establishes SAB

miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on improving patients’ lives by developing innovative microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics for cardiovascular and muscle disease, announced today the formation of the company’s world renowned Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB was established to provide miRagen with valuable guidance in developing an extensive pipeline of microRNA-based drugs and is comprised of leaders who are internationally recognized experts in their respective fields.

12 Jan 2010

QIAGEN N.V. announces acquisition of ESE GmbH for $19 million

QIAGEN N.V. today announced that it has acquired ESE GmbH, a privately held developer and manufacturer of UV and fluorescence optical measurement devices. ESE is based in Stockach, Germany. The transaction is valued at up to US$19 million in cash.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 12 Jan 2010

AvidBiotics and Ecolab to develop new technology that reduces food pathogens in meat products

AvidBiotics Corp. and Ecolab Inc. today announced an agreement under which they will work to develop a new technology to dramatically reduce the presence of the dangerous pathogen E. coli O157:H7 in red meat products.

12 Jan 2010

Researchers identify treatment to reduce health problems associated with enzyme defect

An experimental compound repaired a defective alcohol metabolism enzyme that affects an estimated 1 billion people worldwide, according to research supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

10 Jan 2010

Research into "chemical chaperone" may lead to new treatments for heart attacks

Researchers at the Indiana University and Stanford University schools of medicine have determined how a "chemical chaperone" does its job in the body, which could lead to a new class of drugs to help reduce the muscle damage caused by heart attacks.

10 Jan 2010

Gene therapy may help correct molecular flaws that cause brain disease

Neuroscientists have forged an unlikely molecular union as part of their fight against diseases of the brain and nervous system.

9 Jan 2010

Scientific societies to hold Experimental Biology 2010 meeting

Six scientific societies announced they will hold their annual meeting, Experimental Biology (EB 2010; www.experimentalbiology.org), April 24-28, 2010 in Anaheim, CA. The societies are the American Association of Anatomists (AAA), American Physiological Society (APS), American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

9 Jan 2010

Role of calcium-sensing receptor in human taste perception

Calcium may not come to mind when you think of tasty foods, but in a study appearing in the January 8 issue of JBC, Japanese researchers have provided the first demonstration that calcium channels on the tongue are the targets of compounds that can enhance taste.

8 Jan 2010

Scientists and clinicians address diagnosis and treatment for autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases

Autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases are a major health issue. The National Institutes of Health reports that up to 23.5 million Americans are afflicted. The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association reports the number is closer to 50 million. Scientists and clinicians at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston can address the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions, as well as the latest advances in research.

8 Jan 2010

Rev protein plays essential role in spreading viruses within organism, discover researchers

Professor Denis Archambault of the Department of Biological Sciences of Universit- du Qu-bec - Montr-al (UQAM), and doctoral student Andrea Corredor Gomez have made a major discovery in the field of molecular biology. They have unlocked some of the secrets of a viral protein, known as Rev, which is very different from other proteins of the same type studied to date.

6 Jan 2010

Elusive human protein outsmarted

A team of researchers is being recognized for devising a new way to study a human protein that long has evaded close scrutiny by scientists investigating its role in the communication of important genetic messages inside a cell's nucleus to workhorse molecules found elsewhere.

5 Jan 2010

Protein interaction linked to AMD

Researchers at University College London say they have gleaned a key insight into the molecular beginnings of age-related macular degeneration, the No. 1 cause of vision loss in the elderly, by determining how two key proteins interact to naturally prevent the onset of the condition.

5 Jan 2010