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.

Scientists develop selective therapy for tau tangles

Scientists have developed new potential therapies that selectively remove aggregated tau proteins, which are associated with Alzheimer's disease, and improve symptoms of neurodegeneration in mice.

14 Sep 2024

Studies reveal how repeated antibiotic use damages gut mucus barrier

Researchers at Umeå University and Tartu University have found that a history of repeated antibiotic use causes defects in the normally protective mucus barrier of the gut, due to antibiotic-driven alterations in the microbiota.

12 Sep 2024

Age-related fibroblast changes in males drive aggressive melanoma

Age-related changes in the fibroblasts, cells that create the skin's structure, contribute to the development of aggressive, treatment-resistant melanoma in males, according to research in mice by the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

6 Sep 2024

Auburn University researchers develop AI-driven method to target cancer proteins

Researchers at Auburn University, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Basel and ETH Zurich, have made a groundbreaking advance in the fight against cancer.

5 Sep 2024

Discovery of cellular process could impact the understanding of cancer and aging

Researchers at UC Merced used fruit flies to uncover a cellular process common to many organisms that could dramatically impact the understanding of cancer and aging.

3 Sep 2024

Newly discovered antibody can neutralize all known variants of SARS-CoV-2

Researchers have discovered an antibody able to neutralize all known variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, as well as distantly related SARS-like coronaviruses that infect other animals.

3 Sep 2024

Tau protein shows unexpected benefits in mitigating brain damage

A study by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital, reveals that the protein Tau – a key player implicated in several neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer's disease – also plays a positive role in the brain.

30 Aug 2024

Neuroscientists decode the brain’s response to unexpected sensory inputs

Researchers have discovered how two brain areas, neocortex and thalamus, work together to detect discrepancies between what animals expect from their environment and actual events.

28 Aug 2024

New photoacoustic probes could revolutionize brain activity imaging

To understand the brain better, we need new methods to observe its activity.

28 Aug 2024

LncRNA ZNF593-AS offers hope for heart disease treatment

The research presented in the article delves into the regulatory role of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) ZNF593-AS in cardiac hypertrophy and myocardial remodeling, processes that are pivotal in the progression of heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. The study uncovers how ZNF593-AS exerts its inhibitory effects by upregulating the expression of Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2), a protein known for its role in the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics and cellular metabolism.

28 Aug 2024

Novel bottom-up approach in synthetic immunology opens a new frontier for disease treatment

Synthetic immunology, an innovative field of research which could lead to fundamentally new approaches and methods in the treatment of infectious diseases and cancer, is the topic of an article in the "Perspectives" section of the journal "Nature Nanotechnology". Herein, Heidelberg researchers Prof. Dr. Kerstin Göpfrich, Prof. Dr. Michael Platten, Prof. Dr. Friedrich Frischknecht, and Prof. Dr. Oliver T. Fackler describe a so-called bottom-up approach that uses the toolbox of nanotechnology and synthetic biology to construct systems from molecular building blocks and specifically equip them with immune functions.

27 Aug 2024

Austocystin D's anticancer efficacy linked to CYP2J2 enzyme activity

Austocystin D, a natural compound produced by fungi, has been recognized for its cytotoxic effects and anticancer activity in various cell types. It exhibits potent activity even in cells that express proteins associated with multidrug resistance, attracting significant global research interest.

27 Aug 2024

New technique enhances study of complex biological processes at the molecular level

A team of researchers led by Professor Sebastian Deindl at Uppsala University has developed a pioneering method that vastly improves the ability to observe and analyze complex biological processes at the single-molecule level.

23 Aug 2024

Cancer drug holds promise as a new treatment for neurodegenerative diseases

A type of drug developed for treating cancer holds promise as a new treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, according to a recent study by researchers at Penn State, Stanford University and an international team of collaborators.

22 Aug 2024

DNA scavengers break down antibiotic-resistant genes

For nearly a century, scientists have waged war on antibiotic-resistant microbes. Michigan State University researchers say they've found a new way to prevent it – by unleashing "DNA scavengers" in wastewater treatment plants.

22 Aug 2024

Breakthrough compound targets appetite and tau protein in obesity and Alzheimer's

Scientists on the team of Dr Lenka Maletínská have developed a promising new compound derived from one of the peptides naturally occurring in the brain.

21 Aug 2024

New insights into COVID-19 spike protein offer hope for universal vaccines

A team led by Jose Onuchic at Rice University and Paul Whitford at Northeastern University, both researchers at the National Science Foundation Physics Frontiers Center at the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics (CTBP) at Rice, has made a discovery in the fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for COVID-19.

16 Aug 2024

Early exposure to 'forever chemicals' alters gut microbiome and increases metabolic disease risk

Early life exposure to 'forever chemicals' in the environment permanently disrupts the gut microbiome in mice, contributing to the development of metabolic disease in later life, according to new research led by Penn State.

14 Aug 2024

Researchers develop new method to study critical type of protein modification process

Human proteins undergo a variety of chemical modifications following their synthesis. These modifications regulate their structure, function, and stability.

12 Aug 2024

New research identifies key protein complex in cellular quality control

Anyone who's tried to neatly gather a fitted sheet can tell you: folding is hard. Get it wrong with your laundry and the result can be a crumpled, wrinkled mess of fabric, but when folding fails among the approximately 7,000 proteins with an origami-like complexity that regulate essential cellular functions, the result can lead to one of a multitude of serious diseases ranging from emphysema and cystic fibrosis to Alzheimer's disease.

12 Aug 2024