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Scientists identify new way to boost gene-silencing mechanism

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has found how to boost or inhibit a gene-silencing mechanism that normally serves as a major controller of cells' activities. The discovery could lead to a powerful new class of drugs against viral infections, cancers and other diseases.

10 May 2013

Research opens door to new drug therapies for Parkinson's disease

McGill University researchers have unlocked a new door to developing drugs to slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. Collaborating teams led by Dr. Edward A. Fon at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital -The Neuro, and Dr. Kalle Gehring in the Department of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine, have discovered the three-dimensional structure of the protein Parkin.

10 May 2013

Metallurgists use microwave oven to produce nanocrystal semiconductors

University of Utah metallurgists used an old microwave oven to produce a nanocrystal semiconductor rapidly using cheap, abundant and less toxic metals than other semiconductors. They hope it will be used for more efficient photovoltaic solar cells and LED lights, biological sensors and systems to convert waste heat to electricity.

6 May 2013

Berkeley Lab researchers unveil analytical technique for easy comparisons of proteins in solution

A revolutionary X-ray analytical technique that enables researchers at a glance to identify structural similarities and differences between multiple proteins under a variety of conditions has been developed by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

30 Apr 2013

Antihistamine drugs work by preventing histamine from attaching to H1 receptors

Itchy eyes, scratchy throat, running nose--it's allergy season! What triggers these allergic reactions, and how do allergy medications work?

26 Apr 2013

3D image of cell signaling molecules indicates a trippable power switch

A three-dimensional image of one of the proteins that serves as an on-off switch as it binds to receptors on the surface of a cell suggests there may be a sort of main power switch that could be tripped. These surface receptors are responsible for helping cells discern light, set the heart racing, or detect pain.

22 Apr 2013

New technique for vaccine design could prove useful against HIV, other viral strains

A team led by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) has unveiled a new technique for vaccine design that could be particularly useful against HIV and other fast-changing viruses.

30 Mar 2013

Researchers test protease inhibitors with potential for prevention, treatment of norovirus infection

A Kansas State University-led team is researching ways to stop the spread of norovirus, a contagious stomach illness that infects one in 15 Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

25 Mar 2013

Study shows why certain drugs that interact with serotonin receptors have harmful effects

A team including scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has determined and analyzed the high-resolution atomic structures of two kinds of human serotonin receptor.

25 Mar 2013

Findings provide structural basis for development of drugs to fight enterovirus 71 infection

New research findings may help scientists design drugs to treat a virus infection that causes potentially fatal brain swelling and paralysis in children.

22 Mar 2013

Research finding aids efforts toward cytomegalovirus vaccine

A virus most people probably have never heard of, but that the majority of us carry, is the No. 1 infectious cause of congenital birth defects in the U.S. today. Because of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during in utero development, 1 in 750 children are born with or develop permanent disabilities such as hearing loss or brain damage.

14 Mar 2013

Influenza drug: an interview with Dr Jenny McKimm-Breschkin, CSIRO

Influenza or flu for short is caused by a family of viruses, which can be called influenza A or influenza B. Influenza A viruses are found in humans, animals – like swine and horses- and mostly aquatic birds. Influenza B is only found in humans.

11 Mar 2013

Pharmaceutical research centre led by the University of Limerick to receive investment from Science Foundation Ireland

A research centre led by the University of Limerick dedicated to supporting the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland will benefit from today’s announcement of €300 million investment by Science Foundation Ireland. The Irish pharmaceutical industry supports over 60,000 Irish jobs and exports over €50 billion annually.

26 Feb 2013

Researchers solve complete 3-D structure of E6 proteins in HPV 16

For the first time, researchers from the Laboratoire biotechnologie et signalisation cellulaire at the Strasbourg-based Ecole supérieure de biotechnologie (CNRS/Université de Strasbourg) and Institut de génétique et de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire (CNRS/Université de Strasbourg/Inserm) have solved the three-dimensional structure of an important oncoprotein involved in cell proliferation and in the development of the human papilloma virus (HPV).

14 Feb 2013

Researchers determine precise configuration of humulones

Researchers employing a century-old observational technique have determined the precise configuration of humulones, substances derived from hops that give beer its distinctive flavor.

30 Jan 2013

Wiley publishes Encyclopedia of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Published by Wiley, this new 10-volume set captures every aspect of the interdisciplinary nature of magnetic resonance and provides the most complete and up-to-date source in the field. It includes many articles from the print editions of Encyclopedia of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and recent EMR Books, as well as new and updated articles published online in the Encyclopedia of Magnetic Resonance.

24 Jan 2013

Scientists determine structure of Ltn1 protein

Using an innovative approach, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have determined the structure of Ltn1, a recently discovered "quality-control" protein that is found in the cells of all plants, fungi and animals.

17 Jan 2013

Clathrin protein may have a role in suppressing tumors

Newly published research by Indiana University structural biologist Joel Ybe and colleagues identifies a "topology switch" in the protein clathrin, the function of which may shed light on molecular processes involved in tumor suppression.

16 Jan 2013

Researchers discover molecular blueprint behind the IFIT protein

Researchers at McGill University and the Research Center for Molecular Medicine (CeMM) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences have discovered the molecular blueprint behind the IFIT protein.

15 Jan 2013

Scientists describe detailed structure and function of the TFIID protein complex

A research team of scientists from EMBL Grenoble and the IGBMC in Strasbourg, France, have, for the first time, described in molecular detail the architecture of the central scaffold of TFIID: the human protein complex essential for transcription from DNA to mRNA. The study, published today in Nature, opens new perspectives in the study of transcription and of the structure and mechanism of other large multi-protein assemblies involved in gene regulation.

9 Jan 2013