Crystallography News and Research

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Biologists determine three-dimensional structure of molecule involved in HIV, cancer

In a technical tour de force, structural biologists funded by the National Institutes of Health have determined the three-dimensional structure of a molecule involved in HIV infection and in many forms of cancer. The high-resolution structure sheds light on how the molecule functions and could point to ways to control its activity, potentially locking out HIV and stalling cancer's spread.

8 Oct 2010

Bruker closes acquisition of instruments businesses with Veeco

Bruker Corporation today announced the closing of its acquisition of the Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and the Optical Industrial Metrology (OIM) instruments businesses from Veeco Instruments, Inc. for $229.4 million in cash.

8 Oct 2010

Evotec enters multiple target drug discovery collaboration with Shionogi

Evotec AG today announced that it has entered into a multiple target drug discovery collaboration with Shionogi & Co Ltd., to identify small molecule modulators of various protein-protein interaction targets.

5 Oct 2010

NIH awards Scripps Research grants to study the mechanisms of protein complex

For Immediate Release -Scripps Research Institute scientists have been awarded approximately $65 million in four five-year grants as part of the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) latest round of structural biology funding. The projects will focus on determining the shapes and functions of proteins and protein complexes that are important in biology and medicine.

4 Oct 2010

UGA researcher receives NIH award for high-risk, high-reward carbohydrate research

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a prestigious EUREKA award to Robert Woods, a professor at the University of Georgia Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, to develop a new method for understanding how antibodies interact with large molecules known as glycans that are a major component of all cell surfaces.

27 Sep 2010

Researchers identify mechanism that makes bacteria to resist antibiotics

A research team led by Edward Yu of Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory has discovered the crystal structures of pumps that remove heavy metal toxins from bacteria, making them resistant to antibiotics.

24 Sep 2010

Researchers discover HIV-1 resists AZT drug

Rutgers researchers have discovered how HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS, resists AZT, a drug widely used to treat AIDS. The scientists, who report their findings in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, believe their discovery helps researchers understand how important anti-AIDS treatments can fail and could help AIDS researchers develop more effective treatment for the disease.

20 Sep 2010

Discovery shows how cells decide what to recycle, unlocking debilitating disease's secret

Our bodies recycle proteins, the fundamental building blocks that enable cell growth and development. Proteins are made up of a chain of amino acids, and scientists have known since the 1980s that first one in the chain determines the lifetime of a protein. McGill researchers have finally discovered how the cell identifies this first amino acid - and caught it on camera.

13 Sep 2010

Emerald BioStructures, SomaLogic announce strategic collaboration for SOMAmers

Emerald BioStructures, a leading provider of integrated structural biology services, and SomaLogic, Inc., a diagnostics and biomarker discovery company, today announced that they have entered into a strategic collaboration for the structure-based design of chemically modified DNA aptamers and small molecule therapeutics, based on crystal structures of important protein targets bound to high affinity SOMAmers.

3 Sep 2010

Research on immune system can develop new therapy for inflammation, tumors

In two closely related studies, two teams of Scripps Research Institute scientists have discovered the underlying mechanisms that activate a type of immune cell in the skin and other organs. The findings may lead to the development of new therapies to treat inflammation, wounds, asthma, and malignant tumors.

3 Sep 2010

Researchers clear hurdle on path toward gene-therapy treatment for disease

One of the most difficult aspects of working at the nanoscale is actually seeing the object being worked on. Biological structures like viruses, which are smaller than the wavelength of light, are invisible to standard optical microscopes and difficult to capture in their native form with other imaging techniques.

2 Sep 2010

Fralin Life Science Institute professor receives grant from NSF to elucidate research on fungi

Pablo Sobrado, assistant professor of biochemistry with the Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech, has received a $1.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to advance his research on the mechanism of iron acquisition in fungi and mycobacteria.

19 Aug 2010

Scientists to develop new antibiotics to tackle infection-causing bacteria

Detailed pictures published today reveal how a new type of experimental antibiotic can kill bacteria that are already resistant to existing treatments. The findings could ultimately help scientists to develop new antibiotics to tackle the bacteria responsible for many hospital and community-acquired infections.

5 Aug 2010

Australian scientists uncover the secrets behind one of nature’s most extraordinary biological machines

Scientists from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (VCCRI), Sydney, have discovered the secrets behind the tiny motors in bacteria that allow them to swim rapidly towards nutrients and away from toxins, which is crucial to the spread of bacterial infection. These motors can rotate at up to 100,000 revolutions per minute, yet can switch directions in milliseconds.

1 Aug 2010

Scientists discover mechanism of herpes virus cell entry machinery

The mechanism by which a herpes virus invades cells has remained a mystery to scientists, but now research from Tufts University and the University of Pennsylvania reveals the unusual structure of a key member of the protein complex that allows a herpes virus to invade cells.The new map details an essential piece of the herpes virus "cell-entry machinery," providing scientists with a new target for antiviral drugs.

27 Jul 2010

Researchers discover potential method for neurodegenerative disease detection

New investigations, initiated by research workers at CIC bioGUNE and led by Dr. Aitor Hierro, have opened possibilities for making progress in the knowledge and prediction of neurodegenerative diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), according to the journal of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.This study opens the possibility of research in humans to detect this pathology before the symptoms arise.

26 Jul 2010

Map of herpes virus "cell-entry machinery" provides new target for antiviral drugs

The mechanism by which a herpes virus invades cells has remained a mystery to scientists seeking to thwart this family of viruses. New research funded by the National Institutes of Health and published online in advance of print in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology reveals the unusual structure of the protein complex that allows a herpes virus to invade cells. This detailed map of a key piece of the herpes virus "cell-entry machinery" gives scientists a new target for antiviral drugs.

7 Jul 2010

Investment report on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

MicroStockProfit.com announces an investment report featuring BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc.. The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and recent company news that you need to know to make an educated investment decision.

30 Jun 2010

Emerald, FORMA sign strategic partnership for structure-based design of cancer drug candidates

Emerald BioStructures, a leading provider of integrated structural biology services, and FORMA Therapeutics, a drug discovery company, today announced the signing of a strategic partnership for the structure-based design of cancer drug candidates for FORMA's pipeline.

28 Jun 2010

Sapient Discovery, Helicon Therapeutics enter structural biology collaboration

Sapient Discovery, LLC., a structure-guided drug discovery company, announced today that it has entered into a research collaboration agreement with the Helicon Therapeutics, Inc., a San Diego based pharmaceutical company. Under the terms of the agreement, Sapient Discovery will apply its proprietary structural biology platform and expertise to determine the three-dimensional structures for targets of interest to Helicon Therapeutics, Inc.

16 Jun 2010