Crystallography News and Research

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Double binding sites on tumor target may provide future combination therapy

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues at Merck Serono Research in Germany have found that two drugs bind to receptor sites on some tumors in different places at the same time, suggesting the possibility of a new combination therapy for certain types of cancer.

9 Apr 2008

First 3-D view of anti-cancer agent

Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Purdue School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis have created the first three-dimensional image of how a well-established chemotherapy agent targets and binds to DNA.

19 Mar 2008

Twist in the battle against TB

Scientists at the University of Leicester have uncovered a dramatic new twist in the battle against TB.

14 Mar 2008

New understanding of structure and behavior of collagen

The structure and behavior of one of the most common proteins in our bodies has been resolved at a level of detail never before seen, thanks to new research performed at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory.

27 Feb 2008

New discovery on how gene-regulatory networks govern metabolism

Metabolism is a central feature of life - a myriad of biochemical processes that, together, enable organisms to nourish and sustain themselves.

26 Feb 2008

Stanford researchers make first direct observation of 3-D molecule folding in real time

All the crucial proteins in our bodies must fold into complex shapes to do their jobs.

18 Feb 2008

Scientists solve structure of gene regulator that plays key role in cancer

Scientists at The Wistar Institute have collaborated on a major advance in understanding a gene regulator that contributes to some of the deadliest cancers in humans.

14 Feb 2008

Breaking down Huntington's disease one protein at a time

Hoping to piece together the intricate series of interactions that lead to Huntington's disease, Indiana University Bloomington scientists have determined the shape and structure of a binding site that may prove useful in combating the neurodegenerative disease

4 Feb 2008

New target for flu prevention

Emerging subtypes of influenza A virus hold the potential to initiate a world-wide epidemic in the next few years, according to World Health Organization officials.

4 Feb 2008

New understanding of hydrogen peroxide's role in cell health

Hydrogen peroxide, the same mild acid that many people use to disinfectant their kitchens or treat cuts and abrasions, is also produced by the body to keep cells healthy.

3 Jan 2008

Secret lives of enzymes revealed

In a new study in Nature, Brandeis University Howard Hughes Medical Investigator Dr. Dorothee Kern and collaborators pull back the curtain on the secret lives of enzymes, the ubiquitous proteins that catalyze chemical reactions in the cell.

13 Dec 2007

Researchers capture key step in process that allows materials to move in and out of cells

A group of Purdue University researchers has captured a key step in the metabolic process that allows materials, such as nutrients and drug treatments, to move in and out of cells.

3 Dec 2007

Telomerase enzyme structure provides significant new target for anti-cancer therapies

Inappropriate activation of a single enzyme, telomerase, is associated with the uncontrollable proliferation of cells seen in as many as 90 percent of all of human cancers. Since the mid-1990s, when telomerase was first identified in human tumors, scientists have eyed the enzyme as an ideal target for developing broadly effective anti-cancer drugs.

14 Nov 2007

Molecular docking unlocks function of enzymes

Fitting a key into a lock may seem like a simple task, but researchers at Texas A&M University are using a method that involves testing thousands of keys to unlock the functions of enzymes, and their findings could open the door for new targets for drug designs.

6 Nov 2007

Scientists to map lethal bacteria in three dimensions

A scientist slides on a pair of plastic 3-D glasses and an unearthly blue multi-armed creature -- an image right out of a sci-fi horror flick -- seems to leap out of the computer screen into the laboratory.

1 Nov 2007

How one virus mimicks a normal cellular protein to replicate successfully

Both viruses and cancers subvert the growth-control machinery in a cell to serve their own needs.

1 Nov 2007

Stanford researchers get precise picture of cell target for drugs

More than half of all drugs given to patients work by targeting a particular type of "docking station," or receptor, found on body cells, to steer the cell's machinery toward healing an illness.

25 Oct 2007

Breakthrough reveals important human receptor structure that will aid drug development

Scientists at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge have obtained the first clear images of the proteins that relay vital messages to cells.

22 Oct 2007

Discovery on human individuality and maternal and paternal DNA

Have you ever wondered why you inherited your mother's smile but not your father's height?

18 Oct 2007

New technique to probe the dynamics of the Holliday junction

The Holliday junction is a four-stranded DNA structure that forms during a process known as homologous recombination, which occurs when damaged DNA is repaired. Understanding how DNA repairs itself is an essential step in ultimately developing therapies for genetic disorders.

17 Oct 2007