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Researchers discover new binding sites for active agents on cell cytoskeleton

Through a unique combination of computer simulations and laboratory experiments, researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have discovered new binding sites for active agents - against cancer, for example - on a vital protein of the cell cytoskeleton. Eleven of the sites hadn't been known before. The study appears today in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

7 May 2021

Novel method provides faster and more precise diagnostics in histopathology

Histology is the study of biological tissues at a microscopic level. Also called microscopic anatomy, histology is widely used to provide diagnosis of cancer and other diseases.

30 Apr 2021

Inhibition of Meprin Β enzyme can trigger the development of Alzheimer's disease, cancer

Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany and the Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona in Spain have discovered how the blood plasma protein fetuin-B binds to the enzyme meprin β and used a computer model to visualize their findings.

21 Apr 2021

Researchers determine key protein structure that may lead to effective treatments for schizophrenia

Glycine is the smallest amino acid - one of the building blocks of proteins. It acts also as a neurotransmitter in the brain, enabling neurons to communicate with each other and modulating neuronal activity.

7 Apr 2021

Fluoxetine (Prozac) performs strongly in vitro against SARS-CoV-2 (including mutants)

Researchers from Finland, to expand on these studies, tested some of these drugs against the new SARS-CoV-2 variants. The study is published on the preprint server bioRxiv.

24 Mar 2021

Insights into elusive protein complex can help find novel treatments for chromosomal disorders

The cells in our body are constantly fighting off the threat of cancer by repairing damaged DNA. In a new study, scientists from Tokyo University of Science investigate the structure of an elusive protein complex that plays a key role in the activation of the "Fanconi anemia pathway" involved in DNA repair, and report on the factors governing its stability.

17 Mar 2021

Synthesis of photocatalytic and antibacterial materials for removing medicines from wastewater

The Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Laboratory (QTC) of the Jaume I University of Castellón (UJI), in collaboration with the Centre for the Development of Functional Materials (CDMF) of the Universidad Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), has published an article entitled “Selective Synthesis of α-, β-, and γ-Ag2WO4 Polymorphs: Promising Platforms for Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Materials” in scientific journal Inorganic Chemistry, which showcases new photocatalytic and antibacterial materials to remove medicines from wastewater.

15 Mar 2021

Study targets main protease of SARS-CoV-2 involved in viral replication

The main protease of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an enzyme implicated in the transcription and replication of the coronavirus. New research led by S. Samar Hasnain from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom used the selenium-containing drug Ebselen to analyze the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro).

14 Mar 2021

Tiny antibodies naturally generated by llamas can be effective against COVID-19

As the fight against COVID-19 continues, scientists have turned to an unlikely source for a potentially effective treatment: tiny antibodies naturally generated by llamas.

10 Mar 2021

Structural insights into glycine transporter open new avenues to find effective psychiatric drugs

Glycine can stimulate or inhibit neurons in the brain, thereby controlling complex functions. Unraveling the three-dimensional structure of the glycine transporter, researchers have now come a big step closer to understanding the regulation of glycine in the brain.

4 Mar 2021

Researchers identify drug target to fight Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease are in the firing line after researchers identified an attractive therapeutic drug target.

3 Mar 2021

Off-Axis Parabolic Mirrors Assist Accurate 3D Flight Tracking

Optical Surfaces Ltd has been selected by the Optical Engineering Group at the University of Warwick (UK) School of Engineering to supply key focusing optics to enable accurate 3D tracking and analysis of mosquito flight behaviour.

3 Mar 2021

New insights on structural biology may help design more efficient antibodies

In structural biology, some molecules are so unusual they can only be captured with a unique set of tools.

18 Feb 2021

Researchers receive $1,894,271 grant to address new drug targets for diastolic dysfunction

After the left ventricle of the heart contracts, it must relax efficiently to prepare to refill and supply the body with blood on the next beat. An increasing number of patients -- including nearly all patients with heart failure -- suffer from impaired relaxation, which is part of a clinical syndrome known as diastolic dysfunction. Currently, treatments for impaired relaxation do not exist.

12 Feb 2021

Researchers use new imaging technique to understand motor deficits in ALS disease

An interdisciplinary team of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) used an innovative imaging technique for a better understanding of motor deficits in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

29 Jan 2021

Avalanching nanoparticles may advance real-time bioimaging of cell's organelles and proteins

Since the earliest microscopes, scientists have been on a quest to build instruments with finer and finer resolution to image a cell's proteins - the tiny machines that keep cells, and us, running.

14 Jan 2021

Researchers discover antibody that blocks the spread of dengue virus

A team of researchers led by the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Michigan has discovered an antibody that blocks the spread within the body of the dengue virus, a mosquito-borne pathogen that infects between 50 and 100 million people a year.

14 Jan 2021

Researchers develop novel antibody fragments against SARS coronavirus-2

An international research team led by the University of Bonn (Germany) has identified and further developed novel antibody fragments against the SARS coronavirus-2. These "nanobodies" are much smaller than the classic antibodies used to treat US President Donald Trump, for example.

13 Jan 2021

Biologists reveal unusual structure of coronavirus protein linked to immune evasion

A team of HIV researchers, cellular biologists, and biophysicists who banded together to support COVID-19 science determined the atomic structure of a coronavirus protein thought to help the pathogen evade and dampen response from human immune cells.