Enzyme News and Research

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AI redesign helps enzymes evolve beyond natural limits

Researchers showed that AI-redesigned botulinum neurotoxin proteases provided more stable starting points for directed evolution, allowing enzymes to access beneficial mutations that were poorly tolerated in wild-type backgrounds. In BoNT/E models, the approach improved activity, evolvability, and specificity, including an ataxin-2-targeting variant with markedly reduced cleavage of the native SNAP25 substrate.

24 Jul 2026

Targeting acid ceramidase could improve healthy aging and longevity

Our population is aging. The United Nations reports that by 2050, the number of people over the age of 85 on our planet is set to triple.

23 Jul 2026

Review expands the role of selenium metabolism in ferroptosis

For decades, selenium has been recognized as an essential micronutrient, and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4)-a selenium-containing enzyme-has been widely regarded as the central guardian against ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death driven by lipid peroxidation.

23 Jul 2026

Compact genetic switch enables targeted gene therapy for epilepsy

Epilepsy affects over 50 million people worldwide, making it one of the most common neurological disorders.

23 Jul 2026

AI-powered analytics and experimental validation: Transforming target identification in drug discovery

Discover how AI-powered analytics and experimental validation combine to improve target identification and accelerate drug discovery success.

From Axxam S.p.A 23 Jul 2026

New ARPA-H grant aims to advance genomic medicines for rare vascular diseases

Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, has been awarded an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) contract to develop advanced personalized genomic medicines to treat rare genetic vascular diseases.

21 Jul 2026

Automated workflow speeds bacterial sample preparation for genetic sequencing

Biomedical engineers at Brown University have developed a fully automated workflow that simplifies and accelerates the preparation of bacterial samples for genetic sequencing.

21 Jul 2026

Early electroacupuncture intervention protects pancreatic function in prediabetes

Prediabetes refers to a metabolic state in which blood glucose is higher than normal but has not yet reached the diagnostic threshold for diabetes. It may involve impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, or elevated glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and is closely associated with progressive β-cell dysfunction.

21 Jul 2026

Study tests chronotype’s liver link and finds no significant association

Researchers found no significant association between chronotype and FibroScan-derived liver fat or stiffness in 119 medication-naïve adults with overweight or obesity. The exploratory findings cannot exclude smaller effects, particularly for fibrosis, and require confirmation in larger longitudinal studies.

21 Jul 2026

Machine learning tool improves accuracy of genome mapping studies

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have identified a widespread source of error in a popular method for studying the genome – our genetic instructions – and created a machine-learning tool to correct it.

20 Jul 2026

Specialized blood vessels enable effective immune defense against cancer metastases

It has long been suspected that endothelial cells, the specialized cells lining the inner walls of blood vessels, play a key role in determining how the body’s immune system responds to tumors.

20 Jul 2026

New portable strip test accurately detects mosquito-borne viruses

A research team has developed a multisite bridging-mediated lateral flow immunoassay (mbLFIA) that enables highly sensitive, portable detection of mosquito-borne viruses, using Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) as a model target.

17 Jul 2026

NOX4 inhibition may protect hearts affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers at the University of South Florida USF Health Morsani College of Medicine have identified a potential pathway that could protect cardiac function in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive and fatal genetic disease that weakens the body's muscles.

17 Jul 2026

New approach enhances radiotherapy by disabling cancer's DNA repair machinery

Cancer treatments like radiation and chemotherapy work by doing one main thing: shredding the DNA of cancer cells so they can no longer multiply.

16 Jul 2026

Stealth nanoparticles improve pancreatic cancer treatment with fewer side effects

Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the most lethal cancer because it is often diagnosed late and is difficult to treat.

14 Jul 2026

Mitochondrial DNA mutations link to cardiometabolic parameters in metabolic syndrome

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variability, especially heteroplasmy, is believed to affect cellular immunobiogenesis, particularly in monocytes in metabolic syndrome (MetS).

14 Jul 2026

New imaging method reveals hidden molecular interactions in cells

Cells are crowded, dynamic places where thousands of molecules interact in tight quarters. Until now, scientists lacked a reliable way to see many of these molecular interactions as they happen.

14 Jul 2026

Researchers uncover how emerging tick borne nairoviruses evade human immunity

Warmer temperatures bring out ticks that spread diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

14 Jul 2026

Directed enzyme evolution and the Nobel Prize: Making enzymes evolve in the lab

Frances Arnold on directed enzyme evolution: random mutation plus smart screening, and why it changed enzyme engineering and industry.

From Pittcon 14 Jul 2026

Study reports a counterintuitive new approach to treating mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare but aggressive cancer, usually caused by exposure to asbestos. Inhaled asbestos fibers become lodged in the lungs, causing inflammation that can lead to tumor formation decades later. Worldwide, about 30,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year.

14 Jul 2026