Small Molecules News and Research

RSS

Researchers identify 22 genetic variations associated with increased risk of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer affects one out of every 6 men during their lifetime and is the second most common cause of cancer-related death for men in the United States, resulting in an estimated 27,500 deaths in 2015. Identifying those men who have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer may reduce mortality.

6 Apr 2015

Novel molecule inhibits cancer-causing transcription factors

A novel molecule designed by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the University of Virginia inhibits progression of a hard-to-treat form of recurring acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in patient tissue.

2 Apr 2015

Scientists isolate energy-burning 'beige' fat from adult humans

For the first time, a research team, led by a UC San Francisco biologist, has isolated energy-burning "beige" fat from adult humans, which is known to be able to convert unhealthy white fat into healthy brown fat. The scientists also found new genetic markers of this beige fat.

1 Apr 2015

University of York student helps develop new drug release gel

A Chemistry undergraduate at the University of York has helped to develop a new drug release gel, which may help avoid some of the side effects of painkillers such as ibuprofen and naproxen.

1 Apr 2015

NIH awards $2.1 million grant to counter antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Dr. Walter Fast, associate professor of medicinal chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin's College of Pharmacy, a four-year $2.1 million grant to develop small-molecules that counter antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. If successful, the research could lead to new drugs for treating bacterial infections that are resistant to most antibiotics.

1 Apr 2015

Researchers identify potential drug molecule that kills cancer cells

The average living cell needs communication skills: It must transmit a constant stream of messages quickly and efficiently from its outer walls to the inner nucleus, where most of the day-to-day decisions are made.

31 Mar 2015

New drug shows potential against rare type of acute leukemia

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a new drug that shows potential in laboratory studies against a rare type of acute leukemia. And additional studies suggest the same compound could play a role in prostate cancer treatment as well.

30 Mar 2015

MDC scientists find solution to increase efficiency of precise genetic modifications

CRISPR-Cas9 is a powerful new tool for editing the genome. For researchers around the world, the CRISPR-Cas9 technique is an exciting innovation because it is faster and cheaper than previous methods. Now, using a molecular trick, Dr. Van Trung Chu and Professor Klaus Rajewsky of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch and Dr. Ralf Kühn, MDC and Berlin Institute of Health, have found a solution to considerably increase the efficiency of precise genetic modifications by up to eightfold.

30 Mar 2015

TSRI scientists identify enzyme that maintains healthy periods of inactivity in HSCs to prevent anemia

Stem cells can generate any type of cell in the body, but they are inactive most of the time—and for good reason. When stem cells become too active and divide too often, they risk acquiring cell damage and mutations. In the case of blood stem cells (also called hematopoietic stem cells or HSCs), this can lead to blood cancers, a loss of blood cells and an impaired ability to fight disease.

26 Mar 2015

New study reveals how cells sort out loops meant to encode microRNAs

Just as two DNA strands naturally arrange themselves into a helix, DNA's molecular cousin RNA can form hairpin-like loops. But unlike DNA, which has a single job, RNA can play many parts -- including acting as a precursor for small molecules that block the activity of genes. These small RNA molecules must be trimmed from long hairpin-loop structures, raising a question: How do cells know which RNA loops need to be processed this way and which don't?

25 Mar 2015

ItpkB enzyme regulates stem cells function to prevent cancer, anemia

Stem cells can generate any type of cell in the body, but they are inactive most of the time--and for good reason. When stem cells become too active and divide too often, they risk acquiring cell damage and mutations.

24 Mar 2015

Eli Lilly, Innovent Biologics announce biotech drug development collaborations in China

Eli Lilly and Company and Innovent Biologics, Inc. today announced one of the largest biotech drug development collaborations in China to date between a multi-national and domestic company.

21 Mar 2015

BCM-95 Curcumin improves chemotherapy's effectiveness in killing chemoresistant cancer cells

Cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy is a major cause of death in patients with colorectal cancer. In a first-of-its-kind study, BCM-95 Curcumin was found to improve chemotherapy's effectiveness in killing chemoresistant cells via a mechanism not previously identified.

19 Mar 2015

Scientists simplify chemical synthesis of small molecules using 3D printing technology

Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists have simplified the chemical synthesis of small molecules, eliminating a major bottleneck that limits the exploration of a class of compounds offering tremendous potential for medicine and technology.

13 Mar 2015

Wistar awarded grant to create Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Breast Cancer Research Consortium

The Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Foundation awarded The Wistar Institute a $1.1 million grant to create The Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Breast Cancer Research Consortium at The Wistar Institute. The Consortium will support the highly synergistic, multidisciplinary research projects of three Wistar scientists dedicated to advancing breast cancer research.

12 Mar 2015

Intrinsically disordered proteins have ability to alter their configuration

Like the shape-shifting robots of "Transformers" fame, a unique class of proteins in the human body also has the ability to alter their configuration. These so-named intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) lack a fixed or ordered three-dimensional structure, which can be influenced by exposure to various chemicals and cellular modifications.

26 Feb 2015

Prexton closes €8.7 million in Series A financing to develop treatments for Parkinson’s disease

Prexton Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutic compounds for the treatment of CNS conditions including Parkinson’s disease, today announces the closing of a Series A financing of €8.7 million ($10 million) co-led by Sunstone Capital and Ysios Capital.

26 Feb 2015

Virginia Tech biochemists identify potential drug target against sleeping sickness

Virginia Tech biochemists are trying to deliver a stern wake-up call to the parasite that causes sleeping sickness.

24 Feb 2015

Neurodegenerative disease research using NMR: an interview with Christian Griesinger

Christian Griesinger, director of the NMR-based Structural Biology department at the Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, talks about his research into neurodegenerative diseases using NMR to examine the dynamics of disordered proteins.

From Bruker BioSpin Group 23 Feb 2015

UM one step closer to developing potential drug for treating brain cancer

Promentis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. recently announced it will enter an exclusive agreement with UM to commercialize a discovery made by a team of UM faculty scientists that has the potential to treat brain cancer and possibly other disorders of the central nervous system.

11 Feb 2015

Small Molecules News and Research

Researchers identify 22 genetic variations associated with increased risk of prostate cancer

Novel molecule inhibits cancer-causing transcription factors

Scientists isolate energy-burning 'beige' fat from adult humans

University of York student helps develop new drug release gel

NIH awards $2.1 million grant to counter antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria

Researchers identify potential drug molecule that kills cancer cells

New drug shows potential against rare type of acute leukemia

MDC scientists find solution to increase efficiency of precise genetic modifications

TSRI scientists identify enzyme that maintains healthy periods of inactivity in HSCs to prevent anemia

New study reveals how cells sort out loops meant to encode microRNAs

ItpkB enzyme regulates stem cells function to prevent cancer, anemia

Eli Lilly, Innovent Biologics announce biotech drug development collaborations in China

BCM-95 Curcumin improves chemotherapy's effectiveness in killing chemoresistant cancer cells

Scientists simplify chemical synthesis of small molecules using 3D printing technology

Wistar awarded grant to create Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Breast Cancer Research Consortium

Intrinsically disordered proteins have ability to alter their configuration

Prexton closes €8.7 million in Series A financing to develop treatments for Parkinson’s disease

Virginia Tech biochemists identify potential drug target against sleeping sickness

Neurodegenerative disease research using NMR: an interview with Christian Griesinger

UM one step closer to developing potential drug for treating brain cancer

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

Latest News