Diffraction News and Research

RSS

Advanced X-ray combination technique aids tuberculosis and osteoporosis research

With an advanced X-ray combination technique, scientists have traced nanocarriers for tuberculosis drugs within cells with very high precision.

4 Feb 2020

Scientists track down a potential target for new sleeping sickness drugs

Using ultra-bright X-ray flashes, a team of researchers has tracked down a potential target for new drugs against sleeping sickness: The scientists have decoded the detailed spatial structure of a vital enzyme of the pathogen, the parasite Trypanosoma brucei.

30 Jan 2020

Novel palladium compound acts against ovarian tumor cells

A group led by a researcher affiliated with the University of São Paulo's São Carlos Chemistry Institute (IQSC-USP) in Brazil has developed a novel palladium compound that acts against ovarian tumor cells without affecting healthy tissues. Palladium is a silvery white metal belonging to the same group as platinum.

28 Jan 2020

Diabetes-related proteins seen in high-res for the first time

A team of researchers have reported, in an exciting study published in the journal Nature Communications, that they were able to examine an important receptor at high definition for the first time. This detailed visualization has helped them greatly to understand its mechanism of functioning. This could help develop better ways to treat Type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as other conditions.

23 Jan 2020

New method determines the atomic structure of natural products more rapidly, accurately

Many drugs are derived from natural products. But before natural products can be exploited, chemists must first determine their structure and stereochemistry.

21 Jan 2020

Researchers develop self-assembled artificial microtubule like LEGO building blocks

Simple LEGO bricks can be assembled to more complicated structures, which can be further associated into a wide variety of complex architectures, from automobiles, rockets, and ships to gigantic castles and amusement parks.

17 Jan 2020

Ancestral-sequence reconstruction of FMO genes unveils structure of important enzyme

To disarm toxic substances, many organisms - including humans - possess enzymes called flavin-containing monooxygenases. Despite their importance, the structure of the enzymes has not been resolved, as the protein is too unstable to study in detail.

23 Dec 2019

Structural biology reveals 3D structure of asthma-linked receptor

A new study has laid bare the structure of a protein receptor called the CysLT1 receptor that is implicated in a range of allergic and cardiovascular conditions as well as some types of cancer. Published in Science Advances, the paper shows how the researchers used structural biology techniques to accomplish this feat.

10 Oct 2019

Scientists uncover details of antibody response to Ebola virus vaccine

In the recurring, deadly Ebola outbreaks in parts of Africa, today's health workers now have at least some tools to fight the disease: vaccines. Vaccines against Ebola have been administered to over 100,000 people to date, but they are barely out of the experimental stage.

10 Oct 2019

Findings could open up new research avenues into how heme tolerance occurs in humans

Most people have some idea of how important iron is to their health, but Iqbal Hamza, professor in Animal and Avian Sciences, has made his seventeen-year career at the University of Maryland all about the study of iron and heme trafficking and regulation in the body.

1 Oct 2019

Ground-breaking laser device gets $4.7 million boost from NSF

Deep within the subterranean confines of Building C--the latest addition to the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University--a pathbreaking machine is quietly taking shape. Designed to unlock some of nature's tiniest and most fleeting mysteries, the Compact X-ray Free Electron Laser (CXFEL) is the only instrument of its kind in the world.

18 Sep 2019

Scientists reveal the structure of a key protein in Epstein-Barr virus infection

Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine and the Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona have published a study in the journal Nature Communications revealing the structure of a key protein, known as a portal, in Epstein-Barr virus infection.

29 Aug 2019

UCLA scientists discover new insights that may lead to progress in fighting Alzheimer's disease

More than three decades of research on Alzheimer's disease have not produced any major treatment advances for those with the disorder, according to a UCLA expert who has studied the biochemistry of the brain and Alzheimer's for nearly 30 years.

20 Aug 2019

Researchers publish review on serial femtosecond crystallography

Researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have published a review on serial femtosecond crystallography, one of the most promising methods for analyzing the tertiary structure of proteins.

22 Jul 2019

Low-cost OCT scanner promises to bring vision-saving technology to underserved regions

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have developed a low-cost, portable optical coherence tomography scanner that promises to bring the vision-saving technology to underserved regions throughout the United States and abroad.

29 Jun 2019

McMaster researchers map toxic protein associated with Alzheimer's

A team of researchers from McMaster University has mapped at atomic resolution a toxic protein linked to Alzheimer's disease, allowing them to better understand what is happening deep within the brain during the earliest stages of the disease.

20 Jun 2019

Super-Resolution Raman Imaging with Plasmonic Substrates

Renee Frontiera discusses the development of a super-resolution Raman microscope that could one day supersede fluorescence-based super-resolution microscopes.

From Pittcon 14 Jun 2019

Scientists develop maps of two melatonin receptors vital for sleep, other biological processes

An international team of researchers used an X-ray laser at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to create the first detailed maps of two melatonin receptors that tell our bodies when to go to sleep or wake up and guide other biological processes.

26 Apr 2019

Researchers succeed in accelerating process of creating 3D images

Lensless microscopy with X-rays, or coherent diffractive imaging, is a promising approach. It allows researchers to analyze complex three-dimensional structures, which frequently exist in nature, from a dynamic perspective.

17 Apr 2019

Holotomography (HT) technology used to image individual neurons

A Korean research team has demonstrated quantitative morphological profiling of individual neurons using Holotomography (HT) technology developed by Tomocube.

From Tomocube Inc. 14 Mar 2019