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Study reveals the potential of novel antiviral drug combinations to stop COVID-19 spread

Researchers from Columbia Engineering, Fiocruz's Center for Technological Development in Health and the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Brazil, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Rockefeller University recently reported that, by combining inhibitors of polymerases and exonucleases--enzymes that allow SARS-CoV-2 to reproduce--they were able to reduce SARS-CoV-2 replication 10 times more than when using just the polymerase inhibitors.

7 Mar 2022

Cell-hobbling fibrils found across diverse neurodegenerative diseases

Take a cell-deep tour of a brain afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, and you will find minuscule clumps of protein that seem suspicious. Ever since the 1980s, when neuroscientists began identifying these protein tangles, researchers have discovered that other brain diseases have their own tangled-protein signatures.

4 Mar 2022

Study may pave the way for better multiple sclerosis drugs

Investigators from Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have discovered how a drug for multiple sclerosis interacts with its targets, a finding that may pave the way for better treatments.

4 Mar 2022

Researchers unravel essential final steps in the production of mRNA

Proteins need to interact in a complex manner for a so-called "messenger RNA" (mRNA) to be created in human cells from a precursor molecule. mRNA provides a blueprint for proteins; the first vaccines against the coronavirus are also based on mRNAs.

21 Feb 2022

New research shines light on mysterious dynamics that define the interplay between nerves and muscle

New research co-led by a University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine professor is shedding light on some of the mysterious dynamics that define the interplay between nerves and muscle.

17 Feb 2022

Discovery may aid in the development of new treatments for osteoporosis

Channels on the surface of bone cells called osteocytes help build stronger bones in response to mechanical stress, shows a study published today in eLife.

8 Feb 2022

Scientists elucidate the structure of central cellular inflammatory switch

Researchers at the Universities of Bonn and Regensburg have elucidated the structure of a central cellular inflammatory switch.

4 Feb 2022

Representative structures of SARS-CoV-2 and development of therapeutic agents for targeting these proteins

Researchers from China summarized the representative structures of SARS-CoV-2 proteins and discussed the development of novel therapeutic agents for targeting these proteins to treat and prevent COVID-19.

2 Feb 2022

Researchers are in the race to beat Omicron

David Veesler and his lab members aren't getting much sleep these days. In the final weeks of 2021, he and his team worked around the clock to post four coronavirus papers on the preprint server bioRxiv.

24 Jan 2022

Study identifies cellular receptors for alphaviruses shared across mosquitoes, humans, and animals

A new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School has identified a set of cellular receptors for at least three related alphaviruses shared across mosquitoes, humans, and animals that host the virus.

17 Jan 2022

SARS-CoV-2 Delta binds more strongly to furin protease than other existing variants

Researchers conducted a computational analysis of the furin cleavage domain (FCD) of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, as well as several other viruses.

10 Jan 2022

Multiscale model reveals the importance of lipids to the signaling dynamics of RAS proteins

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers and a multi-institutional team of scientists have developed a highly detailed, machine learning-backed multiscale model revealing the importance of lipids to the signaling dynamics of RAS, a family of proteins whose mutations are linked to numerous cancers.

10 Jan 2022

Protein-based nanoparticle vaccines for protection against SARS-CoV-2

A recent review article discusses recent advances in protein-based nanoparticle vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.

22 Dec 2021

Study reveals how gut bacteria can impact the course of neurological diseases

A New York-based, multi-institutional research team has found high levels of three toxic metabolites produced by gut bacteria in the cerebrospinal fluid and plasma samples of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

21 Dec 2021

Research reveals the structure and function of a bifunctional protein that transports heme

Heme is an essential part of the protein hemoglobin, which colors human blood red. Heme also is crucial for cytochrome proteins, which power the cell. Humans, animals, plants and bacteria all use heme.

21 Dec 2021

Computational analysis of the effect of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant spike protein mutations

A new study highlights the potential evolutionary trade-off observed in the omicron variant, detailing the dynamics of the protein structure, its interactions, and subsequent effects.

20 Dec 2021

$1.5 million award helps U-M researchers to gain new window into the inner workings of cells

The precise shapes of proteins at work inside our cells offer essential clues about the processes that drive health and disease. Structural biologists determine the forms of molecular machines, in atomic detail, to better understand how they function or what happens when they malfunction.

15 Dec 2021

The mode of action of essential proteins involved in cancer and Alzheimer´s deciphered

The proteins that belong to the HAT family are essential for life as they transport amino acids across the cell membrane. Although the members of this family are practically identical, some transport certain amino acids and not others.

29 Nov 2021

Novel technique solves structure of the HIV capsid alone and in complex with host factors

A new technique using electron tomography and subtomogram averaging at Diamond's electron Bio-Imaging Centre (eBIC), has solved the structure of the HIV capsid alone and in complex with host factors.

21 Nov 2021

Study reveals complex interplay between diet, gut microbiota, and immune function

The cliché "you are what you eat" has been used for hundreds of years to illustrate the link between diet and health. Now, an international team of researchers has found the molecular proof of this concept, demonstrating how diet ultimately affects immunity through the gut microbiome.

17 Nov 2021