Structural Biology News and Research

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Study uncovers how certain E. coli bacteria in the gut promote colon cancer

Scientists have uncovered how certain E. coli bacteria in the gut promote colon cancer by binding to intestinal cells and releasing a DNA-damaging toxin.

6 Nov 2024

UCD researcher wins European Research Council Synergy Grant for NanoX project

University College Dublin (UCD) researcher Dr Nicola Fletcher has received a coveted European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant for her groundbreaking project NanoX.

5 Nov 2024

Research identifies crucial links between dietary choices and progression of multiple sclerosis

Newly published research in the journal Glia has identified crucial links between dietary choices and the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS).

1 Nov 2024

Researchers uncover key mechanisms of CRISPR gene editing

CRISPR/Cas9 is a gene editing tool that has revolutionized biomedical research and led to the first FDA-approved CRISPR-based gene therapy.

28 Oct 2024

Structural biology reveals secrets of DEV phage infection

The viruses that infect bacteria are the most abundant biological entities on the planet. For example, a recent simple study of 92 showerheads and 36 toothbrushes from American bathrooms found more than 600 types of bacterial viruses, commonly called bacteriophages or phages.

22 Oct 2024

Nuclera closes $75 million USD financing

Nuclera, the biotechnology company accelerating protein expression and purification workflows through its benchtop protein system, today announced it has completed a USD $75 million financing round (circa £57 million).

16 Oct 2024

Structural biology uncovers the molecular basis of b1 vitamin transport and deficiency

Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, is essential for the survival of our cells. The human body can't produce it, but we can maintain healthy levels of this vitamin by eating foods like salmon, legumes, and brown rice.

16 Oct 2024

Tiny molecule offers hope in reducing opioid side effects

Opioid drugs are highly effective at relieving pain but come with severe drawbacks. Their side effects range from dizziness to potentially fatal respiratory depression.

9 Oct 2024

Study paves way for revolutionizing the management of muscle disorders

The type 1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1) is an important calcium release channel in skeletal muscles essential for muscle contraction.

18 Sep 2024

Genome-wide association study identifies genetic risk factors for dementia

In landmark research, scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) have reported the largest-ever genome-wide association study of dementia from all causes, revealing an overlap of genetic risks including neurodegeneration, vascular factors and cerebral small-vessel disease.

18 Sep 2024

OU Health Sciences receives major cancer research grant

A $5.3 million National Institutes of Health grant awarded to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences will support advanced cancer research in Oklahoma. The Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant is designed to build research capacity and help early-career researchers establish independently funded laboratories.

18 Sep 2024

A new genetic perspective on monilethrix

From infancy and usually for life, some families suffer from broken hair due to a congenital form of hair loss called monilethrix. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn and the University of Bonn have now identified causative mutations in another keratin gene, KRT31. They hope that this will improve the diagnosis of this rare disease. Their results have now been published in the renowned "British Journal of Dermatology".

5 Sep 2024

Novel intermediate form of serotonin receptor identified as therapeutic target for psychiatric disorders

Misha Kudryshev's lab at the Max Delbrück Center has identified a molecular intermediate of a serotonin receptor that is involved in diseases such as depression and schizophrenia.

4 Sep 2024

AI unveils secrets of protein stability

Researchers at the Center for Algorithmic and Robotized Synthesis within the Institute for Basic Science have taken a significant step forward in understanding the stability of proteins by leveraging the power of AI. The research team used AlphaFold2 to explore how mutations affect protein stability - a crucial factor in ensuring proteins function correctly and do not cause diseases like Alzheimer's.

29 Aug 2024

Study reveals how avian flu adapts to mammalian cells

In recent years, public health measures, surveillance, and vaccination have helped bring about significant progress in reducing the impact of seasonal flu epidemics, caused by human influenza viruses A and B.

19 Aug 2024

New histone tag discovery offers hope for myelin repair in neurodegenerative diseases

In a groundbreaking study, researchers with the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have identified a distinct histone tag in adult oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) that may pave the way for innovative therapies targeting myelin repair, a critical target for several neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia.

12 Aug 2024

DeepPBS: A geometric AI model for accurate prediction of protein-DNA binding specificity

A new artificial intelligence model developed by USC researchers and published in Nature Methods can predict how different proteins may bind to DNA with accuracy across different types of protein, a technological advance that promises to reduce the time required to develop new drugs and other medical treatments.

9 Aug 2024

How machine learning is accelerating research in structural biology

For Lucas Farnung, there is no question more fascinating than how a single fertilized egg develops into a fully-functioning human.

2 Aug 2024

Challenging antibiotic resistance with dual-action macrolones

A new antibiotic that works by disrupting two different cellular targets would make it 100 million times more difficult for bacteria to evolve resistance, according to new research from the University of Illinois Chicago.

24 Jul 2024

Cryo-EM reveals structural dynamics of RNAP-DNA interactions during transcription initiation

Every living cell transcribes DNA into RNA. This process begins when an enzyme called RNA polymerase (RNAP) clamps onto DNA. Within a few hundred milliseconds, the DNA double helix unwinds to form a node known as the transcription bubble, so that one exposed DNA strand can be copied into a complementary RNA strand.

10 Jul 2024