Molecule News and Research

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Ultrafast photodynamics of DNA

DNA, the molecule that acts as the carrier of genetic information in all forms of life, is highly resistant against alteration by ultraviolet light, but understanding the mechanism for its photostability presents some puzzling problems. A key aspect is the interaction between the four chemical bases that make up the DNA molecule.

12 Oct 2008

Inherited disorders and copy number changes in human alpha-globin genes

A researcher from the University of Leicester has shed new light on the way genetic material is exchanged between chromosomes, the effect this 'aberrant exchange' has had on inherited disorders like thalassaemia (a form of anaemia), and its link with malaria.

12 Oct 2008

Ginkgo biloba may prevent brain cell damage after a stroke

Working with genetically engineered mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that daily doses of a standardized extract from the leaves of the ginkgo tree can prevent or reduce brain damage after an induced stroke.

12 Oct 2008

Outlook for Crohn's disease improves due to new therapies

A study led by Mayo Clinic has found that infliximab (Remicade) administered alone (monotherapy) or in combination with azathioprine is a more effective treatment for patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease than azathioprine alone.

6 Oct 2008

Many receptor models used in drug design may not be useful after all

It may very well be that models used for the design of new drugs have to be regarded as impractical. This is the sobering though important conclusion of the work of two Leiden University scientists published in Science this week.

5 Oct 2008

Exelixis files investigational new drug application for anticancer compound

Exelixis, Inc. announced today that it has submitted an investigational new drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for XL888, a novel anticancer compound. XL888 is an orally available small molecule inhibitor of HSP90, which is a chaperone protein that promotes the activity and stability of a range of key regulatory proteins, including kinases.

2 Oct 2008

Scientists identify a molecule that coordinates the movement of cells

Even cells commute. To get from their birthplace to their work site, they sequentially attach to and detach from an elaborate track of exceptionally strong proteins known as the extracellular matrix. Now, in research to appear in the October 3 issue of Cell, scientists at Rockefeller University show that a molecule, called ACF7, helps regulate and power this movement from the inside - findings that could have implications for understanding how cancer cells metastasize.

2 Oct 2008

Molecule provides new understanding of cause of colon cancer

Scientists investigating a molecule known to play a key role in causing colon cancer have made a series of ground-breaking discoveries that could have major implications for future treatment of the disease, responsible for 655,000 deaths worldwide per year. Their findings are published in the journal Cancer Research.

30 Sep 2008

Cancer Research UK and Astex Therapeutics join forces to develop new anti-cancer treatment

Cancer Research UK, Cancer Research Technology (CRT) - the charity's development and commercialisation arm - and Astex Therapeutics Limited announced today that they have agreed to take into development a potential new anti-cancer treatment.

30 Sep 2008

Multiple sclerosis patients have higher spinal fluid levels of suspicious immune molecule

A protein that helps keep immune cells quiet is more abundant in the spinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), further boosting suspicion that the protein, TREM-2, may be an important contributor to the disease.

29 Sep 2008

Pain is not a symptom of arthritis, pain causes arthritis

Pain is more than a symptom of osteoarthritis, it is an inherent and damaging part of the disease itself, according to a study published today in journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.

29 Sep 2008

Hybrid nanoparticles image and treat tumors

By combining a magnetic nanoparticle, a fluorescent quantum dot, and an anticancer drug within a lipid-based nanoparticle, a multi-institutional research team headed by members of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer has created a single agent that can image and treat tumors. In addition, this new nanoparticle is able to avoid detection by the immune system, enabling the particle to remain in the body for extended periods of time.

28 Sep 2008

Targeted nanoparticles map tumor blood supply in 3-D, assess therapy

One of the defining characteristics of solid tumors is the development of a network of new blood vessels to nourish the rapidly reproducing malignant cells. Now, using a nanoparticle targeted to those new blood vessels, a joint academic-industrial research team, led by investigators from the Siteman Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, has developed a way to construct a three-dimensional (3-D) map of tumor-induced angiogenesis and monitor the effects of drug therapies on those new blood vessels.

28 Sep 2008

Multifunctional polymer nanoparticles pass critical in vivo test

In an effort to overcome the drug resistance that often occurs in cancer, a team of investigators has developed a nanoparticle made of a blend of polymers that first releases a powerful anticancer drug and then delivers an agent that tricks a drug-resistant cell into committing suicide. Now, tests in mice with human breast cancer have shown that these blended nanoparticles are effective in maintaining high levels of both drugs in the vicinity of tumors.

28 Sep 2008

Anticancer drug triggers nanoparticle formation, improves stability in vivo

Paclitaxel is a powerful anticancer agent used to treat a variety of malignancies, but severe side effects limit its ultimate effectiveness and utility. To improve this drug's pharmacological properties, researchers have turned to nanoparticle-based delivery agents, although with marginal success; stably trapping large amounts of paclitaxel in most nanoparticles has proven difficult.

28 Sep 2008

Discovery may help complications of diabetes - delayed gastric emptying or gastroparesis

Mayo Clinic researchers have found what may provide a solution to one of the more troubling complications of diabetes -- delayed gastric emptying or gastroparesis.

25 Sep 2008

Array BioPharma presents positive data on its glucokinase activators in type 2 diabetes

Array BioPharma Inc. has announced the presentation of preclinical data on a novel small molecule glucokinase activator (GKA), ARRY-403, a drug for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

25 Sep 2008

CytRx to present new data on molecular chaperone drug discovery technology

CytRx Corporation today announced that Bin Zhang, Ph.D., Associate Director of Biochemistry and Screening, will present at the monthly meeting of the San Diego "LEADS" discussion group, the premium San Diego consortium of screening researchers, to be held on October 1, 2008.

25 Sep 2008

New technology to analyse human cells

A new technology which enables scientists to identify proteins by making a map of the energy flow inside the protein is revealed in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal.

23 Sep 2008

Research provides new insights into how cells accessorize their proteins

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have gained new insight into how the cell's vast array of proteins would instantly be reduced to a confusion of lethally malfunctioning molecules without a system for proteins to "accessorize" in order to regulate their function.

21 Sep 2008