Spectroscopy News and Research

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Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between radiation (electromagnetic radiation, or light, as well as particle radiation) and matter.

Two Boston University community members among new MAS Fellows

Two members of the Boston University community are among the new class of Fellows of the Massachusetts Academy of Sciences (MAS).

12 Oct 2012

Anesthetics and protein interactions: an interview with José A. Fernández

For a long time there was a controversy about how anesthetics work. The large number of molecules that have anesthetic properties (from benzodiazepines to nitrous oxide) and their very different structures...

8 Oct 2012

Researchers discover smallest and fastest-known RNA switches

A University of Michigan biophysical chemist and his colleagues have discovered the smallest and fastest-known molecular switches made of RNA, the chemical cousin of DNA. The researchers say these rare, fleeting structures are prime targets for the development of new antiviral and antibiotic drugs.

8 Oct 2012

Autism Speaks announces new round of research grants

Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, today announced the awarding of new research grants totaling nearly $5 million. "Autism Speaks is committed to continuing our research which has tremendous potential to increase our understanding of autism and addressing the needs of individuals with autism," said Autism Speaks Co-founder Bob Wright, "and we are grateful to the donors who make this research possible."

29 Sep 2012

U.S. Pharmacopeial announces winners of 2012-13 Global Fellowship awards

Since the program's inception more than thirty years ago, USP has invested nearly $4 million in over 200 fellowship awards.

28 Sep 2012

Study reveals potential of NIR spectral imaging for intra-operative skin flap assessment

In 2010 breast reconstruction entered the Top Five list of reconstructive procedures in the US, with 93,000 procedures performed, up 8% from 2009, and 18% from 2000. This is among the most common skin flap procedure performed.

24 Sep 2012

Anesthetics and proteins: understanding the interactions

Spanish scientists at the University of the Basque Region and the University of La Rioja have combined mass-resolved electronic spectroscopy and ab initio calculations to model the interactions of anesthetics with proteins.

24 Sep 2012

PNAS: Ras proteins bring tension to the phosphate chain

Proteins accelerate certain chemical reactions in cells by several orders of magnitude. The molecular mechanism by which the Ras protein accelerates the cleavage of the molecule GTP and thus slows cell growth is described by biophysicists at the Ruhr-Universit-t Bochum led by Prof. Dr. Klaus Gerwert in the Online Early Edition of the journal PNAS.

20 Sep 2012

UK scientists make breakthrough in new method of brain tumour diagnosis

UK scientists have made a breakthrough in a new method of brain tumour diagnosis, offering hope to tens of thousands of people.

20 Sep 2012

Pancreatic trigs trigger diabetes

Researchers have found that pancreatic triglycerides provide a novel biomarker for pancreatic β-cell dysfunction that can be used to identify individuals at risk for Type 2 diabetes, particularly among people of Hispanic origin.

14 Sep 2012

Nano ‘velcro’ strip effective detector of water-borne contaminants

Researchers have developed a specialized glass strip covered in “hairy” nanoparticles that can detect pollution of water by toxic metals, such as mercury.

12 Sep 2012

Latinos more likely to store fat in the pancreas and develop type 2 diabetes

Latinos are more likely to store fat in the pancreas and are less able to compensate by excreting additional insulin, a Cedars-Sinai study shows.

12 Sep 2012

New infrared spectroscopy technique to analyze pharmacological agent-protein interactions

RUB-Researchers from the Chair for Biophysics have developed a new method for the detailed study of the interaction between pharmaceuticals and their target proteins.

5 Sep 2012

Eco-friendly blood glucose monitor: an interview with Gemma Evans from Cambridge Consultants

It’s not really a question of how eco-friendly or un-eco-friendly current blood glucose meters (BGMs) are compared with, say, a fridge freezer or a Boeing 747.

5 Sep 2012

Study may spur research into multi-model imaging based biomarker development for AD

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common brain disorders, with an estimated 35 million people affected worldwide. In the last decade, research has advanced our understanding of how AD affects the brain. However, diagnosis continues to rely primarily on neuropsychological tests which can only detect the disease after clinical symptoms begin. In a supplement to the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, investigators report on the development of imaging-based biomarkers that will have an impact on diagnosis before the disease process is set in motion.

31 Aug 2012

Astellas Pharma adopts Advantest’s terahertz spectroscopic imaging system TAS7500

Advantest Corporation today announced that its terahertz spectroscopic imaging system TAS7500, which utilizes Advantest's THz wave technology, has been adopted by Astellas Pharma Inc.

31 Aug 2012

New device can measure mass of individual molecules one at a time

A team led by scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have made the first-ever mechanical device that can measure the mass of individual molecules one at a time.

27 Aug 2012

Empa physicist analyzes structure and composition of soot particles

Since June 2012, it is official: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified diesel soot as a lung carcinogen. Artur Braun, a physicist at Empa and an X-ray spectroscopy expert, has made crucial contributions to analyzing the structure and composition of soot particles.

6 Aug 2012

Glutamatergic system involvement in BD supported

Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies suggest that brain levels of glutamate plus glutamine are elevated in bipolar disorder patients compared with mentally healthy individuals.

2 Aug 2012

Guided Therapeutics seeks premarket approval from FDA for LuViva Advanced Cervical Scan

Guided Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it met with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 20, 2012. The company believes the meeting was very positive and plans to work with FDA to finalize the path forward to gain premarket approval (PMA) for the LuViva Advanced Cervical Scan, a non-invasive device used to detect cervical disease that leads to cancer, instantly and at the point of care.

26 Jul 2012