Molecular Biology News and Research

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Molecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. The field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular biology chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interactions between DNA, RNA and protein biosynthesis as well as learning how these interactions are regulated.

UCLA scientists identify new function for histones

UCLA scientists have identified a new function for histones, the spool-shaped proteins that regulate gene expression and serve as anchors for strands of DNA to wrap around.

2 Jul 2020

Researchers unravel how the body fights off urinary tract infections

Anyone who has ever had cystitis knows that urinary tract infections of this kind are annoying and painful. They can be well treated by antibiotics, but may be fatal if left untreated.

2 Jul 2020

New technology can increase the quality of stem cells used in regenerative medicine

Stem cells have been holding great promise for regenerative medicine for years. In the last decade, several studies have shown that this type of cell, which in Spanish is called "mother cell" because of its ability to give rise to a variety of different cell types, can be applied in regenerative medicine for diseases such as muscular and nervous system disorders, among others.

2 Jul 2020

Extended culture of human pancreatic slices as a model to study regeneration of beta cells

Scientists from the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have developed a method allowing for the long-term culture of "pancreatic slices" to study the regeneration of the human pancreas in real time.

1 Jul 2020

CityU develops CRISPR-assisted method to identify RNA-binding proteins in living cells

While scientists still don't fully understand the diverse nature of RNA molecules, it is believed that the proteins binding to them, called RNA-binding proteins, are associated with many disease formation.

1 Jul 2020

Air pollution may lead to interstitial lung diseases

More research must be done to investigate the role of air pollution on the epigenome in patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), in order to develop strategies that minimize the effects of these pollutants, according to a new article published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

1 Jul 2020

Irresistin: a ‘poison arrow’ to defeat antibiotic resistance

News-Medical speaks to Dr. James Martin and Dr. Zemer Gitai from Princeton University about their research which led to the discovery of a new antibiotic.

1 Jul 2020

Study reveals a new target for tuberculosis drug development

Biology students and faculty members from The University of Texas at El Paso have discovered a new target for tuberculosis drug development.

1 Jul 2020

Researchers develop technique for personalizing stomach cancer therapy

Researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and their colleagues have developed the first technique for personalizing stomach cancer therapy based on RNA sequencing of tumor cells. The study, supported by the Russian Science Foundation, was published in Cold Spring Harbor Molecular Case Studies.

30 Jun 2020

Research shows how a protein's small change leads to big trouble for cells

In molecular biology, chaperones are a class of proteins that help regulate how other proteins fold. Folding is an important step in the manufacturing process for proteins. When they don't fold the way they're supposed to, it can lead to the development of diseases such as cancer.

30 Jun 2020

Genomic sequencing to provide precision medicine for aromatase deficiency

An international team of scientists from Switzerland Spain, has studied the genetic basis of aromatase deficiency, a rare metabolic disorder that prevents the production of estrogens in humans, according to new research in JCEM.

30 Jun 2020

Researchers identify new step in brain cell mechanism that shows promise for treating epilepsy

Researchers have identified a critical new step in how brain cells function in people with one of the most common forms of epilepsy.

30 Jun 2020

GHGA to address need for access to genomic and phenomic data

In Germany, there is currently a lack of infrastructure to deal with high-volume biological and biomedical data, such as data found in medical records.

30 Jun 2020

Researchers perform first X-ray measurements on SARS-CoV-2 main protease

A team of researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge and Argonne national laboratories has performed the first room-temperature X-ray measurements on the SARS-CoV-2 main protease -- the enzyme that enables the virus to reproduce.

26 Jun 2020

Researchers identify new molecules to study specific glial cells integral to synapses

While the brain is composed of two types of cells, glia tend to receive far less attention for their importance in brain function and disease than the more celebrated neurons.

26 Jun 2020

A 'quick and easy' COVID-19 test developed for population-scale screening

Global endeavors to fight the Covid-19 pandemic heavily rely on accurate, fast and frequent tests for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 - "test, test, test", as the World Health Organization has bluntly put it.

24 Jun 2020

Face masks can slow the spread of COVID-19

Regions with an early interest in face masks had milder COVID-19 epidemics, according to a new letter-to-the-editor published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

24 Jun 2020

New technique helps measure dNTP concentrations with greater sensitivity

A highly sensitive and easy-to-use technique applicable for tissue samples can be useful, for example, to researchers specialised in mitochondrial diseases and cancer.

24 Jun 2020