Biochemistry News and Research

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Study investigates link between BMI and cardiac function in obese adolescents

Obese adolescents with no symptoms of heart disease already have heart damage, according to new research.

21 May 2012

Mary Ann Liebert releases BioResearch Open Access journal

The inaugural issue of BioResearch Open Access, a new bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal, was released today by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The Journal provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including but not limited to molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience.

17 May 2012

TJU researchers to investigate Cu-64 imaging agent for prostate cancer

Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center and the Department of Radiology at Thomas Jefferson University received a five-year, $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate a potentially revolutionary method that can stage prostate cancers and detect recurrent disease so accurately, it would significantly reduce the number of confirmation biopsies. Such biopsies can be invasive, costly, and often lead to false-positive readings.

17 May 2012

Ultrasensitive biosensor may open up new opportunities for early detection of cancer

Researchers have created an ultrasensitive biosensor that could open up new opportunities for early detection of cancer and "personalized medicine" tailored to the specific biochemistry of individual patients.

16 May 2012

Researchers map processes that power health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids

For the first time, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have peered inside a living mouse cell and mapped the processes that power the celebrated health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. More profoundly, they say their findings suggest it may be possible to manipulate these processes to short-circuit inflammation before it begins, or at least help to resolve inflammation before it becomes detrimental.

16 May 2012

New Liquid ready-to-use Tumour Marker Control available now from Randox

The new Randox Acusera multi-analyte Liquid Tumour Marker Control covers a total of 15 commonly tested and esoteric cancer antigens and tumour markers. The addition of assayed target values enables laboratories to effectively monitor both accuracy and precision.

From Randox Laboratories Ltd. 15 May 2012

Researchers find protein that controls neurotransmission: findings may lead to new drugs to treat neurological disorders

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered that the single protein -- alpha 2 delta -- exerts a spigot-like function, controlling the volume of neurotransmitters and other chemicals that flow between the synapses of brain neurons. The study, published online in Nature, shows how brain cells talk to each other through these signals, relaying thoughts, feelings and action, and this powerful molecule plays a crucial role in regulating effective communication.

15 May 2012

RNP granules exit the nucleus via new budding mechanism akin to herpes-type viruses

New evidence published in Cell by Vivian Budnik, PhD, Melissa J. Moore, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, reveals a novel budding mechanism, similar to the process used by some viruses, capable of exporting large ribonucleoprotein particles from the nucleus to the cytoplasm.

11 May 2012

Scientists develop new method to directly identify miRNA targets in cells

Human cells are thought to produce thousands of different microRNAs (miRNAs)-small pieces of genetic material that help determine which genes are turned on or off at a given time. miRNAs are an important part of normal cellular function, but they can also contribute to human disease-some are elevated in certain tumors, for example, where they promote cell survival.

10 May 2012

NCKU student receives Graduate/Postdoctoral Travel Award from ASBMB

Wan-Pei Su, a graduate student of Molecular Medicine at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), southern Taiwan, has received a Graduate/Postdoctoral Travel Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) to attend the annual conference on Experimental Biology (EB) in San Diego in April 2012.

10 May 2012

G&D, IAVI and GMI partner to develop new HIV/AIDS vaccine

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), GlycoMimetics, Inc. (GMI), and Glycosensors and Diagnostics, LLC (G&D) today announced a collaboration to develop an AIDS vaccine using novel compounds that mimic carbohydrates, called glycomimetics.

10 May 2012

UMD researchers design molecular container that can increase solubility of drugs

A cross-disciplinary team of researchers at the University of Maryland has designed a molecular container that can hold drug molecules and increase their solubility, in one case up to nearly 3000 times. Their discovery opens the possibility of rehabilitating drug candidates that were insufficiently soluble. It also offers an opportunity to improve successful drugs that could be made even better with better solubility.

9 May 2012

Molecule that starts DNA repairs also halts them

Repairing DNA breaks can save a cell's life - but shutting off the repair machinery can be just as critical. How cells accomplish this feat was unknown. However, new research by Johns Hopkins scientists, published in the Feb. 22 issue of Nature, suggests that shutting down the repair machinery relies heavily on the same molecule used to start repair in the first place.

8 May 2012

Chemically altered proteins may be key to understanding memories

Having a fat head may not be a bad thing, according to new findings at The Johns Hopkins University. As reported in the February 9 issue of Neuron, researchers have made a significant discovery as to how adding fat molecules to proteins can influence the brain circuitry controlling cognitive function, including learning and memory.

8 May 2012

DFG to establish seven new research units

The establishment of six new Research Units and one Clinical Research Unit has been decided by the Joint Committee of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation). These networks will offer researchers the opportunity to address current and pressing issues in their fields and to pioneer innovative approaches. As all DFG Research Units, the new groups will work across locations and disciplines. Clinical Research Units combine clinical, applied and basic research.

8 May 2012

TGen to lead multidisciplinary search for new drugs that could help treat GBM

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) will lead a multidisciplinary search for new drugs that could help treat the most common and lethal form of brain cancer.

4 May 2012

New genetic pathway influences spread of cancer cells

In a new study from Lawson Health Research Institute, Dr. Joseph Torchia has identified a new genetic pathway influencing the spread of cancer cells. The discovery of this mechanism could lead to new avenues for treatment.

4 May 2012

Scientists determine structure of green pigment seen in nitrite-cured bacon, other meats

As with many concerned consumers, a team of University of Oklahoma researchers wondered if the green color sometimes seen in bacon is, in fact, harmful to human health. Recently, these OU scientists took an important first step in answering this question by determining the structure of the green pigment responsible for this 'nitrite burn.'

3 May 2012

Scientists identify how cell architecture changes during formation of gametes

Scientists using high-powered microscopes have made a stunning observation of the architecture within a cell - and identified for the first time how the architecture changes during the formation of gametes, also known as sex cells, in order to successfully complete the process.

2 May 2012

Researchers discover how protein ARTD1's DNA recruitment is regulated during inflammation

During inflammation, controlled gene expression is necessary in order to allow the organism to mount an effective defense response. For this process, the protein ARTD1 is removed from the DNA.

2 May 2012