Biochemistry News and Research

RSS

Gold nanoparticles "cook" cancer cells

Researchers are describing a long-awaited advance toward applying the marvels of nanotechnology in the battle against cancer.

22 Mar 2009

Hollow gold nanospheres show promise in cancer therapy

A new metal nanostructure developed by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has already shown promise in cancer therapy studies and could be used for chemical and biological sensors and other applications as well.

22 Mar 2009

Discovery of gene that plays key role in process of converting dietary carbohydrates to fat

In a new study, they disabled this gene in mice, which consequently had lower levels of body fat than their normal counterparts, despite being fed the equivalent of an 'all-you-can-eat' pasta buffet.

20 Mar 2009

Step towards new cancer drugs

The gene Myc is an important factor for the growth of organisms by cell division.

20 Mar 2009

Researchers clone key sperm-binding proteins

New treatments for infertility could be closer to reality, thanks to a discovery from scientists at the Université de Montréal and Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre.

17 Mar 2009

Alba Therapeutics announces next clinical trial of lead compound, Larazotide Acetate

Alba Therapeutics Corporation announced today it will initiate further clinical studies for patients diagnosed with celiac disease with their lead compound, larazotide acetate.

17 Mar 2009

Drugs throw spanner into the molecular works of enzymes

Drugs that work by blocking the function of a protein from the outside also disrupt the protein's internal workings, according to new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

16 Mar 2009

Next generation antibiotic compounds that do not provoke bacterial resistance

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is one of medicine's most vexing challenges.

15 Mar 2009

Cells get two chances, not just one, to fix their mistakes

Cells have two chances to fix the same mistake in their protein-making process instead of just one - a so-called proofreading step - that had previously been identified, according to new research.

12 Mar 2009

Discovery of new pathway that regulates inflammation

Inflammation, the body's earliest response to damage or infection, can aid the healing process and trigger an immune response against invading pathogens.

11 Mar 2009

Too much sugar linked to aging

We know that lifespan can be extended in animals by restricting calories such as sugar intake.

8 Mar 2009

Molecule tracking reveals mechanism of chromosome separation in dividing cells

University of Washington (UW) researchers are helping to write the operating manual for the nano-scale machine that separates chromosomes before cell division.

8 Mar 2009

Cultured stem cells and bioengineered skin used to successfully treat scleroderma

Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that leads to thickening and severe scarring of skin as well as thickening and failure of internal organs, including the lungs, heart, kidneys and intestines.

5 Mar 2009

Better understanding of how stem cells develop into blood cells

How messages sent within stem cells through a specific communication pathway can trigger the cells to specialize and become blood cells in humans, has been discovered by scientists of the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute.

5 Mar 2009

New study using combination of bioengineered skin and stem cells shows promise in treatment of non-healing wounds

Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that leads to thickening and severe scarring of skin as well as thickening and failure of internal organs, including the lungs, heart, kidneys and intestines.

5 Mar 2009

Authors, journal editors respond to possible cases of plagiarism identified by UT Southwestern analysis

By bringing cases of potential plagiarism out into the open, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have shed light on the peer-review process and scientific publication.

5 Mar 2009

Naked mole rats may hold clues to successful aging

Naked mole rats resemble pink, wrinkly, saber-toothed sausages and would never win a beauty contest, even among other rodents.

4 Mar 2009

New protein identified in bacterial arsenal

Nearly a billion years ago, bacteria evolved an insidious means of infecting their hosts - a syringe-like mechanism able to inject cells with stealthy hijacker molecules. These molecules, called virulence factors, play a sophisticated game of mimicry, imitating many of the cells' normal activities but ultimately co-opting them to serve the bacteria's needs.

3 Mar 2009

Angiogenesis inhibitors, study points to limitations, solutions

A new generation of cancer drugs designed to starve tumors of their blood supply - called "angiogenesis inhibitors"-succeeds at first, but then promotes more invasive cancer growth-sometimes with a higher incidence of metastases, according to a new study in animals.

2 Mar 2009

Drug combo shows potential for treating extensively drug resistant tuberculosis

A combination of two FDA-approved drugs, already approved for fighting other bacterial infections, shows potential for treating extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), the most deadly form of the infection.

26 Feb 2009