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Researchers identify new group of powerful Ebola-fighting antibodies

A research team that included scientists from The Scripps Research Institute has identified a new group of powerful antibodies to fight Ebola virus.

22 Feb 2016

Revealing dynamic protein complexes with NMR: an interview with Elisar Barbar

Most proteins are involved in interactions with one or a few functional ligands, but some proteins, like light chain 8 (LC8), have numerous binding partners. LC8 interacts with more than 100 functionally different proteins, from viral proteins to motor proteins to proteins involved in cell division.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 18 Feb 2016

Pioneering technique shows promise for new medical diagnostics, targeted drug delivery

Living systems rely on a dizzying variety of chemical reactions essential to development and survival. Most of these involve a specialized class of protein molecules--the enzymes.

12 Feb 2016

Rockefeller University study shows how herpes virus causes traffic jam in immune system pathway

With over half the U.S. population infected, most people are familiar with the pesky cold sore outbreaks caused by the herpes virus. The virus outsmarts the immune system by interfering with the process that normally allows immune cells to recognize and destroy foreign invaders. How exactly the herpes simplex 1 virus pulls off its nifty scheme has long been elusive to scientists.

4 Feb 2016

Graphene-based electrodes could be safely implanted in the brain

Researchers have successfully demonstrated how it is possible to interface graphene - a two-dimensional form of carbon - with neurons, or nerve cells, while maintaining the integrity of these vital cells. The work may be used to build graphene-based electrodes that can safely be implanted in the brain, offering promise for the restoration of sensory functions for amputee or paralysed patients, or for individuals with motor disorders such as epilepsy or Parkinson's disease.

31 Jan 2016

Insights into exosomes role in disease transmission gained using NanoSight from Malvern

Data measured using the NanoSight NS300 from Malvern Panalytical is providing new insights into the role of exosomes in diseases such as cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and cystic fibrosis, in pioneering research at the University of Alabama - Birmingham (UAB).

From Malvern Panalytical 28 Jan 2016

Researchers reconstruct 3D images of protein structures that link heart muscle cells in working groups

Diseased hearts may be thrown out of rhythm by structural differences -- now visible for the first time -- in protein groups that connect heart muscle cells, according to the authors of a study to be published in the journal Nature Communications online Jan. 20.

20 Jan 2016

New study sheds light on possible role of ion channel in the immune system

Many cells have microscopic gates, called ion channels, which open to allow the flow of ions across the cell membrane. Thanks to these gates, cells can detect stimuli such as heat, pain, pressure and even spicy food.

20 Jan 2016

Researchers identify protein structure linked to pain and heat perception

Touch a hot stove, and your fingers will recoil in pain because your skin carries tiny temperature sensors that detect heat and send a message to your brain saying, "Ouch! That's hot! Let go!"

19 Jan 2016

Mechanical properties of bone revealed through micro-indentation testing

Unravelling the mechanical properties of bone with micro-indentation testing has significance in both health and disease. At the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Dr. Björn Busse and his research group have advanced their micro-indentation testing technique using an Olympus industrial inspection digital light microscope, as an alternative to electron microscopy. The cutting edge research is described in a new application note from Olympus, available online.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 12 Jan 2016

CMU researchers develop new method to survey learning-related changes in synapse properties

Carnegie Mellon University researchers have developed a new approach to broadly survey learning-related changes in synapse properties. In a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience and featured on the journal's cover, the researchers used machine-learning algorithms to analyze thousands of images from the cerebral cortex. This allowed them to identify synapses from an entire cortical region, revealing unanticipated information about how synaptic properties change during development and learning.

29 Dec 2015

Researchers elucidate structure of mTORC1 protein

For a long time it has been known that the protein TOR - Target of Rapamycin - controls cell growth and is involved in the development of diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Researchers at the University of Basel's Biozentrum together with scientists from ETH Zurich have now examined the structure of mammalian TOR complex 1 (mTORC1) in more detail.

18 Dec 2015

TSRI scientists track how HIV-fighting antibodies develop over time

In a new study, a team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute tracked how a family of these HIV-fighting antibodies develops over time. The research shows how a future vaccine might trigger the immune system to produce these antibodies more effectively.

16 Dec 2015

Antibiotic resistance may help find drugs to combat amyloid formation

Amyloid diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and type-2 diabetes pose a particular problem for drug designers because they do not present a clear target structure to aim at.

15 Dec 2015

Scientists decipher details of cloaking proteins that protect the toxin that causes botulism

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators at Stony Brook University and the Institute of Advanced Sciences in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, have discovered new details about how "cloaking" proteins protect the toxin that causes botulism, a fatal disease caused most commonly by consuming improperly canned foods.

7 Dec 2015

New model of arterial thrombus formation is similar to popular video game

A group of biophysicists, including representatives from MIPT, has developed a mathematical model of arterial thrombus formation, which is the main cause of heart attacks and strokes.

1 Dec 2015

Researchers use magic-angle-spinning NMR to unveil structure of CAP-Gly protein

A latticework of tiny tubes called microtubules gives your cells their shape and also acts like a railroad track that essential proteins travel on. But if there is a glitch in the connection between train and track, diseases can occur.

26 Nov 2015

Linkam stages in use in the Wolfson Bioimaging Facility at the University of Bristol as part of the endocytic sorting research of Dr Paul Verkade

Market leaders in temperature controlled microscopy, Linkam Scientific Instruments report on the use of their temperature controlled stages applied to CLEM and fluorescence microscopy to assist in endocytic sorting in the School of Biochemistry at the University of Bristol.

From Linkam Scientific Instruments 4 Nov 2015

TSRI researchers find way to change leukemia cells into leukemia-killing immune cells

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found a way to change leukemia cells into leukemia-killing immune cells. The surprise finding could lead to a powerful new therapy for leukemia and possibly other cancers.

20 Oct 2015

Researchers uncover how small heat shock protein interacts with other proteins

In Alzheimer's disease proteins clump together to long fibrils causing the death of nerve cells. Small heat shock proteins can counteract this effect. Scientists, therefore, hope to deploy them as agents in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Using the example of a small heat shock protein, researchers at the Technical University of Munich and the Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen have now uncovered how the protein interacts with other proteins.

15 Oct 2015