Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) News and Research

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During FRET, the excitation of the donor molecule is transferred to the acceptor, provided they are in close apposition to each other. After the transfer, the fluorescence of the donor is quenched, while the fluorescence of the acceptor is induced. The ratio of the acceptor and donor fluorescence is then calculated before and after FRET. This method helps to visualize and quantify the interactions at a molecular level

Chinese scientists develop two novel compounds that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 main protease

A team of Chinese scientists has recently developed two novel compounds that inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) and one of them is a good drug candidate for further clinical studies.

23 Apr 2020

Researchers decode how molecular escorts help prevent cancer

The anti-tumor protein p53 can decide on the life or death of a cell: If it detects damage in the cell's genome, the protein pushes the cell to suicide.

22 May 2019

Researchers develop biosensors to detect and measure metastatic potential of cancer cells

The spread of invasive cancer cells from a tumor's original site to distant parts of the body is known as metastasis. It is the leading cause of death in people with cancer. In a paper published online in iScience, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers reported engineering sensors that can detect and measure the metastatic potential of single cancer cells.

6 Dec 2018

RAS dimers essential for causing cancer, study shows

Mutated RAS genes are some of the most common genetic drivers of cancer, especially in aggressive cancers like pancreatic and lung cancer, but no medicines that target RAS are available despite decades of effort.

12 Jan 2018

Scientists one step closer to unraveling mystery of how intrinsically disordered proteins work

Determining how proteins function on a molecular level is crucial to understanding the underlying basis for disease. Now scientists at the University of Notre Dame are one step closer to unraveling the mystery of how intrinsically disordered proteins work, according to new research published in Science

13 Oct 2017

IBS scientists develop Nano MRI Lamp for smarter diagnosis of diseases

A research team led by CHEON Jinwoo at the Center for Nanomedicine, within the Institute for Basic Science, developed the Nano MRI Lamp: A new technology platform that tunes the magnetic resonance imaging signals "ON" only in the presence of the targeted disease.

6 Feb 2017

Researchers use FRET to make activation of AMPA receptors optically visible

Our brain is a high-performance computer. One of the key players in this complex system is the AMPA-type glutamate receptor. It ensures that neurotransmission proceeds at a breakneck pace from cell to cell.

6 Jul 2016

Understanding crucial role of 'healthy' brain in preventing memory failures linked to Alzheimer's disease

The mechanisms underlying the stability and plasticity of neural circuits in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for spatial memory and the memory of everyday facts and events, has been a major focus of study in the field of neuroscience. Understanding precisely how a "healthy" brain stores and processes information is crucial to preventing and reversing the memory failures associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of late-life dementia.

2 Feb 2016

New study examines single 'transformer' proteins involved in cancer

A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital shows how a protein involved in cancer twists and morphs into different structures.

22 Dec 2015

New Tel Aviv University study finds link between Alzheimer's and brain hyperactivity

Patients with Alzheimer's disease run a high risk of seizures. While the amyloid-beta protein involved in the development and progression of Alzheimer's seems the most likely cause for this neuronal hyperactivity, how and why this elevated activity takes place hasn't yet been explained - until now.

1 Jul 2014

Researchers fabricate nanotweezers that could be used to control and regulate enzymes

In new research, Hao Yan and his colleagues at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute describe a pair of tweezers shrunk down to an astonishingly tiny scale. When the jaws of these tools are in the open position, the distance between the two arms is about 16 nanometers-over 30,000 times smaller than a single grain of sand.

5 Jul 2013

Study sheds light on role of retinoic acid in tissue development

In a ground-breaking study, researchers from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan report a new technique that allows them to visualize the distribution of retinoic acid in a live zebrafish embryo, in real-time.

9 Apr 2013

Researchers identify how RecA protein helps broken DNA find way to bridge the gap

Every time a human or bacterial cell divides it first must copy its DNA. Specialized proteins unzip the intertwined DNA strands while others follow and build new strands, using the originals as templates. Whenever these proteins encounter a break - and there are many - they stop and retreat, allowing a new cast of molecular players to enter the scene.

14 Dec 2012

Researchers identify fibronectin strain-sensitive probes

Fibronectin plays a major role in wound healing and embryonic development. The protein, which is located in the extracellular matrix of cells, has also been linked to pathological conditions including cancer and fibrosis.

25 Apr 2012

Single molecule FRET techniques combined with wavelet transforms give new view of AMPA receptor

A digital signal processing technique long used by statisticians to analyze data is helping Houston scientists understand the roots of memory and learning, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and stroke.

8 Feb 2011

Tel Aviv University discovers molecular power behind memory

Neuroscientists have long wondered how individual connections between brain cells remain diverse and "fit" enough for storing new memories. Reported in the prestigious science journal Neuron, a new study led by Dr. Inna Slutsky of the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University describes what makes some memories stick.

30 Jul 2010

New technology developed to rapidly identify compounds for the treatment of heart failure

Research conducted by University of Minnesota scientists, in collaboration with Celladon Corporation, has led to the invention of technology to more rapidly identify compounds for the treatment of heart failure.

24 Nov 2009

New molecular sensor could identify zinc-related diseases

Scientists have developed a new molecular sensor that can reveal the amount of zinc in cells, which could tell us more about a number of diseases, including type 2 diabetes. The research, published today in Nature Methods, opens the door to the hidden world of zinc biology by giving scientists an accurate way of measuring the concentration of zinc and its location in cells for the first time.

30 Aug 2009

New information on molecular biology of KRas protein

KRas is one of the usual suspects in cancer. It is a protein that is mutated in 30% of human tumors and has been implicated in the regulation of many cell signalling pathways.

20 Apr 2009

Basic guides to PCR, labeling neurons featured in Cold Spring Harbor Protocols

Along with new cutting-edge methods, Cold Spring Harbor Protocols is home to an in-depth library of basic laboratory methods.

1 Apr 2009