Living Cells News and Research

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Researchers use nanopores to smuggle DNA or proteins across membranes

A living cell is built with barriers to keep things out - and researchers are constantly trying to find ways to smuggle molecules in.‬ ‪Professor Giovanni Maglia (Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology, KU Leuven) and his team have engineered a biological nanopore that acts as a selective revolving door through a cell's lipid membrane. The nanopore could potentially be used in gene therapy and targeted drug delivery.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

24 Oct 2013

Nanometric scale diamond particles offer new way to detect cancer far earlier

Real-time monitoring of cancer cell processes could soon be possible thanks to nanometric scale diamonds used as biosensors.

24 Oct 2013

UC researchers receive $2.1M grant from NIH to study molecular mechanisms of muscle fatigue

University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have been awarded a five-year, $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study an isoform that plays a critical role in human resistance to fatigue.

16 Oct 2013

Researchers discover how cancer development molecule maintains its genome integrity

University of Montreal researchers have discovered how telomerase, a molecule essential for cancer development, is directed to structures on our genome called telomeres in order to maintain its integrity and in turn, the integrity of the genome.

7 Oct 2013

Researchers develop computational model to accurately simulate complex twists of RNA

A computational model developed by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is the first to accurately simulate the complex twists of a short sequence of RNA as it folds into a critical hairpin structure known as a "tetraloop."

17 Sep 2013

Scientists unravel how DNA damage may trigger lupus erythematosus

Summer, sun and the sea - a dream vacation for most - can turn sour for those affected by lupus erythematosus. For them, absorption of the UV-light component in sunlight may cause florid inflammation and redness of the skin. Scientists of the University Hospital Bonn, Germany have now discovered which signaling pathway of the innate immune system promotes autoimmune symptoms following sun-induced DNA damage.

30 Aug 2013

Study reveals role of cadherin receptor BT-R3 in killing action of Cry4B mosquito toxin

Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), led by Dr. Lee Bulla, have demonstrated for the first time the selective cytotoxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis Cry4B toxin is mediated by BT-R3.

27 Aug 2013

TSRI scientists find way to use new DNA-editing technology for DNA sequencing

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found a way to apply a powerful new DNA-editing technology more broadly than ever before.

27 Aug 2013

Researchers make significant step in understanding and imaging protein synthesis

Researchers at Columbia University, in collaboration with biologists in Baylor College of Medicine, have made a significant step in understanding and imaging protein synthesis, pinpointing exactly where and when cells produce new proteins.

26 Aug 2013

Scientists present novel method to visualize how nuclear protein mobility changes following DNA damage

Understanding the cellular response to DNA strand breaks is crucial to decipher the mechanisms maintaining the integrity of our genome. In eukaryotic cells, the molecular events triggered by DNA damage are strongly influenced by the local chromatin environment surrounding the lesion. The ensuing DNA repair process, in turn, impacts on chromatin structure. In order to understand how these two fundamental processes are mutually connected, both chromatin rearrangements induced by DNA damage as well as DNA repair activity have to be visualized in living cells.

12 Aug 2013

ASU expert receives $1.6 million grant to advance microscopy imaging research

At Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, Nongjian (NJ) Tao has been designing advanced microscopy methods with the ambitious aim of capturing molecular-scale phenomena in living systems. The new techniques, which combine multiple imaging modalities, are poised to revolutionize the study of biology and the development of new drugs.

8 Aug 2013

Novel way to dramatically raise potency of drug candidates targeting RNA

Scientists from the Jupiter campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have shown a novel way to dramatically raise the potency of drug candidates targeting RNA, resulting in a 2,500-fold improvement in potency and significantly increasing their potential as therapeutic agents.

6 Aug 2013

Trace substance in sugar improves muscle regeneration in mouse model with muscular dystrophy

A trace substance in caramelized sugar, when purified and given in appropriate doses, improves muscle regeneration in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The findings are published today, Aug. 1, in the journal Skeletal Muscle.

2 Aug 2013

Louisiana Tech University to receive NASA EPSCoR grant to support aerospace research

Louisiana Tech University will receive over $1.4 million in grant funding from NASA's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, through an award to the Louisiana Board of Regents, to serve as the lead institution for research that investigates how high doses of space radiation during extended duration space missions will affect astronauts.

24 Jul 2013

Quickly clearing out damaged proteins may help prevent neurodegenerative disorders: Study

Recycling is not only good for the environment, it's good for the brain. A study using rat cells indicates that quickly clearing out defective proteins in the brain may prevent loss of brain cells.

22 Jul 2013

Chemists perform DNA-based logic-gate operation within human cell

Chemists from North Carolina State University have performed a DNA-based logic-gate operation within a human cell. The research may pave the way to more complicated computations in live cells, as well as new methods of disease detection and treatment.

11 Jul 2013

Newly developed approach could benefit basic medical research and help detect H2S in environment

University of Oregon chemists have developed a selective probe that detects hydrogen sulfide (H2S) levels as low as 190 nanomolar (10 parts per billion) in biological samples.

25 Jun 2013

Researchers uncover DNA damage checkpoint used by cells to monitor oxidatively damaged DNA

In current health lore, antioxidants are all the rage, as "everybody knows" that reducing the amount of "reactive oxygen species" -- cell-damaging molecules that are byproducts of cellular metabolism -- is critical to staying healthy. What everyone doesn't know is that our bodies already have a complex set of processes built into our cells that handle these harmful byproducts of living and repair the damage they cause.

15 Jun 2013

Hebrew University student develops drug formulations to treat illnesses through skin applications

New, more efficient drug formulations designed to treat illnesses through skin applications -- thus avoiding serious side effects associated with oral drug-taking -- have been developed by a student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

12 Jun 2013

Doctors create bioengineered blood vessel and implant it in the arm of kidney disease patient

In a first-of-its-kind operation in the United States, a team of doctors at Duke University Hospital helped create a bioengineered blood vessel and implanted it into the arm of a patient with end-stage kidney disease.

7 Jun 2013