Macromolecules News and Research

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Unlocking the dark proteome: an interview with Dr Kriwacki

The term dark proteome refers to proteins whose structural features and thus functions are not well understood. Many proteins within the dark proteome do not fold into stable three-dimensional structures. These proteins are called intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and feature highly flexible, disordered confirmations.

16 May 2016

Scientists develop new strategy to combat wide range of viruses

Scientists and health officials are marshalling forces to fight Zika, the latest in a string of recent outbreaks. Many of these efforts target that virus specifically, but some researchers are looking for a broader approach. Now one team reports in ACS' journal Macromolecules a new strategy to fight a wide range of viruses that appears to be safe in vivo and could evade a virus's ability to develop resistance.

21 Apr 2016

New GHz-class NMR magnet and probe technologies introduced by Bruker at ENC 2016

At the 57th Experimental Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Conference (www.enc-conference.org), Bruker announced new GHz-class NMR magnet and probe technologies to enable expanding frontiers in structural biology, membrane protein and intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) research.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 11 Apr 2016

Extracellular Vesicle Isolation and Characterization

In this interview, News Medical talks to Dr. Carly Ross, from Beckman Coulter Life sciences about extracellular vesicle isolation and characterization.

From Beckman Coulter Life Sciences - Flow Cytometry 23 Mar 2016

Scientists reveal how the brain processes information with lightning speed

Surprisingly complex interactions between neurotransmitter receptors and other key proteins help explain the brain's ability to process information with lightning speed, according to a new study.

27 Feb 2016

Scientists reveal underlying mechanism for formation and growth of epithelial tubes

A team of scientists from Singapore and France has revealed the underlying mechanism for the formation and growth of a fundamental type of tissue - epithelial tubes. Defects in the architecture of epithelial tubes lead to diseases such as cholestasis, atherosclerosis and polycystic kidney disease.

25 Feb 2016

Scientists seek development of advanced tools to explore microbiomes

In October, an interdisciplinary group of scientists proposed forming a Unified Microbiome Initiative (UMI) to explore the world of microorganisms that are central to life on Earth and yet largely remain a mystery. An article in the journal ACS Nano describes the tools scientists will need to understand how microbes interact with each other and with us.

7 Jan 2016

New GSA e-book provides detailed overviews of aging process across multiple organisms

A new e-book published by The Gerontological Society of America provides a primary resource for detailed overviews of the aging process across multiple organisms -- from microbes to humans. This seminal publication, "Molecular and Cellular Biology of Aging," is intended as a textbook for emerging scholars of all levels.

15 Dec 2015

Researchers use large-scale computer modeling to show effects of confinement on cell macromolecules

Using large-scale computer modeling, researchers have shown the effects of confinement on macromolecules inside cells -- and taken the first steps toward simulating a living cell, a capability that could allow them to ask 'what-if' questions impossible to ask in real organisms.

17 Nov 2015

Discovery could offer clues to how some viruses control expression of genetic material

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University and the University of Michigan have produced the first image of an important human protein as it binds with ribonucleic acid (RNA), a discovery that could offer clues to how some viruses, including HIV, control expression of their genetic material.

12 Nov 2015

Liposomal sizing and the Coulter principle: an interview with Professor Melvin E. Klegerman

For about the last 25 years, the cardiology group here have been developing a platform technology for both the diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis.

From Beckman Coulter Life Sciences - Particle Counting and Characterization 28 Oct 2015

First computational method based on evolutionary principles developed to predict protein dynamics

Researchers from the Structural Biology Computational Group of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, led by Alfonso Valencia, in collaboration with a group headed by Francesco Gervasio at the University College London (UK), have developed the first computational method based on evolutionary principles to predict protein dynamics, which explains the changes in the shape or dimensional structure that they experience in order to interact with other compounds or speed up chemical reactions.

26 Oct 2015

Novel chemical virus can cross double lipid layer surrounding cells to release drugs

Viruses are able to redirect the functioning of cells in order to infect them. Inspired by their mode of action, scientists from the CNRS and Université de Strasbourg have designed a "chemical virus" that can cross the double lipid layer that surrounds cells, and then disintegrate in the intracellular medium in order to release active compounds.

29 Aug 2015

Symic receives $1.5M NIH Phase II SBIR grant to develop AVF therapeutic candidate

Platform therapeutic company Symic Biomedical, Inc. announced today that it has received a $1.5M Phase II SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health to further develop its therapeutic agent to reduce arteriovenous fistula (AVF) failures, a significant unmet clinical need in end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis.

27 Aug 2015

Study opens up new line of research into origin of digestive diseases

There are numerous studies related to the absorption of nutrients from the stomach since understanding what happens in our digestive system is crucial, for example, in order to be able to avoid in the future some of the diseases that affect part of the population to a lesser or greater extent.

29 Jun 2015

New method could help identify 'handedness' of different molecules in mixture

Scientists have demonstrated for the first time the ability to rapidly, reliably and simultaneously identify the 'handedness' of different molecules in a mixture.

25 Jun 2015

Researchers find lymphatic vessels in the central nervous system

In a study published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers working at the Wihuri Research Institute and the University of Helsinki report a surprising finding that challenges current anatomy and histology textbook knowledge: Lymphatic vessels are found in the central nervous system where they were not known to exist.

16 Jun 2015

Microfluidic cell-squeezing device could introduce specific antigens inside immune system's B cells

MIT researchers have shown that they can use a microfluidic cell-squeezing device to introduce specific antigens inside the immune system's B cells, providing a new approach to developing and implementing antigen-presenting cell vaccines.

22 May 2015

Study offers new insights into construction of nuclear pores in nuclear envelope

In a recent study, a team of researchers led by Alwin Köhler at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) belonging to the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna offer new insights into how nuclear pores are constructed in the nuclear envelope.

6 May 2015

More research needed to explore toxicity of cellulose nanocrystals, says Virginia Tech scientist

Are cellulose nanocrystals harmful to human health? The answer might depend on the route of exposure, according to a review of the literature by a Virginia Tech scientist, but there have been few studies and many questions remain.

12 Mar 2015