Molecular Biology News and Research

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Molecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. The field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular biology chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interactions between DNA, RNA and protein biosynthesis as well as learning how these interactions are regulated.

Researchers develop new pneumococcal vaccine through novel discovery approach

Pneumococcus accounts for as much as 11 percent of mortality in young children worldwide. While successful vaccines like Prevnar exist, they are expensive and only work against specific pneumococcal strains, with the risk of becoming less effective as new strains emerge.

17 Feb 2011

Muscle, aptly enough, is born of cellular bullying, and not mutual consent

In fact, according to new research from Johns Hopkins, the fusion of muscle cells is a power struggle that involves a smaller mobile antagonist that points at, pokes and finally pushes into its larger, stationary partner using a newly identified finger-like projection.

17 Feb 2011

Molecular explanation to higher tendency for autism among males

George Washington University researcher, Dr. Valerie Hu, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and her team at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, have found that male and female sex hormones regulate expression of an important gene in neuronal cell culture through a mechanism that could explain not only higher levels of testosterone observed in some individuals with autism, but also why males have a higher incidence of autism than females.

17 Feb 2011

New fully human monoclonal antibodies to battle Chikungunya

The Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), an institute of the Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and VIVALIS, a French biopharmaceutical company, announced today the discovery of two new fully human monoclonal antibodies which could battle Chikungunya, a disease that currently has no available vaccine or specific treatment.

16 Feb 2011

New study finds racial disparities among elderly Americans in hospital readmissions

Elderly black patients were more likely to be readmitted to the hospital after a prior hospital stay for a heart attack, heart failure, or pneumonia, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health researchers.

16 Feb 2011

Deactivation of tau gene may help reverse memory loss in Alzheimer disease

Amyloid-beta and tau protein deposits in the brain are characteristic features of Alzheimer disease. The effect on the hippocampus, the area of the brain that plays a central role in learning and memory, is particularly severe. However, it appears that the toxic effect of tau protein is largely eliminated when the corresponding tau gene is switched off.

16 Feb 2011

EMBL scientists reveal new insights into bacterial enzymes that causes tuberculosis

In a paper published today in PNAS, scientists from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, reveal new insights into the workings of enzymes from a group of bacteria including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis.

15 Feb 2011

Molecular helper Spy aids designer bacteria to produce large quantities of stable, functional proteins

Scientists have discovered a molecular assistant called Spy that helps bacteria excel at producing proteins for medical and industrial purposes.

15 Feb 2011

New England Biolabs adds OneTaq and OneTaq Hot Start DNA Polymerases to line of PCR reagents

New England Biolabs has expanded its line of PCR reagents to include OneTaq™ and OneTaq Hot Start DNA Polymerases. Optimized blends of Taq and Deep Vent® DNA Polymerases, these new products offer robust amplification across a wide range of templates, including routine, AT-rich and GC-rich amplicons.

From New England Biolabs 15 Feb 2011

Study sheds new light on riboswitch that turns genes on or off in response to cell's energy needs

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have shed new light on a molecular switch that turns genes on or off in response to a cell's energy needs.

13 Feb 2011

Cancer cells 'addicted' to self-preservation process

A team of investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ); Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; and Princeton University, have determined that cancer cells are "addicted" to a self-preservation process known as autophagy. They also showed that the inhibition of that process could prove to be a valuable treatment approach for aggressive cancers. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

11 Feb 2011

LabCorp fourth quarter net earnings decrease to $131.8 million

Laboratory Corporation of America® Holdings today announced results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2010. These results include the operations of Genzyme Genetics for the month of December.

10 Feb 2011

Breakthrough in cancer research can help reduce heart failure, increase survival rates

A breakthrough by scientists at Queen's University Belfast could help reduce heart failure in cancer patients around the world, and ultimately increase survival rates.

10 Feb 2011

Akonni signs license agreement with USAMRIID to develop multiplex testing products for bio-security applications

Akonni Biosystems, a molecular diagnostics (MDx) company that develops rapid, low-cost and highly scalable solutions for infectious disease testing, today announced it has signed a license agreement with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID).

10 Feb 2011

BBSRC, EMBL-EBI applaud funding allocation for European Life-science Infrastructure for Biological Information

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) welcome news that funding has been earmarked from the UK's Large Facilities Capital Fund for ELIXIR - the European Life-science Infrastructure for Biological Information - as announced today (09 February 2011).

9 Feb 2011

Rapid detection of transiently folded single-molecule structures from 'intrinsically disordered proteins'

A team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have developed a novel technique to observe previously unknown details of how folded structures are formed from an intrinsically disordered protein. The insights could help scientists to better understand the mechanism of plaque formation in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

9 Feb 2011

Molecular Biology News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers develop new pneumococcal vaccine through novel discovery approach

Muscle, aptly enough, is born of cellular bullying, and not mutual consent

Molecular explanation to higher tendency for autism among males

New fully human monoclonal antibodies to battle Chikungunya

New study finds racial disparities among elderly Americans in hospital readmissions

Deactivation of tau gene may help reverse memory loss in Alzheimer disease

EMBL scientists reveal new insights into bacterial enzymes that causes tuberculosis

Molecular helper Spy aids designer bacteria to produce large quantities of stable, functional proteins

New England Biolabs adds OneTaq and OneTaq Hot Start DNA Polymerases to line of PCR reagents

Study sheds new light on riboswitch that turns genes on or off in response to cell's energy needs

Cancer cells 'addicted' to self-preservation process

LabCorp fourth quarter net earnings decrease to $131.8 million

Breakthrough in cancer research can help reduce heart failure, increase survival rates

Akonni signs license agreement with USAMRIID to develop multiplex testing products for bio-security applications

BBSRC, EMBL-EBI applaud funding allocation for European Life-science Infrastructure for Biological Information

Rapid detection of transiently folded single-molecule structures from 'intrinsically disordered proteins'

Research findings highlight potential for noninvasive MSC delivery to treat Parkinson disease

Scientists develop novel technique to detect disordered protein folding

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

British Journal of Dermatology publishes data on DermTech's new genomic assay for melanoma

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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