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.

New book provides comprehensive review of the functions of p53 family

The p53 tumor suppressor gene, the "guardian of the genome," protects cells against genotoxic stress but is mutated in many cancers. It encodes one of a family of proteins that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, senescence, and cell death. Mutations in p53 allow cells to escape normal growth controls and thereby contribute to tumor malignancy.

24 Jun 2010

Company took measures to protect employees from H1N1 flu: National poll

In response to the H1N1 flu, most employees at U.S. businesses say their company took measures to protect them from illness, such as encouraging sick employees to stay home, according to a national poll of employees by researchers from the Harvard Opinion Research Program at Harvard School of Public Health.

23 Jun 2010

Study explains how vesicular release of neurotransmitters is impaired

Effective brain function depends on the efficient signaling from one neuron to the next, a lightning-fast process that depends on a quick release of neurotransmitters at synapses. Exposure to lead during early childhood and even later in life has long been known to affect the release of these critical neurotransmitters. However, the precise mechanism by which lead ions (Pb2+) impair this process has remained unknown.

23 Jun 2010

Diabetes control in COPD patients could improve outcomes, length of hospital stays and risk of death

A new study in the journal Respirology reveals that patients with diabetes who are hospitalized with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience longer time in the hospital and are also at an increased risk of death, compared to those without diabetes.

22 Jun 2010

Investigators discover new way to harness thrombin's anti-blood clotting properties

In research led by a Saint Louis University investigator, molecular biologists have discovered a way to harness the enzyme thrombin's anti-blood clotting properties. The finding opens the door to new medications that will treat diseases related to thrombosis, the presence of blood clots in blood vessels, which is responsible for nearly a third of all deaths in the U.S.

19 Jun 2010

Precision announces USPTO's issuance of Actions Closing Prosecution in reexamination proceedings for '545, '605 patents

Precision BioSciences, Inc., today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has now issued Actions Closing Prosecution in the reexamination proceedings for both U.S. Pat. No. 6,610,545 ("the '545 patent") and U.S. Pat. No. 7,309,605 ("the '605 patent") that are owned by the Institut Pasteur and the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), and licensed to Cellectis, SA (ALCLS).

18 Jun 2010

Researchers study risks and consequences of cigarette smoking in people living in multiple-unit housing

In an effort to protect children from harmful tobacco smoke exposure, health and medical professionals are pushing for a ban on smoking in public housing in a report appearing in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

18 Jun 2010

Pervasive bacterial presence unique to contaminated drywall identified

RealTime Laboratories, LLC announced today significant new findings regarding pervasive bacterial presence unique to contaminated drywall. RealTime has identified specific bacteria found only in symptomatic drywall and not in normal domestic drywall that are viable, pervasive and produce hydrogen sulfide and reduced sulfur gases under conditions similar to those found in residences.

16 Jun 2010

BIOCIUS Life Sciences, BlueSky Biotech collaborate to offer Sirtuin pre-validated assay solution

BIOCIUS Life Sciences Inc., developers of the RapidFire® high-throughput mass spectrometry system, and BlueSky Biotech, service provider of discovery biologicals, today announced their collaboration to offer the industry's only Sirtuin (SIRT, silent mating type information regulation homolog) enzyme preparations fully-validated in a label-free functional assay.

16 Jun 2010

Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation to present 2010 Neuroscience Prize to Robert H. Wurtz

Robert H. Wurtz, PhD, a pioneer and leader in the field of neurophysiology, is the recipient of the 2010 Neuroscience Prize of The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation. His discoveries of how the brain processes visual information and controls eye movements laid the groundwork for subsequent research into the neurophysiology of visual cognition. This research has led scientists to a deeper understanding of how the brain is organized to produce behavior.

15 Jun 2010

Depression and other stress-related psychiatric disorders in women may have biological basis: Research

There may be a biological reason why depression and other stress-related psychiatric disorders are more common among women compared to men. Studying stress signaling systems in animal brains, neuroscience researchers found that females are more sensitive to low levels of an important stress hormone and less able to adapt to high levels than males.

15 Jun 2010

Study: Children with idiopathic onset epilepsy have high remission rate

A study conducted by researchers in The Netherlands confirmed that children with idiopathic new-onset epilepsy have a significantly higher rate of remission than those with remote symptomatic epilepsy.

14 Jun 2010

Anti-infectives could circumvent the problem of antibiotic resistance

For a successful infection, bacteria must outwit the immune system of the host. To this aim, they deliver so-called virulence factors through a transport channel located in the bacterial membrane.

14 Jun 2010

Emerging science of epigenetics offers new insights at crossroads of genes and the environment: Article

An emerging arm of molecular biology is introducing a new interpretation of traditional concepts of human disease, explains an article published today in Nature. According to author Dr. Arturas Petronis at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the emerging science of epigenetics is offering new insights at the crossroads of genes and the environment, or nature and nurture. Dr. Petronis is head of the Krembil Family Epigenetics Laboratory at CAMH and an international expert in the field.

11 Jun 2010

Anoxia-induced suspended animation helps survive hypothermia

How is it that some people who apparently freeze to death, with no heart rate or respiration for extended periods, can be brought back to life with no long-term negative health consequences? New findings from the laboratory of cell biologist Mark B. Roth, Ph.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, may help explain the mechanics behind this widely documented phenomenon.

11 Jun 2010

Cellular response plays a key role in wound healing

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered that an unexpected cellular response plays an important role in breaking down and inhibiting the formation of excess scar tissue in wound healing.

11 Jun 2010

Takara Bio to distribute NuGEN's solutions in Japan, South Korea, China

NuGEN, the provider of innovative RNA and DNA sample preparation technologies that enable breakthrough genomic analysis, today announced it has signed a non-exclusive agreement with Takara Bio to distribute the full spectrum of NuGEN's next-generation sequencing, microarray and q-PCR nucleic acid amplification and sample preparation products in Japan, South Korea and China. In addition, Takara is authorized to offer services using NuGEN products in the same territory.

9 Jun 2010

FDA grants Cepheid marketing clearance for Xpert SA Nasal Complete molecular test

Cepheid today announced it has received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to market Xpert® SA Nasal Complete, the first and only molecular test designed for the simultaneous detection and differentiation of both Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization in less than one hour. The test runs on Cepheid's GeneXpert® System, the world's leading molecular platform for accuracy, speed, and ease-of-use.

8 Jun 2010

Tel Aviv University discovers ancient switch in plants that could halt cancer metastasis

Although plants and animals are very different organisms, they share a surprising number of biological mechanisms. A plant biologist at Tel Aviv University says that one of these mechanisms may be the answer for turning off cancer growth in humans.

8 Jun 2010

Smoke-free laws protect both children and adults from exposure to secondhand smoke

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that children and adolescents living in non-smoking homes in counties with laws promoting smoke-free public places have significantly lower levels of a common biomarker of secondhand smoke exposure than those living in counties with no smoke-free laws.

7 Jun 2010

Molecular Biology News and Research

Further Reading

New book provides comprehensive review of the functions of p53 family

Company took measures to protect employees from H1N1 flu: National poll

Study explains how vesicular release of neurotransmitters is impaired

Diabetes control in COPD patients could improve outcomes, length of hospital stays and risk of death

Investigators discover new way to harness thrombin's anti-blood clotting properties

Precision announces USPTO's issuance of Actions Closing Prosecution in reexamination proceedings for '545, '605 patents

Researchers study risks and consequences of cigarette smoking in people living in multiple-unit housing

Pervasive bacterial presence unique to contaminated drywall identified

BIOCIUS Life Sciences, BlueSky Biotech collaborate to offer Sirtuin pre-validated assay solution

Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation to present 2010 Neuroscience Prize to Robert H. Wurtz

Depression and other stress-related psychiatric disorders in women may have biological basis: Research

Study: Children with idiopathic onset epilepsy have high remission rate

Anti-infectives could circumvent the problem of antibiotic resistance

Emerging science of epigenetics offers new insights at crossroads of genes and the environment: Article

Anoxia-induced suspended animation helps survive hypothermia

Cellular response plays a key role in wound healing

Takara Bio to distribute NuGEN's solutions in Japan, South Korea, China

FDA grants Cepheid marketing clearance for Xpert SA Nasal Complete molecular test

Tel Aviv University discovers ancient switch in plants that could halt cancer metastasis

Smoke-free laws protect both children and adults from exposure to secondhand smoke

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 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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