Molecular Biology News and Research

RSS

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.

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

June Cold Spring Harbor Protocols features electrophoresis in RNA analysis and avian embryos

Gel electrophoresis is one of the most important and frequently used techniques in RNA analysis. Electrophoresis is used for RNA detection, quantification, purification by size and quality assessment. Gels are involved in a wide variety of methods including northern blotting, primer extension, footprinting and analyzing processing reactions. The two most common types of gels are polyacrylamide and agarose.

5 Jun 2010

COMMD1 protein restrains metastatic potential of invasive cancer cell line: Researchers

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that cancer cells lacking a key protein are more invasive and more likely to metastasize, providing a possible drug target to combat certain tumor types.

5 Jun 2010

Ablexis to advance transgenic mouse platform for antibody discovery with $12M Series A financing

Ablexis, LLC, a biotechnology company dedicated to developing an innovative, next-generation platform for antibody drug discovery, announced today that it has completed a $12 million Series A financing. The round was led by Third Rock Ventures and included Pfizer Venture Investments. Proceeds from the financing will be used to continue advancing Ablexis' proprietary AlivaMab Mouse transgenic mouse platform for the discovery of human therapeutic antibodies.

2 Jun 2010

UCI study provides blueprint for enhanced treatment of inflammatory diseases

By discovering how adult neural stem cells navigate to injury sites in the central nervous system, UC Irvine researchers have helped solve a puzzle in the creation of stem cell-based treatments: How do these cells know where to go? Tom Lane and Kevin Carbajal of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center found the answer with the body's immune system.

2 Jun 2010

CDRD, Vancouver Prostate Centre announce preferred collaboration agreement

The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) and the Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC) today announced that they have signed a preferred collaboration agreement as the two organizations jointly strive to accelerate the discovery, development and commercialization of anti-cancer therapeutics.

2 Jun 2010

CCL5 protein plays protective role against Mycobacterium tuberculosis: New research

Ohio scientists hope to counter the re-emerging threat of tuberculosis with help from proteins from our bodies. In a research report published in the June 2010 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, scientists show how the protein CCL5 plays a protective role in helping the body ward off this contagious, airborne disease in the early stages of infection.

2 Jun 2010

EMBL scientists identify two small RNA molecules that ensure red blood cell production

Red blood cells, the delivery men that take oxygen to cells all around the body, have short lives. To keep enough of them in circulation, the human body produces around 2 million of these cells every second - even more in response to challenges like severe blood loss. In a study published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Monterotondo, Italy, and EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute in Hinxton, UK, have identified two small RNA molecules which ensure that enough red blood cells are produced efficiently, by fine-tuning a number of different genes involved in this process.

2 Jun 2010

Yeast produce a hormone that triggers fungal cells to become more infectious

In their ongoing studies of how yeast (fungi) can infect a host and cause disease, a research team at the Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has made an unexpected discovery. They found that yeast produce a hormone previously known to be made by plants, and that the presence of that hormone in sufficient quantity within the yeast's immediate environment triggers the fungal cells to become more infectious.

29 May 2010

Thermo Fisher Scientific to acquire Fermentas International for $260M

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Fermentas International Inc. - a manufacturer and global distributor of enzymes, reagents and kits for molecular and cellular biology research - for $260 million in cash, subject to a post-closing adjustment. With headquarters in Burlington, Ontario, and principal operations in Vilnius, Lithuania, Fermentas has approximately 500 employees.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 28 May 2010

InNexus Biotechnology announces research Collaboration Agreement with National Cancer Institute

InNexus Biotechnology Inc., a drug development company commercializing the next generation of antibodies based on its groundbreaking Dynamic Cross Linking (DXL™) technology, today announced the Company has entered into a Collaboration Agreement with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research proprietary technologies developed by InNexus.

28 May 2010

Tendons in high-stress areas repair themselves less frequently than low-stress tendons: Study

In a discovery that seems counterintuitive, a study appearing in the May 21st Journal of Biological Chemistry has found that tendons in high-stress and strain areas, like the Achilles tendon, actually repair themselves less frequently than low-stress tendons. This study sheds some light on the increased susceptibility of certain tendons to injury during aging.

27 May 2010

New book summarizes current state of research on NF-κB

NF-κB is a critical signaling molecule in the immune system that regulates cell survival and cell death, lymphocyte responses, and inflammation. Acting as a transcription factor that can receive several inputs, it coordinates distinct gene expression programs in response to a wide variety of stimuli.

26 May 2010

New journal to focus on autoimmune disease research and development

Springer is launching a new journal Autoimmunity Highlights, an independent, international, peer-reviewed journal that publishes papers related to the diverse aspects of autoimmunity, and seeks to be a bridge between the clinic, the laboratory and the specialists who are involved in the complex world of autoimmunity diagnosis.

26 May 2010

Molecular Biology News and Research

Further Reading

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

June Cold Spring Harbor Protocols features electrophoresis in RNA analysis and avian embryos

COMMD1 protein restrains metastatic potential of invasive cancer cell line: Researchers

Ablexis to advance transgenic mouse platform for antibody discovery with $12M Series A financing

UCI study provides blueprint for enhanced treatment of inflammatory diseases

CDRD, Vancouver Prostate Centre announce preferred collaboration agreement

CCL5 protein plays protective role against Mycobacterium tuberculosis: New research

EMBL scientists identify two small RNA molecules that ensure red blood cell production

Yeast produce a hormone that triggers fungal cells to become more infectious

Thermo Fisher Scientific to acquire Fermentas International for $260M

InNexus Biotechnology announces research Collaboration Agreement with National Cancer Institute

Tendons in high-stress areas repair themselves less frequently than low-stress tendons: Study

New book summarizes current state of research on NF-κB

New journal to focus on autoimmune disease research and development

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest Life Science News