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.

Protein interaction linked to AMD

Researchers at University College London say they have gleaned a key insight into the molecular beginnings of age-related macular degeneration, the No. 1 cause of vision loss in the elderly, by determining how two key proteins interact to naturally prevent the onset of the condition.

5 Jan 2010

Closer to the root cause of diabetes

A new research discovery published online in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) may change the perception and treatment of diabetes. That's because scientists have moved closer toward correcting the root cause of the disease rather than managing its symptoms. Specifically researchers identified a protein (G6PD protein) and its antioxidant product (NAPDH) that both prevent the death and promote the growth of cells which produce and release insulin in the pancreas (beta cells).

5 Jan 2010

Scientists develop straightforward technique to find ethnic origin of stem cells

An international team of scientists led by researchers at The Scripps Research Institute has developed a straightforward technique to determine the ethnic origin of stem cells.

30 Dec 2009

WuXi PharmaTech announces winners of third Life Science and Chemistry Awards

WuXi PharmaTech, a leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical-device research and development outsourcing company with operations in China and the United States, today announced the winners of its third Life Science and Chemistry Awards, held on December 20, 2009, at the China World Hotel in Beijing.

23 Dec 2009

Guardian Technologies International meets and presents SM TBDx to Indian healthcare officials

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a serious global pandemic health threat with more than 9 million new cases diagnosed annually. TB is a leading cause of mortality in India, killing nearly 1,000 people each day.

23 Dec 2009

Researchers determine structures of two enzymes that customize histones

Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have determined the structures of two enzymes that customize histones, the spool-like proteins around which DNA coils inside the cell.

20 Dec 2009

Researchers discover how protein can be controlled and under what circumstances it can go awry

A team of researchers studying the protein that, when defective or absent, causes cystic fibrosis (CF) has made an important discovery about how that protein is normally controlled and under what circumstances it might go awry.

18 Dec 2009

2010 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research open for nomination

The Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research has opened the 2010 call for nominations. The $100,000 Award recognizes individuals whose efforts have made significant transformational contributions towards the improvement of human health. Nomination forms are available at pauljanssenaward.com and will be accepted until February 15, 2010.

18 Dec 2009

Scientists use optical technique to trace out neurons interaction

Scientists at Harvard University have used light and genetic trickery to trace out neurons' ability to excite or inhibit one another, literally shedding new light on the question of how neurons interact with one another in live animals.

18 Dec 2009

Promising breakthrough in adjuvant development may lead to cost-effective therapeutic vaccines

It should be possible to use therapeutic vaccines to create both cheap and effective drugs for diseases like cancer and allergies. One problem in developing such vaccines has previously been the lack of adjuvants, substances that make vaccines more effective. However, there has now been a major breakthrough in this area. The study, led by Swedish scientists at Uppsala University, is published in the December issue of the journal Vaccine.

17 Dec 2009

New study to help researchers develop highly effective drug for MLL

A new study could point the way to the development of better drugs to fight a deadly form of childhood leukemia called mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL).

15 Dec 2009

Breakthrough procedure yields a number of medical possibilities for dental stem cells

BioEDEN, the world-leader in dental stem cell extraction and storage, is celebrating the first successful human medical trial using stem cells from teeth.

15 Dec 2009

Tel Aviv University researchers unravel the mysteries of DNA packaging

The RNA "spools" that make up DNA in our genes need careful editing, too. Genes are composed of meaningful sequences, called exons, separated by meaningless junk sections called introns.

15 Dec 2009

Study may pave way for effective drug development for childhood leukemia

A new study could point the way to the development of better drugs to fight a deadly form of childhood leukemia called mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL).

15 Dec 2009

Texas researchers identify new detection method for circulating tumor cells

Circulating metastatic breast cancer cells can lose their epithelial receptors, a process that enables them to travel through the bloodstream undetected, according to research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

14 Dec 2009

Study may help in treating sex differentiation disorders in children

Is it a boy or a girl? Expecting parents may be accustomed to this question, but contrary to what they may think, the answer doesn't depend solely on their child's sex chromosomes.

11 Dec 2009

Winner of the 2010 Avanti Young Investigator Award in Lipid Research

Sarah L. Keller, a professor of chemistry and adjunct professor of physics at the University of Washington, has been named the winner of the 2010 Avanti Young Investigator Award in Lipid Research for her innovative and cutting-edge studies on membrane lipids.

11 Dec 2009

UT researchers identify new molecule that slows ALS progression in mice

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that a molecule produced naturally by muscles in response to nerve damage can reduce symptoms and prolong life in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

11 Dec 2009

Study may lead to improved, targeted therapies for cancer patients

A team of Princeton University scientists has produced a systematic listing of the ways a particular cancerous cell has "gone wrong," giving researchers a powerful tool that eventually could make possible new, more targeted therapies for patients.

11 Dec 2009

microRNA-206 plays crucial role in the progression of ALS

miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on improving patients' lives by developing innovative microRNA-based therapeutics for cardiovascular and muscle disease, today announced the publication of data demonstrating that microRNA-206 (miR-206) plays a crucial role in the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and in neuromuscular synaptic regeneration in mice.

11 Dec 2009