Structural Biology News and Research

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New study explores how herpes simplex virus may change during familial transmission

A new study explores how herpes simplex virus might change when passed from one individual to another, information that may prove useful in future development of therapeutics and vaccines.

20 Oct 2017

Study provides deeper understanding on mechanisms of lipid-based autoimmune disease

Phospholipids - fat molecules that form the membranes found around cells - make up almost half of the dry weight of cells, but when it comes to autoimmune diseases, their role has largely been overlooked.

20 Oct 2017

Scientists discover how ZATT protein fixes DNA damage caused by cancer treatment

An international team led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health is the first to discover a new way that cells fix an important and dangerous type of DNA damage known as a DNA-protein cross-link.

6 Oct 2017

Researchers design novel small antibody fragment with improved crystallizability

Antibodies are a powerful weapon system in defending our body against invaders such as bacteria and viruses. Each antibody consists of four polypeptide chains: two heavy chains and two light chains joined to form a Y-shaped molecule.

21 Sep 2017

Researchers develop new approach to efficiently produce versatile antibody therapies

A group of researchers has developed an approach to efficiently produce antibodies that can bind to two different target molecules simultaneously, a long-desired innovation in the field of cancer immunotherapy.

29 Aug 2017

Research reveals LEGO-like stacking of protein complexes

When hemoglobin undergoes just one mutation, the protein complexes stick to one another, stacking like LEGO blocks to form long, stiff filaments.

29 Aug 2017

Polio vaccine developed using tobacco plants could transform how vaccines are made

Scientists have used plants to create a new polio vaccine in what is hoped to be a breakthrough in the way vaccines are made.

16 Aug 2017

Cryo-electron microscopy advances by Thermo Fisher Scientific drives structural biology research

Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, has extended its leadership in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) with the introduction of two new instruments: the Thermo Scientific Krios G3i and the Thermo Scientific Glacios cryo-transmission electron microscopes (cryo-TEMs).

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 9 Aug 2017

Researchers unravel how acidic conditions favor protein misfolding in deadly diseases

Using an array of modern biochemical and structural biology techniques, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have begun to unravel the mystery of how acidity influences a small protein called serum amyloid A (SAA).

28 Jul 2017

Study identifies key component that allows deadly bacteria to spread antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for 11,300 deaths a year in the United States alone -- a figure that corresponds to half of all deaths caused by gram-positive resistant bacteria in that country.

26 Jul 2017

New analysis compares emerging algorithms that look for cancer mutations

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute has undertaken the first-ever comparative analysis of a newly emerging category of algorithms that mine genetic information in cancer databases by focusing on internal gene structure (subgene resolution algorithms), in contrast to classical approaches that focus on genes treated as single units.

17 Jul 2017

Researchers examine formation of functional amyloids by bacteria in real time

A team of scientists from the VIB lab of Han Remaut and the lab of Yves Dufrêne at UCL Louvain-La-Neuve collaborated on a study of functional amyloids -protein aggregates with the typical amyloid structure that do not lead to disease but rather serve a dedicated biological function.

21 Jun 2017

New TSRI study could have implications for development of flu vaccines, drug therapies

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have shown that for the virus that causes the flu, two wrongs can sometimes make a right.

15 Jun 2017

Researchers identify key Lassa virus structure using powerful Argonne X-rays

Before Ebola virus ever struck West Africa, locals were already on the lookout for a deadly pathogen: Lassa virus.

13 Jun 2017

Altered virus could help more patients to become eligible for human gene therapy trials

For many patients, participating in gene therapy clinical trials isn't an option because their immune system recognizes and fights the helpful virus used for treatment.

13 Jun 2017

TSRI study reveals first-ever structure of Lassa virus protein

Before Ebola virus ever struck West Africa, locals were already on the lookout for a deadly pathogen: Lassa virus. With thousands dying from Lassa every year-;and the potential for the virus to cause even larger outbreaks- researchers are committed to designing a vaccine to stop it.

1 Jun 2017

Scripps scientists make important advance in HIV vaccine design

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have made another important advance in HIV vaccine design. The development was possible thanks to previous studies at TSRI showing the structures of a protein on HIV’s surface, called the envelope glycoprotein. The scientists used these structures to design a mimic of the viral protein from a different HIV subtype, subtype C, which is responsible for the majority of infections worldwide.

29 May 2017

Study provides vital clues to counter superbug antibiotic resistance

An international study led by Monash University has discovered the molecular mechanism by which the potentially deadly superbug 'Golden Staph' evades antibiotic treatment, providing the first important clues on how to counter superbug antibiotic resistance.

16 May 2017

Scientists solve structure of protein crucial to reproduction and spread of Zika virus

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne infectious disease linked to certain birth defects in infants in South and Central America and the United States.

11 Apr 2017

Researchers explore how sea urchins take up calcium to build hard spines

Some sea creatures cover themselves with hard shells and spines, while vertebrates build skeletons out of the same minerals. How do these animals get the calcium they need to build these strong mineral structures? Professors Lia Addadi and Steve Weiner of the Weizmann Institute of Science's Structural Biology Department asked this question about sea urchins, which need to extract quite a few calcium ions from sea water to build their spines.

6 Apr 2017