Structural Biology News and Research

RSS

Game theory and the cancer ecosystem: an interview with Professor Pienta, Johns Hopkins

The classic description of game theory was described by the prisoner's dilemma, which is a situation in which two players have two options where the outcome depends on the simultaneous choice made by the other.

29 Oct 2014

Proteins linked to severe forms of ALS are less stable, suggests new study

A new study by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and other institutions suggests a cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

14 Oct 2014

Chronic consumption of melatonine helps combat obesity, diabetes

Scientists at the University of Granada, in collaboration with La Paz University Hospital in Madrid and the University of Texas, San Antonio in the US have demonstrated through several experiments conducted on Zucker obese rats that chronic consumption of melatonine helps combat obesity and diabetes mellitus type two.

3 Oct 2014

Research findings provide clues for design of future HIV vaccine

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have described how a single family of antibodies that broadly neutralizes different strains of HIV has evolved remarkably diverse structures to attack a vulnerable site on the virus.

26 Sep 2014

Case Western Reserve University’s synchrotron facility to become No. 1 beamline facility for biology

Case Western Reserve University’s synchrotron facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory is on its way to becoming the No. 1 beamline facility for biology in the world by early 2016, thanks to a jumpstart grant of $4.6 million from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, a component of the National Institutes of Health.

24 Sep 2014

Zebrafish may hold key to unlocking a leading cause of respiratory diseases

A small freshwater fish found in many tropical aquariums may hold the key to unlocking one of the leading causes of respiratory diseases in humans.

17 Sep 2014

Researchers uncover new pathways that transport sugar molecules to cells

Sugar is a vital source of energy for both plants and animals alike. Understanding just how sugar makes its way into the cell could lead to the design of better drugs for diabetes patients and an increase in the amount of fruits and vegetables farmers are able to grow.

16 Sep 2014

Researchers unravel molecular mechanism of mRNA recognition

The information encoded in our genes is translated into proteins, which ultimately mediate biological functions in an organism.

9 Sep 2014

UAB scientist receives R01 grant to study transmission of deadly bacteria from mothers to infants

New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry will study the transmission of a bacteria that up to 40 percent of healthy women carry, which becomes deadly when passed on to infants during birth.

25 Aug 2014

Engineers create truly portable device for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

A team of engineers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Schlumberger-Doll Research Center in Cambridge, Mass., and the University of Texas, Austin, have created a truly portable device for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

5 Aug 2014

Researchers at NIH-FEI Living Lab for Structural Biology achieve breakthrough biological results

FEI is pleased to announce that researchers at the NIH-FEI Living Lab for Structural Biology have achieved breakthrough biological results, using FEI’s Titan Krios™ transmission electron microscope (TEM), to elucidate the structural mechanism by which glutamate receptors participate in the transmission of signals between neurons in the brain. Their work is described in Nature, “Structural Mechanism of Glutamate Receptor Activation and Desensitization,” by Meyerson, et al., (DOI: 10.1038/nature13603), http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature13603.html .

From Thermo Fisher Scientific – Electron Microscopy Solutions 4 Aug 2014

Study reveals intricate mechanisms involved in enzyme that governs DNA duplication

In a study published today in Genes & Development, Dr Christian Speck from the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre's DNA Replication group, in collaboration with Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), New York, reveal the intricate mechanisms involved in the enzyme that governs DNA duplication during cell division.

4 Aug 2014

Identification of new molecular mechanism indicates new ways to block uncontrolled cell division

1 Aug 2014

Researchers investigate hereditary breast cancer to find new treatment approaches

Deborah Kelly and Zhi Sheng, assistant professors at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, recently received a grant from the Commonwealth Health Research Board to investigate hereditary breast cancer, an effort that may lead to new treatment approaches.

30 Jul 2014

Montefiore-Einstein investigators to present new findings from eight abstracts at IFHNOS 2014

Clinicians and researchers from Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University will present new findings from eight abstracts at the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies World Congress being held July 26 - July 30 in New York.

26 Jul 2014

Dynamic nuclear polarization: an interview with Professor Robert Griffin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

DNP, or dynamic nuclear polarization, is an NMR technique which transfers polarization from the electron spins onto the nuclear spins, using constant microwave irradiation to enable the transfer.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 24 Jul 2014

Marmoset's unique rapid reproductive system sheds new light on evolution and primate biology

A team of scientists from around the world led by Baylor College of Medicine and Washington University in St. Louis has completed the genome sequence of the common marmoset - the first sequence of a New World Monkey - providing new information about the marmoset's unique rapid reproductive system, physiology and growth, shedding new light on primate biology and evolution.

21 Jul 2014

Researchers reveal molecular interplay between Roquin and RNA

The Roquin protein, discovered in 2005, controls T-cell activation and differentiation by regulating the expression of certain mRNAs. In doing so, it helps to guarantee immunological tolerance and prevents immune responses against the body's own structures that can lead to autoimmune disease.

16 Jul 2014

A*STAR scientists pioneered a molecular connection between obesity and diabetes

Scientists from the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, a research institute under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, have discovered that obese individuals lack a protein that is essential for regulating blood glucose levels, causing them to face higher risks of developing diabetes.

1 Jul 2014

Pew, Stewart Trust announce new scholars program for cancer research

The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust announced the inaugural class of Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research. Five promising early-career scientists will receive funding for research aimed at finding cures for cancer using approaches that include genetics, pharmacology, and structural biology.

24 Jun 2014