Structural Biology News and Research

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Bruker offers new TopSpin NMR software to MAC users

At the 52nd ENC, Bruker is welcoming Apple users to its industry-leading TopSpin™ NMR software. Mac OS X joins Windows and Linux as supported operating systems for Bruker's TopSpin processing software, providing NMR scientists in academia and industry with the ability to use the operating environment of their choice.

11 Apr 2011

Takeda, Heptares collaborate to develop new drugs against CNS disorders

Heptares Therapeutics and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company today announced the formation of a two-year drug discovery collaboration focused on a single G-protein coupled receptor that plays an important role in the pathology of central nervous system disorders.

11 Apr 2011

ASBMB honors Stanford professor with DeLano Award for Computational Biosciences

Stanford University professor Axel T. Brunger has been named the winner of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology's inaugural DeLano Award for Computational Biosciences. Brunger will present his award lecture, titled "Towards Structural Biology with Single Molecules" at 9:03 a.m. on Wednesday, April 13, at the Experimental Biology 2011 conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

8 Apr 2011

ASBMB to honor 11 scientists with annual awards for biomedical research

The winners of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology annual awards will give lectures at the Experimental Biology 2011 conference April 9-13 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

8 Apr 2011

Scientists identify two molecules that enable cancer spread

For many types of cancer, the original tumor itself is usually not deadly. Instead, it's the spread of a tiny subpopulation of cells from the primary tumor to other parts of the body—the process known as metastasis—that all too often kills the patient.

8 Apr 2011

Research offers first structural insights into 'client' protein shape in chaperone presence

In the constantly morphing field of protein structure, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute offer yet another surprise: a common "chaperone" protein in cells thought to help other proteins fold has been shown instead to loosen them.

4 Apr 2011

New discovery provides insight into complex Rad50 molecular motor function

Over the last years, two teams of researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have steadily built a model of how a powerful DNA repair complex works. Now, their latest discovery provides revolutionary insights into the way the molecular motor inside the complex functions - findings they say may have implications for treatment of disorders ranging from cancer to cystic fibrosis.

28 Mar 2011

NeoProteomics secures exclusive option agreement with Case Western Reserve University

NeoProteomics Inc., a biomarker development and software company, has secured an exclusive option agreement with Case Western Reserve University. The deal has potential to enhance various forms of treatment of cancer, diabetes, and inflammatory diseases.

28 Mar 2011

Biologists decipher molecular code regulating availability of brain channel linked to neuronal excitability

A key question in protein biochemistry is how proteins recognize "correct" interaction partners in a sea of cellular factors. Nowhere is that more critical to know than in the brain, where interactions governing channel protein activity can alter an organism's behavior.

23 Mar 2011

Vitamin A may play key role in sperm cell formation and development of central nervous system

In a recently-published study mapping the structure and function of the so-called "orphan" nuclear receptor TR4, Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) investigators suggest that Vitamin A may play a more direct role than was previously known in certain physiological functions including sperm cell formation and the development of the central nervous system.

18 Mar 2011

Researchers discover 3-D structure of key biological receptor

Researchers have solved the three-dimensional structure of a key biological receptor. The finding has the potential to speed drug discovery in many areas, from arthritis to respiratory disorders to wound healing, because it enables chemists to better examine and design molecules for use in experimental drugs.

16 Mar 2011

Study identifies potential therapeutic target for neurodegenerative disorders

Cell biologists pondering the death of neurons - brain cells - said today that by eliminating one ingredient from the cellular machinery, they prolonged the life of neurons stressed by a pesticide chemical. The finding identifies a potential therapeutic target to slow changes that lead to neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

14 Mar 2011

Scientists complete protein 3D structural sequence essential for cellular function

Researchers at IRB Barcelona have completed the 3D structural sequence adopted by several essential proteins in the exchange of substances between the extra and intracellular milieu. This finding provides a global perspective of the structural changes that occur in these relevant proteins during basic cell processes, such as protein synthesis, the regulation of metabolism and cell volume, and nerve transmission.

24 Feb 2011

Researchers develop hard X-ray laser to determine structure of biomolecules

Unraveling the molecular basis of life is an age-old quest of humanity. A breakthrough towards this goal was reported in a pair of studies published Feb. 3 in the scientific journal Nature, detailing a new method developed to determine structures of biomolecules based on diffraction from protein nanocrystals that are so small that they are not even visible under the microscope.

3 Feb 2011

Scientists to develop enzyme that protects against nerve agents

Protection against nerve gas attack is a significant component of the defense system of many countries around the world. Nerve gases are used by armies and terrorist organizations, and constitute a threat to both the military and civilian populations, but existing drug solutions against them have limited efficiency.

25 Jan 2011

New discovery has brought dream of transforming measles virus against cancer

When most people in the developed world think of measles, what comes to mind is only a dim memory of a vaccination at a pediatrician's office. But while childhood vaccination has virtually eliminated measles from North America and much of Europe, researchers remain interested in the virus.

13 Jan 2011

VENENUM Biodesign relocates to new, state-of-the-art facility in Hamilton

VENENUM Biodesign, a drug discovery company that utilizes ultra-high throughput screening (UHTS) of its compound collection to identify hits against its novel disease-based targets or its partners' targets, announced today its relocation to a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility in Hamilton, NJ in Mercer County.

5 Jan 2011

XFELs technology can track damaged membrane protein structure

Australian researchers have identified a way to measure the structure of membrane proteins despite being damaged when using X-ray Free-Electron Lasers, a discovery that will help fast track the development of targeted drugs using emerging XFELs technology.

21 Dec 2010

'Histone code' needs to be used with caution

The function of histones -- the proteins that enable yards of DNA to be crammed into a single cell -- depends on a number of chemical tags adorning their exterior. This sophisticated chemical syntax for packaging DNA into tight little coils or unraveling it again -- called the "histone code" -- is the latest frontier for researchers bent on understanding how genetics encodes life.

17 Dec 2010

Zenobia, Lundbeck enter research collaboration for LRRK2 Parkinson's disease target

Zenobia Therapeutics, Inc. the leader in fragment-based lead discovery for CNS diseases, announced today a research collaboration with H. Lundbeck A/S utilizing Zenobia's expertise in protein expression and x-ray crystallography for the Parkinson's disease target, LRRK2. Under the agreement, Zenobia will continue to use its capabilities in fragment-based lead discovery (FBLD) to advance its internal LRRK2 drug discovery program independently of Lundbeck.

16 Dec 2010