Structural Biology News and Research

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Structure-based model of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reveals opportunity to halt virus transmission

Scientists have simulated the transition of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein structure from when it recognizes the host cell to when it gains entry, according to a study published today in eLife.

1 Sep 2021

New machine learning techniques help resolve structural biology challenges

Determining the 3D shapes of biological molecules is one of the hardest problems in modern biology and medical discovery. Companies and research institutions often spend millions of dollars to determine a molecular structure – and even such massive efforts are frequently unsuccessful.

27 Aug 2021

First-in-kind kidney cancer drug developed at UTSW receives FDA approval

A first-in-kind kidney cancer drug developed from laboratory and translational studies conducted at UT Southwestern Medical Center received approval from the Food and Drug Administration, providing a new treatment for patients with familial kidney cancer.

24 Aug 2021

Researchers determine the structure of receptor involved in type 2 diabetes and other pathologies

Researchers from the University of Southern California, Merck & Co., Skoltech, MIPT, UCLA, and the Université de Sherbrooke have determined the structure of the human leukotriene B4 receptor 1, involved in inflammatory, infectious, allergic, and tumorigenic diseases.

12 Aug 2021

Pfizer moves towards an oral anti-COVID-19 therapy

Researchers in the United States have described a novel antiviral agent against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) currently being evaluated in clinical trials as a treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

2 Aug 2021

Existing drug may be effective in treating SARS-CoV-2

Scientists from the University of Chicago have found that the drug masitinib may be effective in treating COVID-19.

2 Aug 2021

Scientists deconstruct the protein-based machine responsible for SARS-CoV-2 replication

In February 2020, a trio of bio-imaging experts were sitting amiably around a dinner table at a scientific conference in Washington, D.C., when the conversation shifted to what was then a worrying viral epidemic in China.

19 Jul 2021

Scientists identify existing drugs that may inhibit SARS-CoV-2 virus

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than 600,000 deaths in the United States since the start of 2020 and more than 4 million globally.

13 Jul 2021

Researchers determine the structure of nanomachine essential for functioning of mTOR

The principle that form follows function does not only apply to design and architecture. It also applies to biology

8 Jul 2021

Researchers reveal a promising target for designing anti-cancer therapies

Chances are, every one of us has been affected by cancer in one way or another. Unlike some other deadly diseases, cancer can take many forms inside the human body, so learning more about a single enzyme linked to many types of this disease could lead to more effective treatments.

2 Jul 2021

Study highlights changes within SARS-CoV-2 variants that could be exploited to design effective inhibitors

A computational study that analyzes and explores the time-based structures of the SARS-CoV-2 variants with specific spike (S) protein mutations is discussed here.

30 Jun 2021

Researchers determine molecular structure of bacterial protein complex critical for tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is one of the top ten causes of death worldwide, infecting about one-quarter of the world's population. Although it is treatable, the rise of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis poses a major threat to global health security, and has been declared by the World Health Organization as a global health emergency.

25 Jun 2021

Surprising similarities found in membrane proteins of bacteria and humans

The cells of simple organisms, such as bacteria, as well as human cells are surrounded by a membrane, which fulfills various tasks including protecting the cell from stress.

24 Jun 2021

Researchers discover new class of drugs that inhibits a 'master switch' in mantle cell lymphoma

A new class of drugs that inhibits a "master switch" involved in the vast majority of cases of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a fatal subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, has been discovered by researchers at Mount Sinai.

22 Jun 2021

New details on transport protein could help develop drugs for neurological diseases

New details on the structure and function of a transport protein could help researchers develop drugs for neurological diseases that are better able to cross the blood-brain barrier.

18 Jun 2021

Researchers prepare for next coronavirus pandemic

Scientists are already preparing for a possible next coronavirus pandemic to strike, keeping with the seven-year pattern since 2004.

17 Jun 2021

Scientists decipher the activation mechanism of a chemokine receptor

Chemokine receptors, located at the surface of many immune cells, play an important role in their function. Chemokines are small proteins that bind to these receptors and control the movement and behavior of white blood cells.

16 Jun 2021

Study reveals structural details of omega-3 fatty acid transport across the blood–brain barrier

Spectacular images of a molecule that shuttles omega-3 fatty acids into the brain may open a doorway for delivering neurological therapeutics to the brain.