Molecular & Structural Biology

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High-resolution study maps molecular differences across six human cortical regions

A new analysis of individual brain cells across several human brain regions reveals subtle but widespread differences in gene activity between male and female brains. This may help explain why some psychiatric and neurological disorders appear to affect the biological sexes differently, researchers report.

17 Apr 2026

Researchers use light-activated drugs to map the brain's internal painkillers

Placebo effects, in which patients experience relief without therapeutic treatment, increasingly have been considered as potentially powerful clinical treatments for ailments such as depression and pain. Yet the neurological mechanisms underlying such processes are not fully understood. Now, a multi-institutional team led by the University of California San Diego's Matthew Banghart, an associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences, has pinpointed the brain circuitry responsible for placebo pain relief.

17 Apr 2026

Understanding cell messaging provides a blueprint for targeting inaccessible tumors

Researchers at University College Dublin have discovered a previously unknown "courier system" that cells use to deliver coherent biological messages between each other, opening new possibilities for medicine and biotechnology.

16 Apr 2026

Researchers discover how stress signals weaken the aging immune system

As we age, our ability to maintain healthy blood and a strong immune system gradually declines, largely because hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), the cells responsible for producing all blood cell types, begin to lose their effectiveness. Normally, HSCs can both self-renew and generate a balanced mix of blood cells, but over time they produce fewer new cells, favor certain cells such as myeloid cells over lymphoid cells, and struggle to support a robust immune response.

16 Apr 2026

Study explains failure of cellular cleanup in neurodegenerative diseases

Inside every cell, a cleanup operation runs around the clock. Proteins are constantly damaged by wear and tear. Some can be repaired, while others must be dismantled and recycled.

15 Apr 2026

SPT Labtech and EMBL GeneCore collaborate to advance fully walkaway automation in genomics workflows

SPT Labtech, a global leader in the design and development of laboratory automation and liquid handling solutions, and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's Genomics Core Facility (EMBL GeneCore), today announced a collaboration to advance fully walkaway automated genomics workflows.

From SPT Labtech 15 Apr 2026

New method boosts AI-driven protein engineering with massive data

Protein engineering is a field primed for artificial intelligence research. Each protein is made up of amino acids; to optimize a protein function, researchers modify proteins by switching out one of 20 different amino acids for another.

13 Apr 2026

How next-generation proteomics is decoding the language of life

This review examines how next-generation protein sequencing and analysis technologies are expanding proteomics beyond the limits of mass spectrometry, especially for detecting proteoforms and analyzing proteins at single-molecule resolution. It highlights maturing fluorescence-based and nanopore-based platforms that could complement existing methods and deepen insight into protein sequence, structure, function, and modification states.

13 Apr 2026

Protein complex cohesin found essential for guiding cell identity decisions

Temporarily disabling a protein complex that organizes DNA into loops inside the cell's nucleus drastically disrupted the three-dimensional structure of the genome, but surprisingly most genes continued to function as usual, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers found.

13 Apr 2026

Study uncovers key structure in fatal Borna disease virus 1

Cases of Borna disease virus 1, or BoDV-1, are extremely rare in humans, but in those who develop disease the outcome is severe, almost always resulting in fatal encephalitis or inflammation in the brain.

11 Apr 2026

Social closeness drives the exchange of gut bacteria

Living with friends may quietly be altering your gut bacteria - according to a new study from the University of East Anglia.

10 Apr 2026

Revvity unveils its Signals BioDesign offering to advance biologic research workflows

Revvity, Inc. announced that its Revvity Signals Software business is launching Signals BioDesign™, a cloud-native molecular cloning solution that streamlines biologics research workflows.

From Revvity Signals Software Inc. 10 Apr 2026

One letter DNA change switches sex development in mice

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have discovered that changing just one letter in DNA can completely alter sex development in mice.

9 Apr 2026

Dynamic binding of linker histone H1 shapes flexible chromatin organization

DNA inside the nucleus is not packed as a rigid regular fiber-linker histone H1 dynamically binds and loosely "glues" nucleosomes together, creating a dynamic, fluid organization that can still support essential genome functions.

9 Apr 2026

Study explains why current BET inhibitors fail in cancer treatment

For over a decade, a class of drugs called BET inhibitors has been tested in cancer trials with high expectations.

9 Apr 2026

Climate shock effects persist for generations, fruit fly study shows

A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, finds that changes in animal development induced by climate shock persist generations after the initial event.

8 Apr 2026

Pol theta enzyme identified as key driver of cancer resilience

A cancer drug target already being investigated in clinical trials turns out to be doing something even more consequential than researchers realized.

7 Apr 2026

Scientists create large library of mitochondrial DNA mutant models

Some of your most important life partners are the mitochondria that power all your cells. You and these little cellular powerhouses are in a 1.5-billion-year-old evolutionary relationship-but mitochondria brought some baggage.

6 Apr 2026

Study reveals how bacterial collagenase efficiently breaks down collagen

Collagen is an important protein that helps build the tissues of humans and animals. It is very strong because it is made of three protein strands twisted tightly together like a rope. Because of this sturdy structure, ordinary protein-cutting enzymes usually cannot break it down.

3 Apr 2026

Study reveals pearling mechanism behind mitochondrial DNA spacing

Mitochondria are often described as the cell's power plants, because they generate energy. To help them achieve this, mitochondria carry their own small genome called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

2 Apr 2026