Molecular & Structural Biology

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MIDAS platform accelerates protein engineering through rapid PCR-based screening

Proteins are critical to life – and to industry. There are countless proteins that could be engineered to treat and even cure serious diseases and cellular dysfunctions.

19 May 2026

New technology reveals how RNA shapes influence protein production and stability

Researchers from A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore (A*STAR GIS) have developed a new method, called 'sm-PORE-cupine', to study individual RNA molecules and reveal how their structures influence gene regulation, a fundamental process that affects how cells function in health and disease.

15 May 2026

A breakthrough molecular discovery could neutralize gluten and protect coeliac patients

A research project led by the Institute for Research in Nutrition and Food Safety (INSA) and the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences at the University of Barcelona, together with the Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (IBMB) of the CSIC (which stands for Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), has successfully designed and tested a gluten-degrading molecule that is a promising ally in the management of coeliac disease, an autoimmune disease whose symptoms are triggered by the consumption of gluten and other prolamins found in cereals.

14 May 2026

AI-based generative framework create all-atom models of proteins in motion

Many drug and antibody discovery pathways focus on intricately folded cell membrane proteins. When molecules of a drug candidate bind to these proteins, like a key going into a lock, they trigger chemical cascades that alter cellular behavior.

13 May 2026

Dual-pathway protein degradation approach could improve cancer treatment

Targeted protein degradation has become one of the most promising strategies in modern drug discovery, enabling scientists to eliminate disease-causing proteins instead of merely blocking them.

12 May 2026

Two proteins help maintain stem cells by preventing differentiation

Researchers from The University of Osaka find that the zinc finger proteins RLF and ZFP292 assist in stabilizing the CoREST corepressor complex at gene promoters in embryonic stem cells, preventing differentiation.

12 May 2026

Uncountable expands specialty chemicals footprint with four new deals

Uncountable, a software company that develops AI platforms for end-to-end product development, today announced it has signed four new agreements with specialty chemicals organizations to support formulation development, scale-up, and production optimization.

From Uncountable Inc. 11 May 2026

Atomic-level images could improve future COVID-19 antiviral drug design

The closest-ever detailed look at a key enzyme inside the virus that causes COVID-19 could lead to more effective treatment of the disease.

10 May 2026

New molecular framework paves the way for targeted Parkinson’s therapeutic interventions

A new study led by researchers from VIB and KU Leuven shows that Parkinson's disease can be divided into distinct subtypes, helping explain why a single treatment does not work for all patients. Using an machine-learning-driven analysis, the team identified two main groups and five subgroups of the disease, marking an important step toward more personalized therapies. The findings were recently published in Nature Communications.

5 May 2026

Cryo-electron microscopy offers an unprecedented view of gene transcription

The enzyme RNA polymerase (RNAP) carries out transcription, copying DNA into RNA. It's the first step in gene expression, and a process fundamental to all life.

30 Apr 2026

Metabolic rewiring could help CAR-T cells fight solid tumors

This review explains how glucose scarcity, lipid disruption, amino acid deprivation, and toxic metabolites weaken CAR-T cells inside solid tumors. It highlights metabolic reprogramming as a promising strategy to improve CAR-T cell persistence, adaptability, and anti-tumor function.

29 Apr 2026

How multi-omics is changing what scientists can see in the human immune system

Human systems immunology is using multi-omics, single-cell tools, spatial technologies, and AI to decode immune responses across real-world human cohorts. The review highlights major opportunities for biomarker discovery and precision medicine, while stressing the need for rigorous study design, validation, and careful interpretation.

29 Apr 2026

Detailed images reveal DNA repair mechanism in cancer-related proteins

Scientists have captured the most detailed structural images to date of a specific type of protein's DNA repair process, a finding that could reveal ways to inhibit the effects of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations that heighten the risk for breast, ovarian and other cancers.

28 Apr 2026

Detailed structure of Vibrio bacteria offers hope for new therapies

Scientists have mapped in unprecedented detail the structure of Vibrio bacteria, which can cause life-threatening infections linked to antibiotic resistance.

23 Apr 2026

Breast milk sugars promote beneficial bacterial balance in infant guts

Sugars contained exclusively in breast milk are helping to feed an important balance of bacteria in babies' developing gut microbiomes, a new study has found.

22 Apr 2026

Global proteomics data sharing grows fast as ProteomeXchange scales up

ProteomeXchange’s 2026 update shows that global proteomics data sharing continues to accelerate, with more than 64,000 datasets submitted and nearly half added in just the last three years. The paper also highlights how standards, reuse tools, and AI-ready resources are helping make mass spectrometry proteomics data more findable, accessible, and reusable.

20 Apr 2026

Proteomics and AI bring earlier risk prediction into sharper focus

This review examines how high-throughput proteomics is expanding precision medicine by improving biomarker discovery, disease prediction, and drug development. It also shows how AI is helping researchers interpret complex proteomic data while highlighting major barriers such as standardization, validation, and clinical translation.

19 Apr 2026

Why clinical proteomics faces a mass spectrometry vs. high-throughput profiling dilemma

This Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine review examines a central challenge in precision medicine: whether medical laboratories should prioritize metrologically sound, proteoform-resolving protein quantification by mass spectrometry or adopt scalable, affinity-based proteome profiling platforms built for high-throughput discovery and machine learning. It concludes that while emerging proteomics technologies expand diagnostic possibilities, careful validation, standardization, and quality assurance will be essential, with a hybrid path likely offering the most practical way forward.

19 Apr 2026

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