Molecular & Structural Biology

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Study uncovers potential new strategy to treat influenza A

A team of researchers from Scripps Research and Janssen Research & Development LLC has discovered an orally active small molecule that neutralizes influenza A group 1 viruses, the most common flu strains.

11 Mar 2019

Proving the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine

Using GC-MS, scientists have uncovered the anti-pyretic mechanisms of Jinxin, a traditional Chinese medicine typically prescribed for fever.

11 Mar 2019

Blood donors' leftover immune cells provide crucial insights into antibody affinity

During some kinds of blood donations, you get most of your blood back. For example, platelet donation involves a procedure in which donor blood is filtered to harvest the platelets for medical use and the rest of the blood components are returned to the donor's body.

11 Mar 2019

Creating increasingly complex brain organoids

Scientists improved the initial steps of a standard protocol and produced organoids displaying regionalized brain structures, including retinal pigmented cells. The announcement was published today in BMC Developmental Biology by the D'Or Institute for Research and Education's team.

8 Mar 2019

CAR-T cell therapy could be on the horizon for patients with lupus

Researchers have developed a novel CAR-T cell therapy that can reduce B cell numbers known to cause the inflammatory responses in lupus.

7 Mar 2019

Genetic manipulation can double life expectancy and increase health of offspring

By manipulating the genes that make humans age, researchers have discovered that lifespans can be doubled with a better quality of life for offspring.

6 Mar 2019

Researchers discover facile method for introduction of fluorine atoms into organic molecules

The vast majority of pharmaceuticals employed in the treatment of human diseases are of an organic nature, meaning that the active component is a molecule (or a combination of several molecules) that is constituted of carbon and hydrogen atoms.

6 Mar 2019

Liver tissue model can help investigate the effects of RNA interference

Novel therapies based on a process known as RNA interference hold great promise for treating a variety of diseases by blocking specific genes in a patient's cells. Many of the earliest RNAi treatments have focused on diseases of the liver, because RNA-carrying particles tend to accumulate in that organ.

6 Mar 2019

New approach to creating 'theranostics' for targeting specific tumors, diseases

A City of Hope scientist and his colleagues have developed a user-friendly approach to creating "theranostics" - therapy combined with diagnostics - that target specific tumors and diseases.

6 Mar 2019

Study sheds new light on early development of embryos

By applying gene analysis to individual cells from early mouse embryos, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered previously unknown cellular stages of fetal development from fertilized egg to living being. The study is published in the scientific journal Cell Reports.

5 Mar 2019

Evolutionary expansion of the human brain is under strong genetic control

An analysis of brain scans from more than 600 children and adolescents reveals correlations between size of brain regions unique to humans and intelligence test scores.

From Society for Neuroscience 5 Mar 2019

Study finds how miR-132 acts as ‘handbrake’ on our immune system

Researchers have discovered how a tiny molecule known as miR-132 acts as a "handbrake" on our immune system - helping us fight infection.

5 Mar 2019

Detailed atlas of the marmoset brain could provide new insights into human diseases

The ability to comprehensively map the architecture of connections between neurons in primate brains has long proven elusive for scientists.

4 Mar 2019

Research shows presence of yeasts and fungi in breast milk of healthy mothers

Investigators have now shown that the breast milk microbiome contains fungi. Multiple previous studies had found bacteria in breast milk. Certain fungi and bacteria have been shown to be important probiotics for infant health.

4 Mar 2019

Researchers study the adaptive processes of fruit flies in a controlled laboratory setting

Not just since climate change has it been of enormous interest to understand how populations adapt to new environmental conditions.

4 Mar 2019

Newly developed bioluminescence sensors pave way for drug discovery

Canadian researchers, working in partnership with Brazilian colleagues, have developed 13 bioluminescence sensors for use in testing the effectiveness of new medical drugs in the laboratory.

2 Mar 2019

Novel cell rejuvenation approach may open new avenues for regenerative medicine

Scientists from the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine of the University of Luxembourg and from the German Cancer Research Center have been able to rejuvenate stem cells in the brain of aging mice.

1 Mar 2019

Scientists use pulsed infrared light lasers to focus on the action of drugs

Having absolute control of the activity of a molecule in an organism. Deciding when, where and how a drug is activated. These are some of the goals expected to be reached with the so-called photoswitchable molecules, compounds that, in the presence of certain light waves, change their properties.

1 Mar 2019

Scientists find clue to rapid human conversations in singing mice

Studying the songs of mice from the cloud forests of Costa Rica, researchers from New York University School of Medicine and The University of Texas at Austin have identified a brain circuit that might enable the high-speed back and forth of human conversation.

1 Mar 2019

Breakthrough software tool tracks activity of neurons in real time

Tracking the firings of individual neurons is like trying to discern who is saying what in a football stadium full of screaming fans. Until recently, neuroscientists have had to tediously track each neuron by hand.

28 Feb 2019