Molecular & Structural Biology

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Genomic medicine may one day revolutionize cardiovascular care

The American Heart Association has summarized the state-of-the science in the field of genomic medicine for studying cardiovascular traits and disorders, therapeutic screening.

29 May 2018

Miniaturized device offers new way to gain insight into cell processes and communication

Like humans, cells of the same species each have a distinct "personality." When confronted with an external stimulus like a virus, they each secrete a different quantity of molecules and communicate with each other to a varying degree.

28 May 2018

OSU biologist describes 'restoration ecology' approach toward patient health

Chronic diseases like cancer, autoimmune disorders and obesity may ultimately vanquish the efforts of medical intervention unless people change their diet, an Oregon State University biologist argues in a paper published this week.

26 May 2018

Researchers call for new genetic tests for congenital diseases

Researchers have discovered that genetic mutations called epivariations are the cause of certain neurodevelopmental disorders and congenital diseases.

25 May 2018

Study establishes the importance of haploid cells

A new study has found that when the cell replication process exceeds or has less than a pair of chromosome set (a genome), destabilization occurs.

25 May 2018

Researchers provide insight into how the memory molecule limits brain plasticity

The brain has an incredible capacity to support a lifetime of learning and memory. Each new experience fundamentally alters the connections between cells in the brain called synapses.

24 May 2018

Scientists uncover the cause of insulin resistance in obesity

A team of international researchers has identified a pathway by which obesity results in reduced insulin sensitivity.

24 May 2018

Scientists report new strategy for fighting bacteria

Antimicrobial resistance is a major medical problem worldwide, impacting both human health and economic well-being.

24 May 2018

Researchers take important step toward finding protein biomarkers during cancer surgery

Isabelle Fournier and her team are out to change surgical oncology. "Better surgery is associated with better prognosis and higher survival," said Fournier, a professor at the University of Lille and co-director of a proteomics center of INSERM, the French national institute of health.

24 May 2018

Scientists create small, self-contained spaces inside mammalian cells

How to install new capabilities in cells without interfering with their metabolic processes? A team from the Technical University of Munich and the Helmholtz Zentrum München have altered mammalian cells in such a way that they formed artificial compartments in which sequestered reactions could take place, allowing the detection of cells deep in the tissue and also their manipulation with magnetic fields.

23 May 2018

Study provides blueprint of how fruit flies can be used to screen potentially pathogenic human genes

It all began with one young patient; a 7-year old boy who was born without a thymus, an important organ of the immune system, and without functional immune cells. The boy also presented with cardiac and skeletal defects, dysmorphic craniofacial features and some signs of autistic behaviors.

23 May 2018

Researchers complete genomic map of chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Researchers have created a high-resolution map of the entire epigenome of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the most common form of leukemia.

23 May 2018

HU researchers explore how simulated microgravity affects gene expression, muscle cell differentiation

Astronauts go through many physiological changes during their time in spaceflight, including lower muscle mass and slower muscle development. Similar symptoms can occur in the muscles of people on Earth's surface, too. In fact, it could affect everyone to some extent later in life.

23 May 2018

Mapping the Genes Responsible for Pluripotency

Dr. Atilgan Yilmaz and his team have developed a method by which they can produce haploid human embryonic stem cells from oocytes. They combined this technique with CRISPR-Cas9 to generate an atlas of the genome, containing the functions of over 18,000 genes.

23 May 2018

Researchers identify mechanisms that regulate mammary gland development

Publication in Nature Cell Biology: researchers at the Université libre de Bruxelles, ULB define for the first time the mechanisms responsible for the mammary gland development.

23 May 2018

DNA vaccine shows promise for colorectal cancer

For the first time in humans, researchers are testing a combined approach to treating advanced stage colorectal cancer (CRC) that may be life-changing for patients.

22 May 2018

Scientists decipher workings of little-understood bacterial riboswitch

In a discovery that points to potential new antibiotic medicines, scientists from Rice University and the University of Michigan have deciphered the workings of a common but little-understood bacterial switch that cuts off protein production before it begins.

22 May 2018

Neurological protein found to protect against inflammatory diseases

Researchers have identified a protein involved in the activation of macrophages that protects against inflammatory disorders such as sepsis and inflammatory bowel disease.

21 May 2018

Researchers identify protein essential for eye lens development and clear vision

If you want to take clear photographs, you don't use sandpaper to clear a smudge from your camera's lens. Similarly, if you want to see clearly, the lens of your eye has to be free of obstruction.

21 May 2018

Study brings fresh insights into biology of malaria parasite

A team of researchers led by a University of California, Riverside, scientist has found that various stages of the development of human malaria parasites, including stages involved in malaria transmission, are linked to epigenetic features and how chromatin -- the complex of DNA and proteins within the nucleus -- is organized and structured in these parasites.

18 May 2018