Molecular & Structural Biology

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Discovery opens door to new diagnostics and therapeutic strategies for male infertility

Scientists at The University of Toledo discovered new movement in sperm that provides innovative avenues for diagnostics and therapeutic strategies for male infertility.

28 Jun 2021

Understanding new resting phase of stem cells could help put glioma tumors to sleep

Christopher Plaisier, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, and Samantha O'Connor, a biomedical engineering doctoral student in the Plaisier Lab, are leading research into a new stage of the stem cell life cycle that could be the key to unlocking new methods of brain cancer treatment.

25 Jun 2021

Structural studies of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reveal new properties of Alpha and Beta variants

New SARS-CoV-2 variants are spreading rapidly, and there are fears that current COVID-19 vaccines won't protect against them.

25 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 identify key role of enzyme essential for invasion of the toxoplasmosis parasite

Scientists from the universities of Geneva and Zurich and the PSI have identified the structure and functions of RON13, an enzyme of the toxoplasmosis parasite that is essential for the infectious mechanism in humans.

24 Jun 2021

Researchers identify a new type of odor neuron in flies

The stink of ammonia in urine, sweat, and rotting meat repels humans, but many insects find ammonia alluring. Now, UConn researchers have figured out how the annoying insects smell it, a discovery that could lead to better ways to make them buzz off.

24 Jun 2021

Increasing novel lncRNA in cardiomyocytes can inhibit the progression of heart failure

A research collaboration based in Kumamoto University (Japan) has identified a novel lncRNA, Caren, that is abundantly expressed in cardiomyocytes.

23 Jun 2021

Researchers unravel new mechanism that enables cancer development

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have uncovered a new mechanism that activates specific genes, leading to the development of cancers.

23 Jun 2021

Heidelberg researchers replicate rare genetic defect in fish model

A rare genetic defect that affects the so-called ALG2 gene can cause serious metabolic diseases in humans. It does so through the defective formation of proteins and sugar molecules.

23 Jun 2021

Protein blueprint may aid in treatments for infertility and help protect future fertility

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have developed a blueprint for a protein that plays an important role in the development and regulation of reproductive organs.

22 Jun 2021

Study shows how epigenetic factors modulate the risk of type 1 diabetes

Genetics plays a major role in determining a person’s risk of developing type 1 diabetes, but environmental and lifestyle factors are also important. In an article recently published in Chinese Medical Journal, a team of researchers explore the interplay of genetic and environmental factors by summarizing the literature on type 1 diabetes and epigenetics—the study of how gene expression patterns can be modified.

18 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.

16 Jun 2021

Precise manipulation of folate metabolism may pave way to broadly improve health during aging

Several different causes of aging have been discovered, but the question remains whether there are common underlying mechanisms that determine ageing and lifespan.

16 Jun 2021

Repressing a protein that facilitates DNA repair to potentiate chemotherapy

Chemotherapy kills tumor cells by causing damage to them. One of the most effective ways of causing damage is to prevent the two DNA strands from separating so that the cellular machinery cannot read the instructions written in the genes.

15 Jun 2021

Molecular biologists elucidate the key role of motor proteins in cell division

Proper chromosome segregation into two future daughter cells requires the mitotic spindle to elongate in anaphase.

15 Jun 2021

Study creates a new model of Alzheimer's disease progression

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by neurodegeneration in regions of the brain involved in memory and learning. Amyloid beta and tau are two toxic proteins that build up in disease and cause eventual neuronal death, but little is known about how other cells in the brain react during disease progression.

14 Jun 2021

Researchers identify brain regions involved in seeking information about negative events

The term "doomscrolling" describes the act of endlessly scrolling through bad news on social media and reading every worrisome tidbit that pops up, a habit that unfortunately seems to have become common during the COVID-19 pandemic.

11 Jun 2021

New gene expression network can help understand mechanism behind continuous stem cell activity in plants

An inter-university research group has succeeded in constructing the gene expression network behind the vascular development process in plants.

11 Jun 2021

Molecular & Structural Biology

Discovery opens door to new diagnostics and therapeutic strategies for male infertility

Understanding new resting phase of stem cells could help put glioma tumors to sleep

Structural studies of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reveal new properties of Alpha and Beta variants

Researchers determine molecular structure of bacterial protein complex critical for tuberculosis

Surprising similarities found in membrane proteins of bacteria and humans

Researchers identify key role of enzyme essential for invasion of the toxoplasmosis parasite

Researchers identify a new type of odor neuron in flies

Increasing novel lncRNA in cardiomyocytes can inhibit the progression of heart failure

Researchers unravel new mechanism that enables cancer development

Heidelberg researchers replicate rare genetic defect in fish model

Protein blueprint may aid in treatments for infertility and help protect future fertility

Study shows how epigenetic factors modulate the risk of type 1 diabetes

Scientists decipher the activation mechanism of a chemokine receptor

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

Precise manipulation of folate metabolism may pave way to broadly improve health during aging

Repressing a protein that facilitates DNA repair to potentiate chemotherapy

Molecular biologists elucidate the key role of motor proteins in cell division

Study creates a new model of Alzheimer's disease progression

Researchers identify brain regions involved in seeking information about negative events

New gene expression network can help understand mechanism behind continuous stem cell activity in plants

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Modular, Scalable, Intelligent: How n6 Is Rethinking NGS Library Prep

Evolving spectrophotometry for modern biopharma workflows

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