Biochemistry

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New class of drugs could prevent cancer from becoming resistant to treatment

Scientists at Massey University in New Zealand have taken the first step towards a new class of drug that could stop cancer from becoming resistant to treatment. Treatment resistance is a serious problem to the successful treatment of cancer patients because it leads to cancer returning and becoming harder to treat.

15 Oct 2019

Simpler and direct method for producing lipidated proteins

Some of the body's proteins are not just made up of amino acids, they are also 'decorated' with lipid chains, which significantly influence the biological functions of the protein.

15 Oct 2019

Highly sensitive method can 'track' fat metabolism

Without fat, nothing works in the body: These substances serve as energy suppliers and important building blocks - including for the envelopes of living cells.

14 Oct 2019

New study finds genetic link for some forms of SIDS

A genetic link has now been found for some instances of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS. The new UW Medicine research study is the first to make an explainable link tracking the mechanism between a genetic anomaly and some forms of the devastating syndrome, which claims the lives of more than 3,000 infants a year.

11 Oct 2019

Research may help explain how liquid organelles in cells coexist without merging

New research may help to explain an intriguing phenomenon inside human cells: how wall-less liquid organelles are able to coexist as separate entities instead of just merging together.

10 Oct 2019

A Lego-like approach to enhance nature's own ability to attack bacteria

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers antibiotic resistance one of the most urgent public health threats, one that affects communities worldwide. The ramifications of bacteria's ability to become resistant to antibiotics can be seen in hospitals, public places, our food supply, and our water.

10 Oct 2019

Musical training alters how humans perceive music

From a general perspective, harmony in music is the balance of the proportions between the different parts of a whole, which causes a feeling of pleasure.

10 Oct 2019

Scientists uncover details of antibody response to Ebola virus vaccine

In the recurring, deadly Ebola outbreaks in parts of Africa, today's health workers now have at least some tools to fight the disease: vaccines. Vaccines against Ebola have been administered to over 100,000 people to date, but they are barely out of the experimental stage.

10 Oct 2019

Chemists employ new strategy to synthesize complex natural products

Chemists from the University of Basel have succeeded in synthesizing two complex natural products from the group of dithiodiketopiperazines (DTPs).

9 Oct 2019

Chemists successfully synthesize complex natural products

Chemists from the University of Basel have succeeded in synthesizing two complex natural products from the group of dithiodiketopiperazines (DTPs). For this, they employed a new strategy based on "C-H bond activation," resulting in a short and high yielding route.

9 Oct 2019

New antibiotic discovered in Mexican tropical forest

Scientists from Rutgers University and around the world have discovered an antibiotic produced by a soil bacterium from a Mexican tropical forest that may help lead to a "plant probiotic," more robust plants and other antibiotics.

8 Oct 2019

University of Notre Dame receives funding to help launch diabetic ulcer drug over 'Valley of Death'

Thousands of new chemical structures are tested in hopes of discovering a single drug meant to treat a single disease. Of the 5,000 to 10,000 that are prepared, only about 250 of those make it to the pre-clinical stage, and potentially as few as five make it to clinical trials in humans.

8 Oct 2019

Scientists study how immune cells sense and respond to their environment to fight diseases

Scientists at the University of Dundee have carried out one of the most comprehensive studies into how immune cells sense and respond to their environment to fight infection and destroy tumors.

8 Oct 2019

New protein painting technology could transform drug discovery process

George Mason University researchers have discovered the exact location where two proteins responsible for hiding cancer cells from the immune system bind.

8 Oct 2019

Researchers determine how the colon prioritizes gas detox over energy use

Onions, cabbage, garlic. While nutritious, eating these foods can lead to an embarrassing side effect: smelly flatulence. More than just smelly, hydrogen sulfide, the chemical compound responsible for the rotten-egg aroma, is deadly if inhaled at doses of more than 700 parts per million.

7 Oct 2019

New link between two important products of nitric oxide discovered

Ever since three US-based researchers working independently unveiled the role of nitric oxide in mediating blood vessel dilation, endothelial cell contraction and smooth muscle relaxation, their discoveries have served as a basis for novel treatments for high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction, among other conditions.

4 Oct 2019

Exploiting the weak spot in pathogenic bacteria to develop new antibiotics

Antibiotics are still the most important weapon for combatting bacterial infections. But medical science is running out of "ammunition" because of more and more frequently occurring resistances.

4 Oct 2019

Chemical-sensing cells in the gums protect the mouth from infections

Newly discovered chemical-sensing cells in the gums protect the mouth by standing guard against infections that damage soft tissue and destroy the bone that supports the teeth, report researchers from the Monell Chemical Senses Center in an animal study published this week in Nature Communications.

3 Oct 2019

UCR biochemist receives grant to develop novel lead compound to treat breast cancer

A biochemist at the University of California, Riverside, has received a grant from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, or CDMRP, of the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a novel lead compound to treat breast cancer, the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women.

3 Oct 2019