Biochemistry

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Researchers develop a hairpin-shaped bicyclic peptide to fight cancer

The inhibition of pathological protein-protein interactions is a promising approach for treating a large number of diseases, including many forms of cancer.

12 May 2021

Oleoyl-LPE promotes neurite outgrowth and protects against neuronal cell death

Lysophospholipids are phospholipids that have just one fatty acid chain, and in recent years, the role of lysophospholipids in physiology and pathophysiology has attracted attention.

12 May 2021

Cerebral organoids provide new insight into role of key enzyme in natural brain development

Like many around the world, the lab of Professor Mriganka Sur in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT has embraced the young technology of cerebral organoids, or "minibrains," for studying human brain development in health and disease.

11 May 2021

Specially designed hydrogel offers great hope for combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a new material that prevents infections in wounds - a specially designed hydrogel, that works against all types of bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant ones.

11 May 2021

Researchers improve method to inhibit viruses that cause childhood respiratory infections

By engineering a short chunk of protein, or peptide, that can prevent the attachment of human parainfluenza viruses to cells, researchers have improved a method in rodent models intended to help keep children healthy.

10 May 2021

Brain-targeting drug delivery with nano-scaled apoptotic bodies

Scientists from Nanjing University and University of Macau have discovered nano-scaled apoptotic bodies (ABs) as a new brain-targeting drug carrier, bringing new promise for the Parkinson's Disease as well as other brain diseases.

7 May 2021

UMass Amherst researchers achieve breakthrough in the fight against cancer

A team of researchers at the Center for Bioactive Delivery at the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Institute for Applied Life Sciences has engineered a nanoparticle that has the potential to revolutionize disease treatment, including for cancer.

6 May 2021

Study details the complex chemistry and ever-expanding uses of hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is more than a buzzword ingredient touted by skincare brands. The "workhorse" capabilities of this biopolymer, which is present in most mammalian tissues, have fascinated scientists for decades.

6 May 2021

Scientists discover fundamental regulation mechanism of proteins

Proteins perform a vast array of functions in the cell of every living organism with critical roles in almost every biological process.

5 May 2021

Study suggests GILZ protein as a promising anti-hepatic fibrosis drug target

Scientists from Russia and Italy studied a new axis of the pathway that prevents the development of liver fibrosis. The role of GILZ protein in curbing the disease progression was shown in a study using mice models and confirmed by clinical data.

5 May 2021

Study investigates how Brd4 influences diet-induced obesity

A new study, published in JCI Insight, looks at how Brd4, a regulator of the innate immune response, influences diet-induced obesity.

4 May 2021

Increasing sodium and calcium levels in the bloodstream helps prevent deadly arrhythmias

Blood may seem like a simple fluid, but its chemistry is complex. When too much potassium, for instance, accumulates in the bloodstream, patients may experience deadly irregular heart rhythms.

4 May 2021

Too much salt affects the functioning of phagocytes

For many of us, adding salt to a meal is a perfectly normal thing to do. We don't really think about it. But actually, we should. As well as raising our blood pressure, too much salt can severely disrupt the energy balance in immune cells and stop them from working properly.

30 Apr 2021

New technology enables faster and more accurate tracing of COVID-19 and other viruses

Jeremy Edwards, director of the Computational Genomics and Technology (CGaT) Laboratory at The University of New Mexico, and his colleagues at Centrillion Technologies in Palo Alto, Calif. and West Virginia University, have developed a chip that provides a simpler and more rapid method of genome sequencing for viruses like COVID-19.

30 Apr 2021

Researchers review materials used to design biosensors for SARS-CoV-2 detection

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is still causing a dramatic loss of human lives worldwide, constituting an unprecedented challenge for society, public health, and economy, to overcome. Currently, SARS-CoV-2 can be diagnosed in two different ways: i) antigen tests (point-of-care, POC) and ii) molecular tests (nucleic acid, RNA, or PCR-polymerase chain reaction).

30 Apr 2021

New genetically encoded sensor helps detect drugs of abuse

A genetically encoded sensor to detect hallucinogenic compounds has been developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis. Named psychLight, the sensor could be used in discovering new treatments for mental illness, in neuroscience research and to detect drugs of abuse. The work is published April 28 in the journal Cell.

29 Apr 2021