Biochemistry

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Rice engineers find efficient catalyst for destroying PFAS 'forever' chemicals

Rice University chemical engineers found an efficient catalyst for destroying PFAS "forever" chemicals where they least expected.

7 Jul 2020

Corn-based diet with flavonoids alleviates IBD-like symptoms in mice

Flavonoids from a specific line of corn act as anti-inflammatory agents in the guts of mice with an inflammatory-bowel-disease-like condition, according to a team of researchers who said flavonoid-rich corn should be studied to determine its potential to provide a protective effect on human health.

7 Jul 2020

New discovery helps explain heart defects in Barth syndrome

The heart needs energy to pump blood. So, energy production defects in heart muscles result in a variety of cardiac diseases.

7 Jul 2020

Scientists identify compounds that block replication of COVID-19 virus

As the death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic mounts, scientists worldwide continue their push to develop effective treatments and a vaccine for the highly contagious respiratory virus.

7 Jul 2020

Modern mass spectrometry applications in research

Bentham Science Publishers have recently published a new book series on mass spectrometry applications, in research.

6 Jul 2020

Study provides insights into molecular factories of bacterial natural products

The active agents of many drugs are natural products, so called because often only microorganisms are able to produce the complex structures.

6 Jul 2020

BU researchers develop new method to better understand cell communication

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have developed and implemented a new way to better understand how human cells communicate with each other, how this communication is disrupted in human diseases and how this can be corrected pharmacologically.

6 Jul 2020

Study provides new insights into the mystery of scent

The premiere of the movie Scent of Mystery in 1960 marked a singular event in the annals of cinema: the first, and last, motion picture debut "in glorious Smell-O-Vision."

2 Jul 2020

UCLA scientists identify new function for histones

UCLA scientists have identified a new function for histones, the spool-shaped proteins that regulate gene expression and serve as anchors for strands of DNA to wrap around.

2 Jul 2020

New drug discovery shows promise in fighting acute respiratory illnesses

A collaboration between the University of Toronto's Faculty of Dentistry and the National Jewish Health in Denver -- the top-ranked respiratory research hospital in the U.S. -- has yielded a new drug discovery that could be useful to combat inflammation of all varieties and shows promise in fighting acute respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19.

2 Jul 2020

Researchers discover new candidate for raw material synthesis through gene transfer

Cyanobacteria hardly need any nutrients and use the energy of sunlight. Bathers are familiar with these microorganisms - often incorrectly called "blue-green algae" - as they often occur in waters.

2 Jul 2020

Researchers discover marine alga from Kiel Fjord as potential remedy against infections, skin cancer

Healing with the help of marine organisms is no utopia. Already 12 life-saving drugs, e.g. against cancer, have been developed from marine organisms and their symbiotic microbiota.

2 Jul 2020

Researchers unravel how the body fights off urinary tract infections

Anyone who has ever had cystitis knows that urinary tract infections of this kind are annoying and painful. They can be well treated by antibiotics, but may be fatal if left untreated.

2 Jul 2020

New thermoplastic biomaterial could lead to cost-effective, versatile medical implants

A new thermoplastic biomaterial, which is tough and strong but also easy to process and shape has been developed by researchers at the University of Birmingham.

1 Jul 2020

New approach holds incredible potential for developing new therapeutics

Nearly every drug that is, or has ever been, used was derived from nature -- harnessing compounds created by organisms over eons to fight diseases. But decades ago, biochemists postulated that it might be possible to design a new drug from scratch by linking up amino acids in precise ways.

30 Jun 2020

Research shows how a protein's small change leads to big trouble for cells

In molecular biology, chaperones are a class of proteins that help regulate how other proteins fold. Folding is an important step in the manufacturing process for proteins. When they don't fold the way they're supposed to, it can lead to the development of diseases such as cancer.

30 Jun 2020

Research uncovers malaria's secret to surviving in the blood

New research from the Francis Crick Institute has found how the malaria parasite protects itself from toxic compounds in red blood cells.

30 Jun 2020

Scientists design chiral ligands to generate useful compounds

Currently, various therapeutic compounds in the market, such as proteins, enzymes, and amino acids, are "chiral compounds"--molecules with two structures that are "mirror" images of each other but cannot be superimposed.

30 Jun 2020

Study uncovers algorithms and neural circuit mechanisms of escape responses

Ordered and variable animal behaviours emerge to explore and adapt to the environment. They are generally considered as the combination of a series of stereotyped motor primitives. However, how the nervous system shapes the dynamics of motor sequences remains to be solved.

29 Jun 2020