Molecular & Structural Biology

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Genetic oscillator captures changes in gut microbiome growth patterns

For all the attention the human microbiome has been getting over the last few years, one aspect of such research rarely makes headlines: the difficulty of observing how it changes over time in response to various stimuli.

11 Oct 2019

Jumping genes can contribute to rare childhood developmental disorders

The largest study of its kind into childhood developmental disorders has discovered that jumping genes cause genetic changes in some patients with undiagnosed neurodevelopmental diseases.

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

Low-dose exposure to antibiotics can have major impacts on gut bacteria

An antibiotic commonly found at low concentrations in the environment can have major impacts on gut bacteria, report researchers at the University of Oregon.

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

CRISPR RNA-cutting enzyme programmed to destroy viruses in human cells

Many of the world's most common or deadly human pathogens are RNA-based viruses -- Ebola, Zika and flu, for example -- and most have no FDA-approved treatments.

10 Oct 2019

MDI Biological Laboratory scientist awarded federal grant for aging research

The MDI Biological Laboratory has announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a grant in the amount of $373,500 per year for five years to Aric Rogers, Ph.D., to support his research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing aging.

10 Oct 2019

Cell death 'blocker' could speed recovery and save lives

Scientists in Australia have shown that they can successfully stop the process of cell death (apoptosis) through a revolutionary new compound.

9 Oct 2019

Need to feel balanced drives development of limb-body coordination, study finds

The need to feel balanced drives the development of coordination between body and limbs as zebrafish larvae learn to swim, a new study by NYU School of Medicine finds.

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

Histone modifications play important role in 'zygotic genome activation'

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology observed changes to the gene-regulating factors during zebrafish development and discovered that modifications to "histone H3", one of the proteins around which DNA is bound, play an important role in "zygotic genome activation" or transition of control of zebrafish embryonic development from maternal material to the zygote .

8 Oct 2019

Study presents a new view on how mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to aging

Disturbances in the function of mitochondrial DNA can accelerate the aging process in ways that are different than previously thought, according to a new Finnish study published in Nature Metabolism.

8 Oct 2019

Scientists show how protein Ikaros orchestrates fine balance to control autoimmunity

The immune system relies on B cells and their ability to make antibodies against an extremely broad range of pathogens. This broad responsiveness bears some risk, as B cells can also turn against healthy tissue - a phenomenon called autoimmunity.

8 Oct 2019

Criticality is a hallmark of normally functioning brain networks, research shows

Researchers long wondered how the billions of independent neurons in the brain come together to reliably build a biological machine that easily beats the most advanced computers. All of those tiny interactions appear to be tied to something that guarantees an impressive computational capacity.

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

Common genetic variant explains why immunotherapy often fails in Crohn's disease

The reason why a commonly used range of immunotherapy drugs is not effective in some patients with Crohn’s disease has so far not been identified, until now.

7 Oct 2019

Video images offer real-time view into the kinetics of viral assembly

For the first time, researchers have captured images of the formation of individual viruses, offering a real-time view into the kinetics of viral assembly. The research provides new insights into how to fight viruses and engineer self-assembling particles.

4 Oct 2019

Scientists use organoid technology to achieve stable long-term cultures of mouse urothelial cells

Investigation of biological mechanisms in urothelial tissue -one of the three types of tissue that make up the urinary system- has always been very limited due to the lack of technologies that allow working with stable and long-term populations of the cells that compose it.

4 Oct 2019

Stanford study finds genetic similarities among species that use sound waves to navigate

Insect-eating bats navigate effortlessly in the dark and dolphins and killer whales gobble up prey in murky waters thanks in part to specific changes in a set of 18 genes involved in the development of the cochlear ganglion -- a group of nerves that transmit sound from the ear to the brain, according to a study by researchers at Stanford University.

4 Oct 2019

Researchers develop 3D tissue models of brain tumors in a brain-mimicking microenvironment

A team of Tufts University-led researchers has developed three-dimensional human tissue culture models of pediatric and adult brain cancers in a brain-mimicking microenvironment, a significant advancement for the study of brain tumor biology and pharmacological response.

4 Oct 2019

Molecular & Structural Biology

Genetic oscillator captures changes in gut microbiome growth patterns

Jumping genes can contribute to rare childhood developmental disorders

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

Low-dose exposure to antibiotics can have major impacts on gut bacteria

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

CRISPR RNA-cutting enzyme programmed to destroy viruses in human cells

MDI Biological Laboratory scientist awarded federal grant for aging research

Cell death 'blocker' could speed recovery and save lives

Need to feel balanced drives development of limb-body coordination, study finds

New antibiotic discovered in Mexican tropical forest

Histone modifications play important role in 'zygotic genome activation'

Study presents a new view on how mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to aging

Scientists show how protein Ikaros orchestrates fine balance to control autoimmunity

Criticality is a hallmark of normally functioning brain networks, research shows

New protein painting technology could transform drug discovery process

Common genetic variant explains why immunotherapy often fails in Crohn's disease

Video images offer real-time view into the kinetics of viral assembly

Scientists use organoid technology to achieve stable long-term cultures of mouse urothelial cells

Stanford study finds genetic similarities among species that use sound waves to navigate

Researchers develop 3D tissue models of brain tumors in a brain-mimicking microenvironment

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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