Molecular & Structural Biology

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Scientists develop method to reactivate tumor suppressor genes 'silenced' by cancer

Scientists at UCL have developed a method to reactivate 'tumor suppressor' genes, which are switched off by cancer cells - a finding which could lead to new targeted biotherapies for cancer.

23 Sep 2019

Researchers uncover fundamental difference in how DNA is held together

Researchers have made a fundamental discovery about the structure of DNA; the structure is held together by water, not hydrogen alone.

23 Sep 2019

CRISPR discovery opens up new possibilities for genetic engineering

Scientists have successfully developed a different kind of CRISPR technology, opening up a world of possibility to future developments in the genetic engineering space

23 Sep 2019

Study provides new insight into how cells maintain their identity

In the body's cells, some proteins are of vital importance as to which genes are active or turned off. Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have discovered which proteins are necessary in order to maintain the proper genetic regulation.

20 Sep 2019

Researchers discover key similarities between human and archaea chromosomes

A study led by researchers at Indiana University is the first to find similarities between the organization of chromosomes in humans and archaea.

19 Sep 2019

AMP announces recipients of 2019's Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global, molecular diagnostics professional society, today announced the recipients of this year's Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics, Jeffrey A. Kant Leadership Award and Meritorious Service Award.

19 Sep 2019

Research provides insight into unusual construction process in unicellular parasite

The complexity of molecular structures in the cell is amazing. Having achieved great success in elucidating these structures in recent years, biologists are now taking on the next challenge: to find out more about how they are constructed.

19 Sep 2019

Brain tumors hijack healthy neurons in order to grow

Scientists have discovered that brain tumors integrate themselves with the brain’s healthy neuronal network to support their growth.

19 Sep 2019

Researchers join new project to eliminate animal testing

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, are part of an ambitious plan at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, to eliminate animal testing by 2035.

19 Sep 2019

Research identifies key molecule that stabilizes neuronal branching for healthy brain circuitry

Neurons form circuits in our brain by creating tree-like branches to connect with each other. Newly forming branches rely on the stability of microtubules, a railway-like system important for the transport of materials in cells.

18 Sep 2019

Researchers create first protein-engineered hydrogel

Imagine a perfectly biocompatible, protein-based drug delivery system durable enough to survive in the body for more than two weeks and capable of providing sustained medication release.

18 Sep 2019

Researchers identify two groups of neurons related to Leigh Syndrome

Leigh Syndrome affects one in every 40,000 newborns and is produced by deficits in the mitochondria, which are in charge of providing the energy needed for cells to function correctly.

18 Sep 2019

Altered microbiome in fruit flies can drive evolutionary change

The expression "you are what you eat" has taken on new meaning. In an experiment in fruit flies, or Drosophila melanogaster, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have found that adding different species of microbes to the flies' food caused populations to diverge genetically, racking up significant genomic changes in just five generations.

18 Sep 2019

UT Southwestern researchers identify novel mechanism that regulates fat formation

In work suggesting new therapeutic targets to fight obesity, UT Southwestern researchers have identified a novel mechanism that regulates the creation of fat in mammals.

18 Sep 2019

Nanoscale syringe-like bacterial structures could be used to deliver novel drugs

By scraping tubeworms off the bottom of boats in the San Diego harbor to study them, San Diego State University researchers discovered that a beneficial bacterium that aids them in establishing colonies could also be a boon for human health, because the same process might already take place in the human gut.

17 Sep 2019