Molecular & Structural Biology

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Protein linked to malignant melanoma

Almost 300,000 people worldwide develop malignant melanoma each year. The disease is the most serious form of skin cancer and the number of cases reported annually is increasing, making skin cancer one of Sweden's most common forms of cancer.

28 Jun 2019

Salk study unravels how the brain encodes color and shape

There are hundreds of thousands of distinct colors and shapes that a person can distinguish visually, but how does the brain process all of this information? Scientists previously believed that the visual system initially encodes shape and color with different sets of neurons and then combines them much later.

28 Jun 2019

New computational modeling method predicts how gut microbes change over time

A new computational modeling method uses snapshots of which types of microbes are found in a person’s gut to predict how the microbial community will change over time.

From PLOS ONE 28 Jun 2019

Zebrafish offers new clues to regenerating damaged cardiac tissue

Research into the hearts of zebrafish, a pet shop staple marked by their eponymous stripes, has shed light on ways the human heart muscle could be healed following damage.

26 Jun 2019

Bruker announces novel phenomics solutions at Metabolomics 2019

At Metabolomics 2019, Bruker highlights innovative MS and NMR systems, and novel high-value solutions for molecular phenomics and clinical metabolomics.

From Bruker Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry 26 Jun 2019

Using Light Scattering to Characterize Protein-Nucleic Acid Interactions

Harnessing the interactions between DNA, RNA, and proteins holds much promise for detecting biomarkers, diagnosing disease, and improving cancer-targeting therapeutics. Quantifying these interactions is essential for understanding and controlling their biomolecular mechanisms.

From Waters | Wyatt Technology 26 Jun 2019

Stability Testing of Therapeutic Proteins using DLS and Machine Learning

PIPPI scientists from different fields are developing methodologies, tools, and databases to guide the rational formulation of robust protein-based therapeutics. Their overall goal is to develop a database to guide product formulation development.

From Waters | Wyatt Technology 26 Jun 2019

Study shows how gastric stem cells fight colonizing bacteria

Stem cells are not only key players in tissue regeneration, they are also capable of taking direct action against bacteria.

25 Jun 2019

Study sheds light on rhodopsin dynamics in the retina

Photoreceptor cells in our eyes can adjust to both weak and strong light levels, but we still don't know exactly how they do it.

24 Jun 2019

Researchers develop new system that creates 'virtual taste realities'

The fly hasn't eaten for an entire day and it's starving. Finally, it finds a pile of edible gelatinous goo. It begins eating when suddenly a green light appears, and the food, which was far from delicious a moment ago, becomes irresistibly sweet.

24 Jun 2019

Study reveals how basic structure of the brain is formed

The human brain consists of neurons arranged into microscopic columns. The cortex, which is the seat of most cerebral functions and forms the largest part of the brain, is divided into uncountable micro-columns.

23 Jun 2019

New mutation discovered in the leptin gene

The global obesity epidemic is so far-reaching it now has an overarching name: globesity. Texas Biomed Staff Scientist Raul Bastarrachea, M.D., is part of a team that discovered a new mutation in the gene that regulates the key hormone suppressing hunger called leptin.

22 Jun 2019

Molecular virologist receives nearly $2 million NIH grant renewal to study hepatitis E virus

For decades, University Distinguished Professor of Molecular Virology X.J. Meng and his lab at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine have studied hepatitis E virus (HEV), the causative agent of hepatitis E in humans.

21 Jun 2019

McMaster researchers map toxic protein associated with Alzheimer's

A team of researchers from McMaster University has mapped at atomic resolution a toxic protein linked to Alzheimer's disease, allowing them to better understand what is happening deep within the brain during the earliest stages of the disease.

20 Jun 2019

Highlights and key takeaways from the 2019 Boston Bacterial Meeting (BBM)

Missed out on the 2019 Boston Bacterial Meeting (BBM)? Read our round-up of the key takeaways, areas of discussion, speakers and more.

19 Jun 2019

ChIP-seq kit maximizes chromatin-antibody binding and capture

Optimizing protein orientation for maximum chromatin-antibody binding and capture enables Chromatrap® ChIP-seq kits to offer market leading sensitivity.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 19 Jun 2019

Metabolic engineering of cannabinoids – are we there yet?

There has recently been a surge in research into the biosynthetic pathways of cannabinoids and the potential for commercialized metabolic engineering.

19 Jun 2019

FACS-based CRISPR screening shows how Chlamydia bacterium invades host cells

Using FACS-based CRISPR screening, scientists have identified three candidate genes that may facilitate the invasion of Chlamydia trachomatis into host cells.

19 Jun 2019

Novel microfluidic device captures and isolates circulating tumor cell clusters

Cancer touches nearly everyone in one way or another, and regrettably, it will claim another 600,000 lives in the U.S. in 2019, according to the American Cancer Society. Researchers from San Diego State University, TumorGen MDx Inc., and Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute set out to explore a seemingly basic question: What is it about cancer that kills?

19 Jun 2019

Study links high number of copies of chromosomal region to chemotherapeutic drug resistance

Researchers at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, with the participation of collaborators from the Baylor College of Medicine and the University Institute of Oncology of Asturias, publish today in Cancer Research a study where they relate the high number of copies of a chromosomal region with the appearance of resistance to a chemotherapeutic drug.

19 Jun 2019