Molecular & Structural Biology

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Study finds specific mechanism that protects cells from natural DNA errors

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have identified a specific mechanism that protects our cells from natural DNA errors - an 'enemy within' - which could permanently damage our genetic code and lead to diseases such as cancer.

27 Feb 2019

Biologists uncover mechanism that determines faithful inheritance of short chromosomes

A team of biologists has uncovered a mechanism that determines faithful inheritance of short chromosomes during the reproductive process.

27 Feb 2019

Researchers discover new mechanism of bone growth

In a paper published in the journal Nature, an international research team led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report that bone growth in mice takes place in accordance with the same principles as when new cells are constantly produced in blood, skin and other tissue.

27 Feb 2019

Review shows reciprocal relationship between obesity and prefrontal cortex activity

In a review published February 26 in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, researchers explore the age-old chicken-or-the-egg conundrum but this time looking at whether obesity reduces self-control or if reduced self-control leads to obesity.

27 Feb 2019

Study provides new understanding of how the nose adapts to smells

Our noses may be able to adapt themselves to tell the brain, as efficiently as possible, about the most typical smells in our environment, suggests new research published in eLife.

27 Feb 2019

Researchers describe neural mechanisms responsible for local search in hungry worms

Perpetually hungry, worms are strategic when it comes to searching for food. The microscopic roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, or C. elegans, is known to spend up to 20 minutes seeking out snacks in its immediate surroundings before endeavoring to look elsewhere.

27 Feb 2019

Novel mechanism behind DNA damage control uncovered

DNA damage is occurring in our cells all the time due to external agents, such as exposure to sun, or internal agents, like reactive oxygen species.

26 Feb 2019

RWTH Aachen chooses MILabs’ hybrid OI/CT system to enhance molecular imaging research

RWTH Aachen University have chosen the MILabs high-resolution CT to further enhance its world-leading molecular imaging research.

26 Feb 2019

Scientists use CRISPR to reveal the secret life of antimicrobial peptides

When it comes to the immune system, we usually think about lymphocytes like B and T cells or macrophages going on constant seek-and-destroy missions against invading pathogens like bacteria and viruses.

26 Feb 2019

Study uncovers potential role of Foxp1 protein in control of autoimmune diseases

Scientists at the Higher School of Economics, the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center created a genetic model that helps to understand how the body restrains autoimmune and oncological diseases.

26 Feb 2019

'Chromosome scanner' that protects against cancer identified

In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have identified one of the main mechanisms behind the repair of serious damage to the human DNA. A 'scanner' inside the cells decides whether or not so-called flawless DNA repair, which protects against cancer, is launched.

26 Feb 2019

Researchers map molecules and functions of skin from tissue samples

The skin constitutes the barrier between the body and the outside world. The skin serves various purposes and it protects the body from external impact such as heat, cold, radiation or bacteria while maintaining a stable environment inside the body.

26 Feb 2019

Disease X: an unknown disease that could claim millions of lives

Dubbed ‘Disease X’, scientists believe a future epidemic of the influenza virus could cause millions of deaths worldwide.

25 Feb 2019

Researchers engineer 'antibody-like' T cell receptors to combat deadly virus

Researchers have engineered "antibody-like" T cell receptors that can specifically stick to cells infected with cytomegalovirus, or CMV, a virus that causes lifelong infection in more than half of all adults by age 40.

23 Feb 2019

The gene-edited twins born in China may have altered cognition and memory

A new study has fuelled further concerns over the controversial gene-editing experiment that was performed in China last year.

22 Feb 2019

UVA scientist receives $1 million award to map out submicroscopic world

A scientist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine has received a prestigious three-year, $1 million award from the William M. Keck Foundation to develop a new and better way to map out the submicroscopic world.

22 Feb 2019

Newly designed molecule could benefit people with Friedrich's Ataxia

Skin cells taken from patients with a rare genetic disorder are up to ten times more sensitive to damage from ultraviolet A radiation in laboratory tests, than those from a healthy population, according to new research from the University of Bath.

21 Feb 2019

Study doesn’t find enough evidence related to effects of noncaloric sweeteners on gut microbiota

The study, carried out by the UGR professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Ángel Gil and his research team, has been published in the scientific journal 'Advances in Nutrition'

21 Feb 2019

Scientists uncover new mechanisms regulating neural stem cells

The use of stem cells to repair organs is one of the foremost goals of modern regenerative medicine. Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich have discovered that the protein Akna plays a key role in this process.

21 Feb 2019

Researchers develop new neuro-inspired system to detect temporal patterns

A new methodology to classify temporal patterns inspired by brain circuits has been developed to help understand the mechanisms that underlie biological learning.

21 Feb 2019