Molecular & Structural Biology

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Powerful new microscope reveals inner workings of human cells with unprecedented clarity

Australia’s most advanced and powerful microscope, capable of visualizing down to the level of individual atoms, begins its working life today.

14 Aug 2018

New project aims to study growth of water-based microorganisms

In order to better understand and assess the quality of ground and spring water, state-of-the-art methods from the fields of molecular biology and microbiology, as well as chemical high-performance analytics are now developed.

14 Aug 2018

Scientists identify mutational signatures in ovarian cancer

Scientists have identified distinct patterns of genetic mutation among patients with ovarian cancer that could help them personalise treatment in the future.

14 Aug 2018

Brown University researchers reveal key physical properties of 'giant' cancer cells

Polyploidal cancer cells--cells that have more than two copies of each chromosome--are much larger than most other cancer cells, are resistant to chemotherapy and radiation treatments and are associated with disease relapse.

14 Aug 2018

New test predicts the risk of serious disease months before symptoms appear

Researchers have developed a new genetic test that can identify people who are at an increased risk of serious disease, long before they develop any symptoms.

13 Aug 2018

Scientists define key binding characteristics of protein associated with heart disease and breast cancer

Galectins attach to other proteins via the carbohydrates on their surfaces (sugar-binding proteins). As such they impact on a range of processes in the cell associated with a number of diseases, including heart disease and breast cancer – the most common cancer in women worldwide, with 1.7 million new cases diagnosed in 2012 alone.

10 Aug 2018

Koala virus could provide clues to accumulated 'junk' DNA in the human genome

A koala virus could help researchers explain millions of years of accumulated ‘junk’ DNA in the human genome.

10 Aug 2018

Ability to detect RNA helps promote rapid growth, survival of fruit fly larvae

Fruit fly larvae can taste ribonucleosides, the building blocks of gene transcripts, according to a new study publishing on August 7 in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Hubert Amrein and Dushyant Mishra of Texas A&M Health Science Center and their colleagues.

10 Aug 2018

Atlas of the nervous system provides new clues about origin of neurological diseases

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have created a systematic and detailed map of the cell types of the mouse nervous system.

9 Aug 2018

Research findings open door to promising HIV treatments

New research provides details of how the structure of the HIV-1 virus is assembled, findings that offer potential new targets for treatment.

9 Aug 2018

Structure of a long-chain lipid that keeps our tears clear revealed

As anyone who has experienced an annoying alternation between dry and watery eyes can confirm, tears alone aren't enough to keep the eye from drying out. A microscopically thin film of oils known as the tear film lipid layer is key to preventing the tear film from evaporating.

9 Aug 2018

Nobel laureate Dr. Fraser Stoddart to deliver Wallace H. Coulter Lecture at Pittcon 2019

The Pittcon Program Committee is extremely pleased to announce that Fraser Stoddart, a Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016 recipient, will deliver the 2019 Wallace H. Coulter Lecture.

7 Aug 2018

Social environment influences individuality of mice

Individuality is not exclusive to humans. Though this idea was previously rebutted by biologists, today it is accepted that individuality is found in all animal species. It is defined as all the behavior differences between individuals of a single species that are relatively stable over time.

6 Aug 2018

Discovery of new epithelial lung cell type may affect cystic fibrosis therapy

Scientists have discovered a new type of cell in the human respiratory tract called the pulmonary ionocyte, and linked it to cystic fibrosis.

3 Aug 2018

Genome-wide association study identifies 151 genes for atrial fibrillation

Drawing on genomic data from more than one million individuals, researchers from the University of Michigan have led a large collaborative effort to discover as-yet unknown genetic risk factors for atrial fibrillation: an irregular, often rapid heart rate affecting millions of Americans and more than 30 million people worldwide.

3 Aug 2018

Scientists map regulatory landscape of mouse genome at single-cell resolution

Scientists have completed a major effort to map the regulatory landscape of the mouse genome at a single-cell resolution.

2 Aug 2018

New probe allows identification of cancer stem cells in situ

A fluorescent molecular probe that targets cancer stem cells has been developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

2 Aug 2018

Scientists uncover molecular 'switch' that may control the benefits of exercise

Some people respond well to both aerobic exercise and strength training, while others don't. And some of us respond well to only one of those things, but not both. Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center now have uncovered a surprising molecular "switch" that may help to explain why this happens.

2 Aug 2018

Breakthrough in stem cell research could lead to cure for cystic fibrosis

Researchers have successfully proved that gene therapy can be used to convert adult stem cells into functioning lung cells for the treatment of cystic fibrosis

2 Aug 2018

Researchers use guide RNAs to improve base editing system

Researchers have used guide RNAs to improve the adenine base editing (ABE) system, used by scientists to alter genetic codes in animal models of disease.

1 Aug 2018