Molecular & Structural Biology

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Gene therapy effectively reduces neuropathic pain in mice with spinal cord injuries

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, report that a gene therapy that inhibits targeted nerve cell signaling effectively reduced neuropathic pain with no detectable side effects in mice with spinal cord or peripheral nerve injuries.

9 May 2022

Love is in the air...detected by PTR-TOF

Scientists from the German Max Planck Gesellschaft found out that a characteristic signature of volatile molecules is found in the breath of sexually aroused people. The test subjects exhaled less isoprene and carbon dioxide, while the concentration of degradation products of certain neurotransmitters increased.

From Ionicon Analytik Ges.m.b.H. 9 May 2022

Mitosis in moss plants could be far more similar to animal cell division than previously thought

For a new plant to grow from a seed, cells need to divide numerous times. Daughter cells can each take on different tasks and sometimes vary in size. How plants determine the plane of cell division in this process, known as mitosis, is being researched by Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski and Dr. Elena Kozgunova from the University of Freiburg in a joint effort with Prof. Dr. Gohta Goshima from Nagoya University.

6 May 2022

Applying a form of AI to sift through large amounts of biological data

Researchers at the University of Missouri are applying a form of artificial intelligence (AI) - previously used to analyze how National Basketball Association (NBA) players move their bodies - to now help scientists develop new drug therapies for medical treatments targeting cancers and other diseases.

6 May 2022

miRNAs associated with varying clinical presentations of SARS-CoV-2

A recent article published in the journal iSCIENCE demonstrated different micro ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) linked with various presentations of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections.

5 May 2022

New technique can accurately detect viruses in tumors from clinical next-generation sequencing

Researchers have developed a method to accurately detect viruses from clinical next-generation sequencing and describe novel associations between specific tumors and viruses that warrant further investigation.

5 May 2022

Viral microRNA acts as a master regulator to induce the reactivation of dormant herpesviruses

Dormant herpesviruses induce their reactivation via a previously unknown cellular mechanism mediated by a viral microRNA. Würzburg researchers show this in the journal "Nature".

5 May 2022

New insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of absence seizures

Bochum researchers have gained new insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of absence seizures and potential therapy options.

4 May 2022

New Machine Learning model draws a map of proteins with special properties

The biotech industry is constantly searching for the perfect mutation, where properties from different proteins are synthetically combined to achieve a desired effect.

4 May 2022

Researchers create models to study brain metastases that recapitulate the disease

The spreading of different types of cancer cells to the brain, forming brain metastases, is the main cause of morbidity and mortality associated to cancer. Now, a new study led by Cláudia C. Faria, principal investigator in the group of João Taborda Barata at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM; Portugal) and neurosurgeon at the Hospital Santa Maria (HSM, CHULN, Portugal), and published today in the scientific journal Cell Reports Medicine* created a library of models to study brain metastases that recapitulate the disease in humans. These models can be a relevant tool to understand the disease and discover new therapeutical approaches tailormade to each patient.

4 May 2022

Proximity labeling to identify high-confidence SARS-CoV-2 interactors

A recent report published in the STAR Protocols journal depicted a protocol for an antibody-based proximity labeling to discover biotinylated interactors of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

3 May 2022

New method enables the structural analysis of RNA molecules

We live in a world made and run by RNA, the equally important sibling of the genetic molecule DNA. In fact, evolutionary biologists hypothesize that RNA existed and self-replicated even before the appearance of DNA and the proteins encoded by it.

3 May 2022

Novel genetic mapping study traces links between DNA variations and blood proteins

A new genetic mapping study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health traces links between DNA variations and thousands of blood proteins in two large and distinct populations. The results should help researchers better understand the molecular causes of diseases and identify proteins that could be targeted to treat these diseases.

3 May 2022

Researchers discover molecular mechanisms underlying extreme need for amino acids in neuroblastoma

Certain childhood tumors have an extreme need for amino acids. Scientists at the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the University of Heidelberg, and HI-STEM gGmbH have now discovered the molecular mechanisms underlying this and how the cancer cells could be turned off.

28 Apr 2022

Unraveling how strigoractone hormone regulates massive gene networks controlling plant growth

As sessile organisms, plants have to continually adapt their growth and architecture to the ever-changing environment. To do so, plants have evolved distinct molecular mechanisms to sense and respond to the environment and integrate the signals from outside with endogenous developmental programs.

28 Apr 2022

UrFU researchers propose the use of polyoxometallate nanoclusters as chemotherapy drug carrier

Researchers at Ural Federal University have proposed the use of polyoxometallate nanoclusters as a carrier for chemotherapy drug. It will help to deliver medications precisely to the focus of a pathological process, such as a cancerous tumor, without toxic effects on healthy cells.

28 Apr 2022

Genetic cause of lupus identified

An international team of researchers has identified DNA mutations in a gene that senses viral RNA, as a cause of the autoimmune disease lupus, with the finding paving the way for the development of new treatments.

27 Apr 2022

Potential diagnostic method for identifying human health-relevant nucleic acids utilizing FokI-assisted digestion of DNA duplexes and DNA/RNA hybrids

Researchers revealed that native FokI relaxation might be induced, resulting in FokI-assisted digestion of DNA duplexes and DNA/RNA hybrids.

27 Apr 2022

New discovery about nature’s ‘high-end machinery’ could have big implications for biology

Working with tiny bacteria, Michigan State University researchers led by Lee Kroos have made a discovery that could have big implications for biology.

26 Apr 2022

UNIGE scientists develop a novel tool to visualize palmitoylation process in living cells

Peripheral membrane proteins have the particularity of temporarily binding to cell membranes, a necessary step for them to be able to fulfil their biological function.

26 Apr 2022

Molecular & Structural Biology

Gene therapy effectively reduces neuropathic pain in mice with spinal cord injuries

Love is in the air...detected by PTR-TOF

Mitosis in moss plants could be far more similar to animal cell division than previously thought

Applying a form of AI to sift through large amounts of biological data

miRNAs associated with varying clinical presentations of SARS-CoV-2

New technique can accurately detect viruses in tumors from clinical next-generation sequencing

Viral microRNA acts as a master regulator to induce the reactivation of dormant herpesviruses

New insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of absence seizures

New Machine Learning model draws a map of proteins with special properties

Researchers create models to study brain metastases that recapitulate the disease

Proximity labeling to identify high-confidence SARS-CoV-2 interactors

New method enables the structural analysis of RNA molecules

Novel genetic mapping study traces links between DNA variations and blood proteins

Researchers discover molecular mechanisms underlying extreme need for amino acids in neuroblastoma

Unraveling how strigoractone hormone regulates massive gene networks controlling plant growth

UrFU researchers propose the use of polyoxometallate nanoclusters as chemotherapy drug carrier

Genetic cause of lupus identified

Potential diagnostic method for identifying human health-relevant nucleic acids utilizing FokI-assisted digestion of DNA duplexes and DNA/RNA hybrids

New discovery about nature’s ‘high-end machinery’ could have big implications for biology

UNIGE scientists develop a novel tool to visualize palmitoylation process in living cells

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