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Scientists Synthesize Rare Sea Sponge Molecules to Boost Future Cancer Drug Development

Florida State University chemists have synthesized new molecules derived from bacteria found in a Pacific Ocean sea sponge, a breakthrough for the future of drug development, particularly for rare forms of cancer.

21 May 2026

Genetic Engineering Creates an Immune System Cloak to Extend Bacterial Drug Circulation

While previous research from Johns Hopkins University is successfully completing clinical trials, University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Kaitlin Dailey is expanding on that work to more specifically target tumors that are difficult or impossible to access, especially those associated with pancreatic cancer-one of the deadliest types.

21 May 2026

Novel Synthetic Molecules Attack Cell Membranes to Prevent Severe Bacterial Infections

In a new study, researchers show how so‑called TriPcides can target the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, including antibiotic‑resistant strains such as MRSA. The compounds disrupt the bacteria's ability to cause infection and can also kill dormant bacterial cells, which are often difficult to treat with existing antibiotics.

20 May 2026

Study Maps Molecular Arrangement of Powerful Ice-Growing Bacteria on Non-Organic Surfaces

Bacteria from the Middle East have caused precipitation all the way out in California. The same bacteria, which are known to attack plants, have also been found embedded within lumps of hail in West Africa.

20 May 2026

Microbes Switch Functional States Without Genetic Mutations to Withstand Stress

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators have discovered that many gut bacteria use a flexible survival strategy to withstand disruptions such as antibiotics and diet changes.

20 May 2026

Groundbreaking Light Trick Corrals Thousands of Dangerous Bacteria From Liquid Samples

How to collect what you can barely find? Concentrate it.

19 May 2026

Epigenetic Engineering Boosts Stable Production of Safe Monascus Pigments

This study was led by Professor Yi Wang and Professor Weiming Zhu from the School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China.

15 May 2026

RNA Modularity Explains Emergence of Human-Infective Cholera Strains

Scientists from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have uncovered what gives Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera, the ability to colonize the human gut.

15 May 2026

Web-Based Platform Facilitates Chemical Structure Queries in Metabolomics

An international team led by researchers at University of California San Diego and University of California, Riverside has developed a free, web‑based platform designed to make public metabolomics data more accessible.

15 May 2026

Supercomputer Simulations Map Sodium Pumping in Pathogenic Bacteria

The Na+-NQR enzyme is vital for energy production in pathogenic bacteria like the one that causes cholera, making it a highly promising target for new antibiotics.

15 May 2026

Heat-Stable Malaria Vaccine That Stops Spread By Mosquitoes

More than half a million people die from malaria each year, but a new vaccine is showing promise since it not only provides powerful, long-lasting protection but also prevents mosquitoes from spreading the disease.

13 May 2026

Cryo-EM Study Explains Why Coffee Tastes Bitter to Humans

Have you ever wondered why freshly brewed coffee smells so delicious, but tastes bitter?

12 May 2026

New Analysis Uncovers Evolutionary Adaptations Within Human Gut Bacteria

The human gut harbors a complex ecosystem of trillions of microorganisms (the microbiome), which influences digestion, the immune system and metabolism.

8 May 2026

Scientists Discover Viral Strategy That Disables Bacterial CRISPR Immunity

Bacteria fend off invading viruses with molecular scissors that slice up viral DNA - a system called CRISPR that's become indispensable to gene editing.

8 May 2026

How Genetic Bonuses Help Gut Bacteria Adapt to Industrialization

Billions of microorganisms-primarily bacteria, viruses, and fungi-colonize our gut. This complex community is known as the microbiome.

7 May 2026

Advances in DNA Assembly Enable Efficient Microbial Cell Factories

A review in Quantitative Biology demonstrates that scientists can now reliably build and combine very large pieces of DNA, making it much easier to redesign microbes such as yeast and bacteria to act as efficient "cell factories."

7 May 2026

New Single-Cell Technique Reveals Why Bacteria Survive Antibiotics

SinBactM's innovative approach to single-bacterium metabolomics reveals distinct metabolic states, enhancing understanding of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

6 May 2026

AI Designs New Antibiotics That Reduce MRSA Infections In Mice

SyntheMol-RL integrates reinforcement learning for antibiotic design, producing synthesizable candidates that show efficacy against MRSA in preclinical models.

5 May 2026

AI Model Reads DNA Like Language to Trace Ancestry

Researchers at the University of Oregon have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can read genetic code the way large language models like ChatGPT read text. Scanning the genome for biological mutation patterns, the computer model traces pairs of genes back in time to their last common ancestor.

5 May 2026

Engineered Bacteriophage Speeds up the "Training" of Plastic-Eating Bacteria

Millions of tons of plastic waste build up in landfills and oceans each year. One promising approach is to engineer microbes to break plastic down into useful chemical building blocks.

4 May 2026