Biochemistry News and Research

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TMEM106B gene reveals the causes of neurodegenerative diseases

Across the globe, approximately 50 million people are living with dementia. The two most common forms are Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), which develop when neurons in specific parts of the brain stop functioning - triggering memory loss and other behavioral or personality changes.

10 Jul 2020

Bacteria-induced cell fusion provokes the immune system and causes host cell destruction

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a bacterium in the soil that causes melioidosis, a tropical disease with high morbidity and mortality.

9 Jul 2020

DNA repair tool is tailored to deal with specific type of complex break, study shows

Our cells are constantly dividing, and as they do, the DNA molecule - our genetic code - sometimes gets broken. DNA has twin strands, and a break in both is considered especially dangerous.

7 Jul 2020

BU researchers develop new way to better understand human cell communication

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have developed and implemented a new way to better understand how human cells communicate with each other, how this communication is disrupted in human diseases and how this can be corrected pharmacologically.

7 Jul 2020

Plant tissue succulence engineering can be used to improve drought and salinity tolerance

After several years of experimentation, scientists have engineered thale cress, or Arabidopsis thaliana, to behave like a succulent, improving water-use efficiency, salinity tolerance and reducing the effects of drought.

3 Jul 2020

Study reveals malaria's secret to surviving in the blood stream

New research from the Francis Crick Institute has found how the malaria parasite protects itself from toxic compounds in red blood cells.

2 Jul 2020

Study shows promise for developing novel COVID-19 therapeutics

A protein known as polymerase is used by SARS-CoV-2—the coronavirus that is responsible for causing the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic—to replicate its genome within the infected human cells.

1 Jul 2020

UTEP researchers discover new target for tuberculosis drug development

Biology students and faculty members from The University of Texas at El Paso have discovered a new target for tuberculosis drug development.

1 Jul 2020

Engineered T-cells attack solid-tumor cancer cells from humans and mice

A method known as CAR-T therapy has been used successfully in patients with blood cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia.

1 Jul 2020

Method can help detect specific glial cells integral to synapses

The brain contains two types of cells. Glial cells receive less attention for their significance in the function and disease of the brain than other neurons.

From Brown University 26 Jun 2020

New approach spurs production of antibiotic or antiparasitic compounds in bacteria

Researchers have developed a method to spur the production of new antibiotic or antiparasitic compounds hiding in the genomes of actinobacteria, which are the source of drugs such as actinomycin and streptomycin and are known to harbor other untapped chemical riches.

26 Jun 2020

University of Kentucky collaborates with Atomwise to explore potential COVID-19 therapies

The University of Kentucky announced a research collaboration with Atomwise, an industry leader in using artificial intelligence (AI) for small molecule discovery, to explore potential COVID-19 therapies.

24 Jun 2020

Study sheds light on DNA sculpting properties of enigmatic protein

Sometimes, when something is broken, the first step to fixing it is to break it even more. In a recent example, scientists seeking to understand the mechanism of a DNA-repairing enzyme have discovered that the molecule performs its functions by first marking and then further breaking damaged DNA.

22 Jun 2020

Cell Wall Research Reveals Possibility Of Simple And Sustainable Method To Protect Crops

While crop diseases have devastating consequences on agriculture, plants constantly evolve to maintain immune systems that allow them to develop defenses.

22 Jun 2020

Cloning stem cells to create new treatments for Crohn's disease

For over a decade Wa Xian, research associate professor of biology and biochemistry at the University of Houston Stem Cell Center, has been perfecting technology for cloning stem cells.

19 Jun 2020

NJIT researchers develop new efficient method to quantify therapeutic proteins

Researchers at New Jersey Institute of Technology in collaboration with Ohio University and Merck & Co. Inc. recently developed a new efficient method for targeted protein analysis -- one they say could speed up processes for disease testing, drug discovery and vaccine development.

18 Jun 2020