Molecular & Structural Biology

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Antibody-Directed Xenophagy Pathway Blocks Intracellular Infections From Spreading

Scientists have revealed the process by which cells can internally digest bacteria and viruses.

5 Jun 2026

Scientists Identify Microglia Immune State Changes for Novel Alzheimer’s Therapies

Researchers from VIB, KU Leuven, the UK-DRI and Muna Therapeutics, funded by, among others, ERC, have uncovered a critical biological transition that may determine whether Alzheimer's disease pathology leads to dementia.

5 Jun 2026

New Antibiotic Compound Blocks Ribosome to Starve Dangerous Pathogens

Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a new antibiotic that kills some of the world's most dangerous and drug-resistant bacteria - and does so by targeting a previously unknown vulnerability, opening the door to an entirely new class of treatments.

5 Jun 2026

Scientists Identify Epigenetic Mechanism Behind Lifelong Maternal Brain Modifications

Becoming a mother changes the brain not just temporarily, but for life.

5 Jun 2026

Genetic Blueprint Framework Maps Insect Brains to Simplify Human Neuroscience

While E. Josie Clowney would never suggest that neuroscience is simple, a new study by her team at the University of Michigan could drastically reduce complexity in future studies.

4 Jun 2026

New Chromosome Packaging Discovery Explains Unlimited Growth in Cancer Cells

Published today in Nature, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center report a previously unrecognized change in how the cell's genetic material is packaged into structures called chromosomes.

4 Jun 2026

New Gene-Editing Strategy Ensures Quality Control in Stem Cell Therapies

A team of researchers led by Luigi Naldini at the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget) has developed a new strategy to significantly improve the precision and safety of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing.

3 Jun 2026

How Tiny Molecular Tethers Prevent Plant Cells From Crumpling

Water deficit resistance in plants has long been a topic of interest for cultivating reliable crops.

3 Jun 2026

Scientists Uncover How Marine Invertebrates Bypass Mammalian Epigenetic Rules

Typically, the information encoded in DNA allows organisms to develop, function and pass traits across generations.

3 Jun 2026

Scientists Decode How T Cells Stop Deadly Viruses

T cells are among the immune system’s essential soldiers. They can inhibit tumor development and even combat serious infections.

3 Jun 2026

Bispecific Antibodies Target Tumors While Sparing Healthy Tissue

A new generation of bispecific antibodies effectively targets cancer cells, minimizing toxicity and enhancing treatment precision in preclinical studies.

3 Jun 2026

Atomic Snapshots of Human SMUG1 Unveil the Secrets of DNA Repair

Researchers have captured the first atomic structures of human SMUG1, an enzyme that helps cells repair damaged DNA.

3 Jun 2026

A New Non-Destructive Tool Maps Active Transcription Profiles in Living Tissue

Cell function is determined by how DNA is expressed into proteins. That process includes two main steps - transcription, when messenger RNA (mRNA) makes copies of active genes, and translation, when mRNA guides protein assembly.

2 Jun 2026

Intact Gut Microbes Accelerate Selenium Excretion to Protect Against Toxic Overload

Selenium is an essential micronutrient that supports antioxidant and immune functions, yet how its metabolism is regulated by interactions between host and gut microbiota remains unclear. In a recent study, researchers from Japan used rats to investigate how gut microbiota and the host jointly manage selenium metabolism.

2 Jun 2026

Cell Phase Separation Creates Droplets That Optimize and Activate Kinase Signaling

Within the past decade, biologists have discovered that one strategy cells use to keep their contents organized is a phenomenon known as phase separation.

2 Jun 2026

Researchers Map an Unprecedented Gene Journey From the X to Y Chromosome

The humble Y chromosome may be the smallest chromosome in the mammalian genome (and getting even smaller), but it is mighty: genes on the Y chromosome are critical for fertility in males.

2 Jun 2026

Novel Cyclic Peptides Cross Cell Membranes to Fight Disease

Many diseases are driven by proteins interacting with each other inside cells. But blocking these interactions with drugs is difficult because our typic "small-molecule" drugs often prove to be too small to grip the broad, flat surfaces involved in protein-protein interactions.

1 Jun 2026

New Protein Discovery Reveals How Bacteria Transport Complex Sugars

Even though sugars are often framed as simple sources of energy, they also serve as structurally complex and functionally diverse molecules that mediate interactions between organisms.

1 Jun 2026

Identifying a Genetic Switch That Halts Human Nerve Regeneration

Researchers at Cambridge have created tiny circuits in the lab that replicate the connections between the brain and spinal cord, which control human movements.

29 May 2026

New Molecular Map Traces Human Disease Genes Back to LECA

A University of Texas at Austin-led team has reconstructed the most detailed map to date of the molecular machines that carried out the functions of life in an ancient ancestor that gave rise to all complex life on Earth, including us, shedding new light on genetic causes of human diseases.

28 May 2026