Molecular & Structural Biology

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RNA Polymerase Successfully Transcribes an Expanded Genetic Alphabet

All known life on earth utilizes the same genetic alphabet, consisting of four letters. Now, researchers at University of California San Diego have demonstrated that one of biology's most essential enzymes can accurately read and transcribe an expanded, eight-letter genetic alphabet.

4 Sep 2026

Scientists Uncover Unexpected Feature of Human DNA Organization

A new study led by Francesca Storici, a professor in the School of Biological Sciences and faculty member of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, has uncovered an unexpected feature of human DNA linked to gene activity and the physical organization of DNA.

3 Sep 2026

AI-Designed Protein Vehicle Enables Lower RNA Dosing While Maximizing Therapeutic Protein Expression

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and TUM have developed Synthetic Transfer Vehicles (STVs), an entirely new class of RNA transporters. To do so, they combined naturally occurring protein building blocks with synthetic protein structures designed using generative AI.

3 Sep 2026

Scientists Identify Dark Genome Library Containing Over Thirty Thousand Chimeric mRNAs

For decades, scientists have understood that each of the roughly 20,000 genes in the human body carries the instructions for a single kind of protein.

3 Sep 2026

Unexpected Mechanism Shows Muscle Cells Limit Rather Than Drive Membrane Growth

Every movement we make, from blinking to sprinting, depends on the ability of muscle fibers to contract in a rapid and coordinated way. Achieving this precision requires an intricate internal membrane network known as the transverse tubule, or T-tubule, system.

3 Sep 2026

Research Sheds Light on Molecular Origins of Pediatric Brain Cancers

Melbourne researchers have uncovered a critical signaling pathway that controls the timing of brain development, shedding new light on how neurodevelopmental disorders may develop.

3 Sep 2026

Study Reveals How Fungal Enzymes and Clotting Proteins Clog Human Airways

Asthma affects more than 300 million people worldwide, and while many can control their symptoms with inhaled steroid medications, about 10% develop a more severe form that does not respond well to these treatments. This steroid-resistant asthma is one of the most difficult forms of the disease to manage.

3 Sep 2026

New Platform Links Dysfunctional Biomolecular Condensates to Microcephaly and Neurodevelopment

When you add drops of oil to water, the oil and water remain separate. Within cells, biological molecules cluster together in a similar way, separating themselves from the rest of the cell. And while they don't have a membrane, they are their own distinct compartments.

3 Sep 2026

Study Shows How Arginine Rich Proteins Fool Immune Reactions to Medical Implants

Proteins with exposed arginine can selectively accumulate even on protein-resistant coatings, as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo.

2 Sep 2026

Research Links Sperm Cell Maturation to Nuclear Proteasomes

Researchers at VIB, VUB, and the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology (UK) have discovered a hidden feature of human sperm cells.

2 Sep 2026

Targeting EFHD1 Protein Prevents Severe Obesity-Related Metabolic Liver Damage

Obesity-related metabolic liver disease affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, but only some fraction of those livers develop scarring, become inflamed, and eventually fail.

2 Sep 2026

New Mechanism Explains How Red Blood Cell Breakdown Drives Inflammation

When red blood cells break down, they release heme, a component of hemoglobin, that can contribute to inflammation and damage tissues and blood vessels.

2 Sep 2026

Gut Tethering Explains Right-Handed Coils in Growing Snake Embryos

An international team led by Canadian researchers has found evidence for why snake embryos form a curious spiral. This ability to coil in the embryo is why snakes are able to hatch with the longest body of all vertebrate animals.

1 Sep 2026

Novel Chemical Probes Improve Capture of Elusive DNA Repair Proteins

PARylation is a reversible post-translational modification in which PARP enzymes use NAD+ to assemble PAR chains on proteins. These chains can function as signaling scaffolds that recruit proteins involved in DNA repair, chromatin organization, transcription, and stress responses.

1 Sep 2026

Advanced Computational Methods Map Metabolite Binding Proteins Across Cellular Contexts

Endogenous metabolites participate in nearly every fundamental biological process, serving not only as metabolic intermediates but also as signaling molecules that influence physiology and disease.

1 Sep 2026

Bumble Bee Queens Coordinate Communication Chemicals Across Multiple Body Glands

New research by SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Margarita Orlova is providing new insight into how bumble bee queens communicate through chemical signals and how those signals change throughout their lives.

1 Sep 2026

Super-Resolution DNA Imaging Platform Links Chromatin Loosening to Tumor Progression

Scientists have engineered fluorescent molecules enabling the visualization of DNA organization within living cells with unparalleled resolution, and in fixed cells, nearly the width of the double helix itself.

31 Aug 2026

Moving Beyond DNA Sequencing Unlocks New Paths Managing Human Health

Scientists from Gladstone Institutes, UC San Francisco, and Stanford University, in collaboration with Biohub, have unveiled a massive, high-resolution functional map of human immune cells that promises to transform our understanding of how genetics control health and disease.

31 Aug 2026

Tiny Cell Structures Called Peroxisomes Protect Vital Human Insulin Supply

Researchers at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center have identified a previously underappreciated role for tiny structures inside cells called peroxisomes in protecting insulin and maintaining the health and maturity of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells.

31 Aug 2026

Malva Platform Locates Pathogens and Tumor Driving Cells in Seconds

Imagine doctors had the potential to understand exactly what cells caused a patient's cancer, or whether pathogens contributed to the disease.

31 Aug 2026

Molecular & Structural Biology

RNA Polymerase Successfully Transcribes an Expanded Genetic Alphabet

Scientists Uncover Unexpected Feature of Human DNA Organization

AI-Designed Protein Vehicle Enables Lower RNA Dosing While Maximizing Therapeutic Protein Expression

Scientists Identify Dark Genome Library Containing Over Thirty Thousand Chimeric mRNAs

Unexpected Mechanism Shows Muscle Cells Limit Rather Than Drive Membrane Growth

Research Sheds Light on Molecular Origins of Pediatric Brain Cancers

Study Reveals How Fungal Enzymes and Clotting Proteins Clog Human Airways

New Platform Links Dysfunctional Biomolecular Condensates to Microcephaly and Neurodevelopment

Study Shows How Arginine Rich Proteins Fool Immune Reactions to Medical Implants

Research Links Sperm Cell Maturation to Nuclear Proteasomes

Targeting EFHD1 Protein Prevents Severe Obesity-Related Metabolic Liver Damage

New Mechanism Explains How Red Blood Cell Breakdown Drives Inflammation

Gut Tethering Explains Right-Handed Coils in Growing Snake Embryos

Novel Chemical Probes Improve Capture of Elusive DNA Repair Proteins

Advanced Computational Methods Map Metabolite Binding Proteins Across Cellular Contexts

Bumble Bee Queens Coordinate Communication Chemicals Across Multiple Body Glands

Super-Resolution DNA Imaging Platform Links Chromatin Loosening to Tumor Progression

Moving Beyond DNA Sequencing Unlocks New Paths Managing Human Health

Tiny Cell Structures Called Peroxisomes Protect Vital Human Insulin Supply

Malva Platform Locates Pathogens and Tumor Driving Cells in Seconds

The Future of Vision Restoration With ReVision Implant

How a Single List Is Changing Visibility for Women in Science

How Avatar Medical's 3D Technology Is Transforming How We Visualize the Human Body

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