Molecular & Structural Biology

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Applying “programmable molecular scissors” to combat COVID-19 infection

As an approach that could be used to create a new class of antiviral drugs, synthetic biology was used by Cambridge scientists to artificially create enzymes programmed to attack the genetic code of SARS-CoV-2 and eliminate the virus.

17 Nov 2022

Enzymes hold the answer to understanding how DNA mutates

According to recent research from the University of Surrey, enzymes, which are essential for regulating how cells replicate in the human body, could be the very component that encourages DNA to spontaneously mutate, leading to potentially permanent genetic errors.

From University of Surrey 17 Nov 2022

Revealing cancer development in people carrying inherited BRCA1 mutations

Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered that people who inherit a mutant copy of the BRCA1 gene may develop mutations and cancer due to error-prone DNA replication and repair.

16 Nov 2022

European project promotes top-notch research in biochemistry and biophysics

TWIN2PIPSA, a new European project funded with €1.2 million, will support leading research and intensive training in the biochemistry and biophysics of protein folding, with implications and applications in biomedicine and biotechnology.

15 Nov 2022

Researchers create genetic 'devices' to perform computations like artificial neural circuits

Bringing together concepts from electrical engineering and bioengineering tools, Technion and MIT scientists collaborated to produce cells engineered to compute sophisticated functions – "biocomputers" of sorts.

15 Nov 2022

NIH funds research on mRNA vaccines to stop cancer development

The National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health has awarded a multidisciplinary team of Weill Cornell Medicine researchers a five-year $5.7 million grant to support a center dedicated to creating messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines to prevent the development of cancer in at-risk groups.

15 Nov 2022

microRNA molecules upregulate proteins instead of dampening it

microRNAs are thought to only suppress protein expression in dividing cells, such as tumor cells, and can contribute to the development of cancer.

11 Nov 2022

DNA barcoding tracks the progression of tumor cells through time

According to a recent study from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, some cancer cells can use parallel mechanisms to elude immune system defenses and withstand immunotherapy treatment.

8 Nov 2022

Actin serves as catalyst for shaping the cells

In a recent study, scientists from the University of Maryland have explained how actin, a protein, plays a key role in giving cells their shape.

8 Nov 2022

Enhancing outcomes after surgery of breast cancer patients with miR-145

According to research results published online ahead of print in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS), microRNA (miRNA) can be used as a biomarker to identify which individuals are most likely to experience breast cancer recurrence and mortality.

8 Nov 2022

Different cancers carry distinctive genetic signatures

After analyzing data from a public repository, CD4-T, CD8-T cells, and Treg cells, a team of researchers led by bioinformatics Mabel Vidal from the University of Concepcion and working with researchers from MELISA Institute and other academic institutions discovered a distinctive genetic signature among subsets of infiltrating T cells of various types of cancer.

4 Nov 2022

Role of p53-mediated metabolism in preventing genomic instability

The gene that codes for the protein p53 is most likely the most significant factor in defending human cells against DNA-damaging agents that cause cancer. The protein permits cells to repair DNA damage and so prevents the formation of malignancies, earning it the nickname “guardian of the genome.”

4 Nov 2022

New bioprinting platform to replicate tumors in 3D spheroids

Bowel cancer patients could in future benefit from a new 3D bioprinting technology which would use their own cells to replicate the complex cellular environment of solid tumors in 3D models.

3 Nov 2022

RNA-edited regions in brain shed light on neurodevelopment and disease

Numerous sites in the brain where RNA is altered over the course of a person’s lifespan through a process known as adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing have been identified by Mount Sinai researchers.

3 Nov 2022

DNA-based nanotransporters could improve treatment of cancers, other diseases

A team of Canadian researchers from Université de Montréal has designed and validated a new class of drug transporters made of DNA that are 20,000 times smaller than a human hair and that could improve how cancers and other diseases are treated.

2 Nov 2022

Combination of microscopy and DNA analysis yields new insights into polar cod’s diet

An essential component of the Arctic food chain is polar fish. Along with colleagues from KU Leuven and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Sarah Maes (KU Leuven) and Fokje Schaafsma (Wageningen Marine Research) examined the diet of polar cod from the Barents Sea.

1 Nov 2022

Resistance against Epstein-Barr virus from experimental monoclonal antibodies

When tested in a lab setting using human cells, a panel of experimental monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that target various Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) sites prevented infection.

1 Nov 2022

Inexpensive recombinant protein production induced by urea

A common chemical present in the urine can be utilized to initiate large-scale production of proteins needed by biotech companies, like hormones and antibodies.

28 Oct 2022

Many proteins share important roles in the formation and function of synapses, study finds

Not just three, but even five proteins share important roles in the formation and function of synapses and can substitute for each other. This discovery was made by a team of the research focus "Mental Health & Neuroscience" of the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences Krems (KL Krems) and the CavX PhD program of the Medical University of Innsbruck.

26 Oct 2022

A new outlook on sow breeding using dietary nucleotides

The primary fetal organ systems’ growth and development are strongly influenced by the nutrition status of the mother. Late gestation is when fetal growth is rapidly accelerated, and the nutritional needs of sows rise dramatically as a result of the fetus’ rapid growth and the placenta’s quick expansion.

26 Oct 2022