Discovery brings hope of new tailor-made anti-cancer agents
Scientists at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and their collaborators have tailor-made a new chemical compound that blocks a protein that has been linked to poor responses to treatment in cancer patients. The development of the compound, called WEHI-539, is an important step towards the design of a potential new anti-cancer agent.
Posted: Apr 22nd, 2013
Read moreMore accurate, powerful genetic analysis tool opens new gene-regulation realms
Researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah have developed a novel and powerful technique to identify the targets for a group of enzymes called RNA cytosine methyltransferases in human RNA.
Posted: Apr 22nd, 2013
Read moreRandom walks on DNA
Scientists have revealed how a bacterial enzyme has evolved an energy-efficient method to move long distances along DNA. The findings present further insight into the coupling of chemical and mechanical energy by a class of enzymes called helicases, a widely-distributed group of proteins, which in human cells are implicated in some cancers.
Posted: Apr 19th, 2013
Read moreUltrafast technique unlocks design principles of quantum biology
University of Chicago researchers have created a synthetic compound that mimics the complex quantum dynamics observed in photosynthesis and may enable fundamentally new routes to creating solar-energy technologies. Engineering quantum effects into synthetic light-harvesting devices is not only possible, but also easier than anyone expected, the researchers report.
Posted: Apr 19th, 2013
Read moreElectronic zippers control DNA strands
A research team from NPL and the University of Edinburgh have invented a new way to zip and unzip DNA strands using electrochemistry.
Posted: Apr 18th, 2013
Read moreScientists throw new light on DNA copying process
Research led by a scientist at the University of York has thrown new light on the way breakdowns in the DNA copying process inside cells can contribute to cancer and other diseases.
Posted: Apr 18th, 2013
Read moreCell reprogramming to cure leukaemia and lymphoma
Scientists at the Centre for Applied Medical Research (CIMA) at the University of Navarre and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona have reprogrammed lymphfoma and leukaemia cells in such a way that they are no longer malignant. The resulting cells maintain their new condition of benign cells even when they are not being treated and reduce the possibilities of generating new tumours.
Posted: Apr 17th, 2013
Read moreFirefly BioWorks awards $120K in grants for microRNA Rresearch
Firefly BioWorks announced today the awarding of $120,000 in twelve research grants to scientists working to expand the frontiers of microRNA research. The Firefly Frontiers Grant is designed for scientists looking to profile large numbers of samples over multiple microRNA targets.
Posted: Apr 17th, 2013
Read moreDecoding the structure of bone
MIT researchers decipher the molecular basis of bone's remarkable strength and resiliency; work could lead to new treatments and materials.
Posted: Apr 17th, 2013
Read moreResearchers create potential food source from non-food plants by transforming cellulose into starch
A team of Virginia Tech researchers has succeeded in transforming cellulose into starch, a process that has the potential to provide a previously untapped nutrient source from plants not traditionally thought of as food crops.
Posted: Apr 16th, 2013
Read morePlant protein puzzle solved
3-D model provides structure of material that provides plant structure
Posted: Apr 16th, 2013
Read moreOrdinary skin cells morphed into functional brain cells
Scientists at CWRU School of Medicine discover new technique that holds promise for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.
Posted: Apr 14th, 2013
Read moreResearchers uncover new pathways in bacterial intercellular competition
There's an epic battle taking place that's not on the national radar: intercellular competition. While it's not an Olympic event, new research from UC Santa Barbara demonstrates that this microscopic rivalry can be just as fierce as humans going for the gold.
Posted: Apr 12th, 2013
Read moreMoving cells with light holds medical promise
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown they can coax cells to move toward a beam of light. The feat is a first step toward manipulating cells to control insulin secretion or heart rate using light.
Posted: Apr 11th, 2013
Read moreA molecular 'superglue' based on flesh-eating bacteria
In a classic case of turning an enemy into a friend, scientists have engineered a protein from flesh-eating bacteria to act as a molecular 'superglue' that promises to become a disease fighter.
Posted: Apr 11th, 2013
Read moreLaunch of semi-synthetic artemisinin a milestone for malaria, synthetic biology
Twelve years after a breakthrough discovery in his University of California, Berkeley, laboratory, professor of chemical engineering Jay Keasling is seeing his dream come true.
Posted: Apr 11th, 2013
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