Algorithm provides new insight into hierarchical DNA structures that influence disease Researchers develop an algorithm that locates specific topologically associating domains (TADs) which are implicated in disease development, including cancer. The technology, called OnTAD, can examine internal architectures of TADs, which are important in elucidating their biological functions. The work was published in Genome Biology on December 18.Read More
Leveraging new technologies to push the boundaries of our knowledge of cell biology At the American Society of Cell Biology, European Molecular Biology Organization Joint Meeting in Washington, DC from December 7-11, emerging topics and new technologies were discussed and highlighted. Proteomics and genomics seemed to be a focus of the meeting. Many researchers presented novel ideas to incorporate new technologies in these fields to make discoveries in cell biology.Read More
Scientists build artificial neurons to cure chronic disease Scientists from the University of Bath have achieved a first-of-its-kind artificial neuron on a silicon chip that behaves like a real biological neuron. The technology, published on December 3 in Nature Communications, is intended to cure chronic diseases, such as heart failure or Alzheimer's disease.Read More
Scientists use antibodies to build nanostructures Researchers from the University of Rome, Tor Vergata demonstrate a new model to control the construction of nanostructures using antibodies. The findings were published in Nature Communications on December 3.Read More
Bacterial structures are critical to the development of new antibiotics A research team from Cornell University have uncovered a unique regulatory mechanism unique to bacterial that may provide crucial insight for antibiotic targeting of pathogens. The work was published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology on November 18.Read More
Researchers use drug repurposing to identify new treatment for Metabolic Syndrome A research team from the University of Trento find a novel method for using old drugs in new ways, specifically for Metabolic Syndrome. This revolutionary technique, published on November 18 in Nature Communications, uses a systems biology approach to investigate deregulated biological processes and identify drug repurposing candidates.Read More
New mechanism elucidated for essential molecule-sorting organelle A new study published in Nature Communications on November 15 suggests a new mechanism by which vesicles are transported out of the Golgi apparatus for the formation and maintenance of endosomes. The work, conducted by researchers from Tokyo University of Science and the Institute of Science and Technology in Austria, changes the paradigm of how materials are sorted and distributed once they enter cells.Read More
Novel mitochondrial phenomenon helps explains early neurodegeneration Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine scientists discovered a novel pathway that leads to neurodegeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study was published in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience on November 7. The pathway could explain the development of early stages of neurodegeneration which affects voluntary muscle movement such as walking and talking.Read More