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New Molecule Has Potential to Help Treat Genetic Diseases and HIV

By Guest PostFebruary 13, 2012Scienceamy rhoden smith, austin, base molecule, brent iverson, cells, chromosome, DNA, dna sequence, double helix, garen holman, georgetown, hiv, kenneth johnson, legos, maha zewail foote, molecule, naphthalenetetracarboxylic diimide, ndi, protease inhibitors, sequence of genes, southwestern university, spiral staircase, university of texas, viral dna

AUSTIN, Texas — Chemists at The University of Texas at Austin have created a molecule that’s so good at tangling itself inside the double helix of a DNA sequence that it can stay there for up to 16 days before the DNA liberates itself, much longer than any other molecule reported.

It’s an important step along the path to someday creating drugs that can go after rogue DNA directly. Such drugs would be revolutionary in the treatment of genetic diseases, cancer or retroviruses such as HIV, which incorporate viral DNA directly into the body’s DNA. (more…)

Hydrogen from Acidic Water: Berkeley Lab Researchers Develop a Potential Low Cost Alternative to Platinum for Splitting Water

By Guest PostFebruary 12, 2012Scienceacidic, acidic water, artificial photosynthesis, berkeley lab, catalyst, catalytic hydrogen generation, christopher chang, elizabeth montalvo, emission, hemamala karunadasa, hhmi, hydrogen gas, jeffrey long, low cost alternatives, marcin majda, microdomains, molecule, molybdenite, molybdenite crystals, molybdenum disulfide, natural gas, pentapyridyl ligand, petroleum, photocatalytic systems, platinum, py5me2, reduction, sulfur, sulfur dioxide, water, yujie sun

A technique for creating a new molecule that structurally and chemically replicates the active part of the widely used industrial catalyst molybdenite has been developed by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). This technique holds promise for the creation of catalytic materials that can serve as effective low-cost alternatives to platinum for generating hydrogen gas from water that is acidic.

Christopher Chang and Jeffrey Long, chemists who hold joint appointments with Berkeley Lab and the University of California (UC) Berkeley, led a research team that synthesized a molecule to mimic the triangle-shaped molybdenum disulfide units along the edges of molybdenite crystals, which is where almost all of the catalytic activity takes place. Since the bulk of molybdenite crystalline material is relatively inert from a catalytic standpoint, molecular analogs of the catalytically active edge sites could be used to make new materials that are much more efficient and cost-effective catalysts. (more…)

UF Research: Blueberry Wine Has More Antioxidants than Many Grape-Based Wines

By Guest PostFebruary 3, 2012Healthantioxidant, blueberry wine, dark fruit, florida, free radical, fruit crop, jeff williamson, molecule, red wine, wade yang, warm climate

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Blueberry wine can provide more potentially healthy compounds than white wines and many red wines, according to a new University of Florida study.

Researchers with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences measured antioxidant content in a Florida-produced blueberry wine and compared it to published reports of antioxidant content in white and red wines made from grapes. Antioxidants are compounds that may offer cells protection from damaging molecules called free radicals. (more…)

Chemists Unlock Potential Target For Drug Development

By Guest PostJanuary 22, 2012Scienceadditives, analytical methods, bleeding, blood flow, blood platelets, bloodstream, clotting, cystic fibrosis, dana spence, diabetes, diseases, drug testing, druggable receptors, enzymes, human body, hypertension, michigan state university, molecule, nf449, p2x1, p2y receptor, pharmaceutical target, platelets, receptor, red blood cells, sickle cell anemia

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A receptor found on blood platelets whose importance as a potential pharmaceutical target has long been questioned may in fact be fruitful in drug testing, according to new research from Michigan State University chemists.

A team led by Dana Spence of MSU’s Department of Chemistry has revealed a way to isolate and test the receptor known as P2X1. By creating a new, simple method to study it after blood is drawn, the team has unlocked a potential new drug target for many diseases that impact red blood cells, such as diabetes, hypertension and cystic fibrosis. (more…)

UCLA Life Scientists’ Study of Abalone Yields New Insights into Sexual Reproduction

By Guest PostAugust 15, 2011Sciencechemistry and biology of reproduction, contact between sperm and egg, effective communication system, environmental conditions, female abalone eggs, fluid dynamics, jeffrey riffell, mammalian reproductive tract, massachusetts institute of technology, molecule, natural habitat of the abalone, ocean crevices, ocean dwelling snail, point loma, red abalone, richard zimmer, roman stocker, san diego, sexual reproduction, sperm and eggs, target area, techniques to improve fertilization in humans, tryptophan, ucla, university of washington

*Research could lead to techniques to improve fertilization in humans*

In new research that could have implications for improving fertilization in humans and other mammals, life scientists studied interactions between individual sperm and eggs in red abalone, an ocean-dwelling snail, and made precise chemical measurements and physical models of these interactions. They are the first scientists to do so.

By simulating the natural habitat of the abalone in the laboratory, the scientists were able to determine the conditions under which sperm–egg encounters and fertilization were most likely to occur. (more…)

Scientists Now Know Why Some Cancers Become Malignant and Others Don’t

By Guest PostJanuary 7, 2011Health, Sciencecanadian cancer society, cancer cells, dr. gerardo ferbeyre, molecule, pml

Cancer cells reproduce by dividing in two, but a molecule known as PML limits how many times this can happen, according to researchers lead by Dr. Gerardo Ferbeyre of the University of Montreal’s Department of Biochemistry. The team proved that malignant cancers have problems with this molecule, meaning that in its absence they can continue to grow and eventually spread to other organs. Importantly, the presence of PML molecules can easily be detected, and could serve to diagnose whether a tumor is malignant or not. (more…)

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