Aberrant enzyme activity drives many types of cancer and other human diseases. Traditional drugs targeting such enzymes face a variety of challenges. Here, researchers use a new small molecule “degrader” to destroy an enzyme involved in cancer.
Category: Biological
A New Duo in Catalysis: Combining Gold Nanoparticles with Enzyme Compartments
Biological catalysts and inorganic catalysts each have their own advantages and it is sometimes difficult to choose one or the other. So why not combine them into a powerful hybrid catalyst? That’s exactly what the researchers did in this recent article from ACS Catalysis.
New Findings on Viral Inhibition
Successful resistance to a viral infection requires the host to deploy incredibly intricate biological tactics that somehow selectively inhibit key processes in the viral lifecycle. In this paper, researchers delve deeper into the molecular mechanisms of one of such resistance mechanisms!
Can Chemists Cure the Common Cold?
Although getting the common cold is not a nice experience, it is only a relatively minor misfortune for most people. But the consqeuences of a cold can be severe. This paper describes a significant step towards a cure!
Photocages: Using Light to Deliver Medicine
What will medicine look like 10 years from now? Well, your doctor might be shining a light on you to help target drug delivery in your body. Read more about drug delivery using molecules called photocages inside!
Discovering More Structural Diversity in Bacterial Natural Products
Microorganisms are particularly remarkable at churning out structurally challenging small molecules with interesting biological functions. In this work, an unprecedented chemical transformation in one such natural products is discovered and characterized.
Capturing a new form of DNA: i-motif DNA structures and where to find them
A new form of DNA was found in vivo. It can be a way to regulate the DNA replication and thus prevent the replication of tumor cells.
Algal Blooms Impact Air Quality in Great Lake Regions
Algal blooms aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing plant in a lake region, but did you know their emissions can impact air quality and human health?
Weak Magnetic Fields Affect DNA Repair: A Migratory Bird’s Inner Compass?
Birds and other migratory animals use the Earth’s weak magnetic field to navigate, but what do they use as a compass? While previous research has uncovered some promising candidates, not until now have experiments identified a compass sensitive to fields as weak as Earth’s – DNA repair by photolyase.
Why Scientists Are Putting Barcodes on Worms
Find out what “photochemical barcodes” are and how they might help us understand complex biological processes.
Fluorogenic RNA Molecules Expand the Imaging Toolbox
Nucleic acids are incredibly versatile molecules that can perform functions way beyond their canonical roles in biology. Here, RNA sequences are “evolved” to bind and enhance the fluorescence of a small-molecule dye, welcoming the idea of RNA for robust fluorescence imaging!
Targeting Cancer Cells with Different Drugs…in the Same Pill!
Tailoring treatment for a specific patient is the future of medicine. Let’s learn about making tiny pills that are “smart” enough to know where to dissolve in the body!
Flavins photoactivation of prodrugs: let’s shine a light
How can flavin and flavoprotein help with cancer therapy? A very nice example of biorthogonal chemistry and its potential.
Hitting the Jackpot – Evolving Artificial Biocatalysts Through Randomization
Random change has been powering life’s evolution for billions of years. Can it also power the evolution of artificial biomolecules?
The Thousand Wonders of Graphene: from 2D to 3D Photodrugs!
The authors of this paper can make a photodrug from a special type of graphene.
Lessons from Nature –New Glue Clues from Slugs
Feeling disgusted by slugs? It’s ugly, wet, and giving us an unpleasant slippery sensation. Yet it is the inspiration of new chemistry innovation!
Read this article and say thanks to slugs, which have inspired scientists to invent a new glue for medical therapies!
How Crabs Feel the Pinch: Chemicals Involved in Crab Risk Perception
Researchers dive into the problem of analyzing marine predator-prey interactions on a molecular level. Through a combination of NMR and MS, these scientists identify two chemicals that alert mud crabs to the threat of a mighty adversary: the blue crab.
A Radical Way to Label Proteins
Read about this new approach to selectively install fluorines into proteins using a mild radical source.
Synthetic Biology and Synthetic Chemistry Join Forces
By tailoring mild synthetic chemistry methods to be compatible with living systems, these researchers have made artificial biochemical reactions a reality.
Flexible Fluorescent Dyes for the Detection of Lipids
The functional repertoire of lipids grows to more impressive heights as scientists continue to unravel the substantial functions of these biomacromolecules in cell biology.
Eavesdropping On Intercellular Communication
For complexity to emerge in multi-cellular organisms, extensive intercelluar communication must occur.
DNA-Templated Nanomaterials for Live Cell Imaging
Researchers have developed a library-based approach to create DNA-templated carbon dot structures for biological imaging applications.
Chemistry looks into the origin of life!
How is chemistry explaining the origin of life?
The authors of this paper, look into the formation of DNA building block (2-deoxy-D-ribose) from molecules that were present on Earth at its early stages.
Assembling Gold Nanoparticles into 3D Structures Using DNA
How can DNA be used to enhance applications in nanotechnology? The authors here create never-before-seen optical systems by combining DNA origami with plasmonic nanoparticles.
3D Mass Spectrometry to Discover Novel ANTibiotics
Researchers have developed a novel technique to perform mass spectrometry “imaging” of 3D objects. This method is used to identify novel natural products on whole ants when exposed to a pathogen.