China's Reverse Brain Drain Nov 20, 2009
Shi says he earns less in China than at Princeton, where he ran a structural biology lab and helped found a drug-discovery company. But at Tsinghua, he helped design a life sciences program with 1,500 students. (BusinessWeek)
New findings suggest strategy to help generate HIV-neutralizing antibodies Nov 20, 2009
D., and John R. Mascola, M.D., chiefs of the Structural Biology Section and BSL-3 Core, respectively, in the NIAID Vaccine Research Center, as well as Gary J. Nabel, M.D., Ph. D., director of the Vaccine Research Center, are available for interviews. (EurekAlert!)
Shape Of Things To Come: Structure Of HIV Coat Could Lead To New Drugs Nov 14, 2009
The researchers used a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance and cryoEM, which are standard structural biology tools, to see both the overall shape and the atomic details of capsid protein (CA) assembly ... D., assistant professor in the Department of Structural Biology, Pitt School of Medicine ... D., chair, Department of Structural Biology, and director, University of Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions. (Science Daily)
Science Begins At The World's Most Powerful X-ray Laser Nov 3, 2009
Illuminating objects and processes at unprecedented speed and scale, the LCLS has embarked on groundbreaking research in physics, structural biology, energy science, chemistry and a host of other fields. See also. (Science Daily)
Trembling hands and molecular handshakes Oct 24, 2009
Scientists at the Institute for Structural Biology use NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction to determine the three-dimensional structures of biologically relevant proteins and nucleic acids, and to probe their behaviour in aqueous solution ... The basic approach focuses on gene regulation, but methods from structural biology, molecular cell biology, genetics, developmental biology and virology are all exploited in order to decipher the molecular mechanisms that underpin basic biological... (EurekAlert!)
Developing Enzymes To Clean Up Pollution By Explosives Oct 10, 2009
The discovery, by scientists in the York Structural Biology Laboratory and the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products, will support the development of plants that can help tackle pollution caused by royal demolition explosive, also known as RDX. ... Dr Gideon Grogan, from the York Structural Biology Laboratory, said: The biological process for tackling the pollution caused by RDX already exists but we need to find ways of making it work faster and on the scale required. (Science Daily)
Israeli woman wins Nobel Prize (478) Oct 10, 2009
Yonath is the Martin S. and Helen Kimmel Professor of Structural Biology; her research is supported by the Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly ... Yonath is the Martin S. and Helen Kimmel Professor of Structural Biology ... Ada Yonath of the Structural Biology Department, recalling her decision to undertake research on ribosomes the cell's protein factories. (Cleveland Jewish News, OH)
* Nobel Prize for chemistry awarded for ribosomes Oct 8, 2009
Yonath, who earned her PhD in X-ray crystallography at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is now a professor of structural biology and biomolecular structure and assembly at the same school. Steitz said he was awake when the early-morning phone call came from Stockholm. (Taipei Times, Taiwan)
"Women can do great things": Israeli Nobel laureate Oct 8, 2009
In her 70, Yonath now serves as director of the Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assemblyat Weizmann Institute of Science, and leads a study group on structural biology with the research focused on the structure of the ribosome, according to the website of Weizmann Institute of Science. Describing as "studies of one of life's core processes," the statement of the Royal Swedish Academy of Science said that ribosomes produce proteins, which in turn control the... (Xinhuanet, China)
Nobel chemistry prize honors atomic study Oct 8, 2009
Yonath is a professor of structural biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, and the ninth Israeli to win a Nobel prize. She told Israel Radio she didnt think her gender played a role in the decision. (MSNBC -- International)
Israeli scientist wins 4th female Nobel chemistry prize Oct 8, 2009
D. on X-ray crystallography from Weizmann Institute of Israel, now serves as director of the Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly at Weizmann Institute of Science of Israel, and leads a study group on structural biology with the research focused on the structure of the ribosome, said the website of Weizmann Institute of Science. Israeli President Shimon Peres congratulated Yonath on Wednesday, "we are so proud of you, and you are extremely deserving the... (Xinhuanet, China)
How the 100th protein structure solved at Diamond impacts our understanding of how insects smell Sep 30, 2009
Solving this protein structure also represents a significant achievement in the advance of structural biology in the UK and it marks the 100th new structure identified at Diamond since its opening in 2007. Professor Dave Stuart, Life Sciences Director at Diamond Light Source adds: "It is a milestone and it illustrates the fascinating range of structural biology being undertaken in the UK. Congratulations to the Rothamsted and Birkbeck groups; thanks to productive groups like these, there is... (EurekAlert!)
Chemists Reach From The Molecular To The Real World With Creation Of 3-D DNA Crystals Sep 4, 2009
X-ray diffraction data were collected from DNA crystals and their iodinated derivatives on beamlines X6A and X25 at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York and on beamline ID19 at the Structural Biology Center at Advanced Photon Source in Argonne, Illinois. Bob Sweet, a biophysicist and the leader of the group who run NSLS beamline X25, observed, "This is one of the neatest structures I've seen in years. It really connects biotechnology... (Science Daily)
Enzyme That Causes Genetic Diseases Investigated Aug 18, 2009
18, 2009) Researchers from CIC bioGUNE's Structural Biology Unit and Columbia University (New York) have conducted a joint research project, published in the journal Structure, to gain in-depth knowledge of the structure of pyruvate carboxylase when it is in solution (in the "natural" state) ... Mikel Valle, a researcher from CIC bioGUNE's Structural Biology Unit explains that This is the start of a highly ambitious study which is being carried out at CIC bioGUNE and which aims to discover the... (Science Daily)
'Corrective genes' closer thanks to enzyme modification Jul 29, 2009
"We were intrigued to find the enzyme's internal flexibility was impacted by our modifications and that this fact played such a crucial role for resistance," says Albert Berghuis, a professor at the McGill University Department of Biochemistry and Canada Research Chair in Structural Biology. "We can now harness this insight to further advance therapies for genetic diseases such as leukemia.". (EurekAlert!)
Early detection and quick response are key to defense against anthrax attack Jul 25, 2009
Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research in areas such as stem cells, genetics and gene therapy, geriatrics, neuroscience, structural biology, cardiovascular medicine, transplantation medicine, infectious disease, obesity, cancer, psychiatry and public health -- and continue to delve ever deeper into the molecular basis of disease and social determinants of health in an effort to unlock the mysteries of the human body in health and sickness.... (EurekAlert!)
Reducing p38MAPK levels delays aging of multiple tissues in lab mice Jul 22, 2009
It is a world-class research institute that focuses its activities on six major fields: Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Structural Biology, Infectious Diseases, Cancer Biology and Translational Research, with core strengths in cell cycling, cell signalling, cell death, cell motility and protein trafficking. Its recent achievements include leading an international consortium that successfully sequenced the entire pufferfish (Fugu) genome. (EurekAlert!)
Promising New Treatment For Alzheimer’s Disease Jul 22, 2009
At the Wolfson Center for Structural Biology at the Hebrew University, the researchers found that the mutation in the BChE-K gene damages the very end, or tail, of the resultant mutant enzyme protein. This tail is the part of BChE which is important for protection from the Alzheimer's disease plaques. (Science Daily)
Core Nuclear Pore Elements Likely Shared By All Eukaryotes Jul 14, 2009
This work shows that the pore contains the signature of this ancient evolutionary event, says Rout, head of the Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology. Some evolutionary biologists have argued that the resemblance is only superficial. (Science Daily)
Evotec Announces Research Agreement On Fragment Based Screening Drug Discovery With Cubist Pharmaceuticals Jul 14, 2009
In combination with fragment screening technology, Evotec will use its expertise in structural biology and protein crystallography in order to determine the 3-dimensional structure of the fragments bound to the targets of interest. To this end, Evotec will use its internal crystallography platform and will access the state-of-the-art synchrotron technology of the Diamond Light Source, its partner for protein crystallography. (Primezone Releases)
Structural Biology Scores With Protein Snapshot Jul 13, 2009
ScienceDaily (July 12, 2009) In a landmark technical achievement, investigators in the Vanderbilt Center for Structural Biology have used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods to determine the structure of the largest membrane-spanning protein to date ... Investigators at the Vanderbilt Center for Structural Biology used NMR methods to determine the structure of diacylglycerol kinase, the largest membrane-spanning protein studied by NMR to date ... D., Vanderbilt University Center for... (Science Daily)
Scientists track chemical changes in cells as they endure extreme conditions Jul 8, 2009
This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Biological and Environmental Research's Structural Biology Program. The work is part of the Virtual Institute for Microbial Stress and Survival which is based at Berkeley Lab and supported by DOE's Genomics Program: GTL.. (EurekAlert!)
European researchers look for new ways to fight multi-drug-resistant bacterial infections Jun 26, 2009
The project works with a multidisciplinary approach and includes innovative contributions from the fields of microbiology, proteomics, and computational and structural biology, as well as pharmaceutics. The AntiPathoGN project is coordinated by Xavier Daura, professor at UAB's Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA). (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Nanyang Technological University conducts world's first remote X-ray scattering experiment May 27, 2009
The goal of this course is to be able to train scientists from Singapore and Southeast Asia in the emerging area of SAXS, which has enjoyed a renaissance in the last fifteen years to become a major technique in structural biology and material sciences. The course is broken into two parts, the first for pre-registered participants which will consist of hands-on practice in workshops conducted within the SBS laboratory. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Tableau-based protein substructure search using quadratic programming May 19, 2009
Searching for proteins that contain similar substructures is an important task in structural biology. The exact solution of most formulations of this problem, including a recently published method based on tableaux, is too slow for practical use in scanning a large database. (BioMed Central)
True Grit: How Sea Urchins Carve Hiding Holes in Limestone May 14, 2009
Steve Weiner and Lia Addadi of Weizmann s Structural Biology Department have discovered that the urchins secret lies in a combination of ingenious design strategies ... Weiner is the incumbent of the Dr. Walter and Dr. Trude Borchardt Professorial Chair in Structural Biology. (Science Daily)
Gene In Breast Cancer Pathway Identified May 13, 2009
D., professor and co-chair of anatomy and structural biology and co-director of the Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center at Einstein ... D., who also is co-chair of anatomy and structural biology and co-director of the Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center at Einstein. (Science Daily)
Where tumor cells boldly go: Weill Cornell cancer biologists shed light on the metastatic niche May 2, 2009
" Preventing and treating cancerous tumors will continue to be central to cancer treatment strategy, he adds. But soon, we may begin to see new strategies aimed at disarming the real killer: metastatic disease. ### Weill Cornell Medical College Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school located in New York City, is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Weill... (EurekAlert!)
Protein That Makes Phosphate Chains In Yeast Revealed; Implications On Crops, Human Diseases Apr 30, 2009
"This study emphasises the importance of structural biology not just to show what molecules look like and how they work but also what that function is," says Michael Hothorn from Scheffzek's group at EMBL, who is presently at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California. Since polyphosphate is a ubiquitous, multi-tasking molecule with many different functions, discovering how it is produced could have implications for many different fields. (Science Daily)
Milestone tumor virus publication by Elsevier journal Virology Apr 10, 2009
The approaches and techniques used are expected to encompass those of many disciplines, including molecular genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, structural biology, cell biology, immunology, and morphology. The journal is a leading resource for current information in the field of virology. (EurekAlert!)
Collaboration leads to success: Most powerful computer of its kind in western N.Y. available worldwide Apr 7, 2009
MCIL has been responsible for grid-enabling critical applications in areas such as structural biology, bioinformatics, ground water modeling, earthquake engineering and computational chemistry. "The new partnership with NVIDIA and our ongoing partnership with Dell have made possible the acquisition of a leading-edge machine, one of the fastest in New York for solving a large set of scientific, engineering and multimedia problems," Miller said. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Infinity Announces Leadership Promotions Apr 7, 2009
Mr. Keilty is responsible for information systems, software development, structural biology, bioinformatics, and clinical informatics. Prior to joining Infinity, Mr. Keilty was an early member of Millennium Pharmaceuticals where he had a diversity of responsibilities, including sequence analysis, genotyping, application development, and DNA sequencing. (Primezone Releases)
New Fat-fighting Pathway Discovered Apr 3, 2009
D., associate professor of developmental & molecular biology, medicine, and anatomy & structural biology at Einstein. Autophagy, or "self-eating," is carried out by lysosomes, which function as the cell's recycling center. (Science Daily)
New Test May Predict Spread Of Breast Cancer Apr 2, 2009
D., professor and co-chair of anatomy and structural biology and co-director of the Gruss Lipper Biophotonics Center at Einstein. It could dramatically change the way we approach the care of women with breast cancer. (Science Daily)
Scripps scientists find structure of a protein that makes cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy Mar 27, 2009
The team, which included scientists from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center as well as Scripps Research, determined the structure of P-gp using a technique in structural biology known as x-ray crystallography, which involves making crystals of ordered arrays of protein and then blasting the frozen crystals with x-ray radiation. The atoms in the protein crystals cause the x-rays to diffract, and the scientists collect and analyze the pattern of diffraction to solve the atomic-level... (EurekAlert!)
Cytopia Scientific Presentation on JAK2 Inhibitor Program at American Chemical Society Conference Mar 24, 2009
It has been derived from Cytopia's knowledge of basic biology of JAK kinases, a strong structural biology program that has delivered multiple co- crystal structures of JAK2 bound with inhibitors. Cytopia has also developed an extensive chemical library of JAK2 inhibitors through an integrated computational and medicinal chemistry platform. (PR Newswire)
Resveratrol draws interest as a potential anti-aging substance Mar 23, 2009
"It will be 30 years before we know whether resveratrol is actually working on aging - to change the rate at which people age," said Steve Austad, a professor of cellular and structural biology at the University of Texas and the deputy scientific director at the American Federation for Aging Research. But Austad said he believes that resveratrol's benefits for treating certain diseases may be established more quickly. (Boston Globe)
Boosting Buffalo's brains, for a change Mar 20, 2009
The University at Buffalo (UB), the , School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and the (HWI) invite applications from candidates for the position of Department Chair to lead the expansion of the current Department of Structural Biology into a Department of Structural and Computational Biology. He or she will possess personal qualities of leadership and vision equal to the task of building a program of research in computational structural biology that will complement and enhance the Department... (Buffalo Business First, NY)
Pitt researchers describe molecular '2-step' leading to protein clumps of Huntington's disease Mar 9, 2009
D., professor in the Department of Structural Biology and member of the Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The affected protein in Huntington's disease is called huntingtin. (EurekAlert!)
Paradigm Shift In MRI Detection Results In Broad Images, Crystal Clear Mar 6, 2009
NMR went on to revolutionize chemistry and structural biology, including key developments for which the Zurich-based scientists Richard R. Ernst and Kurt W. thrich received Nobel Prizes in Chemistry. (Science Daily)
Crab claws pack strengthening bromide-rich biomaterial Feb 26, 2009
Residents on the U.S. West Coast may have had close encounters with the biomaterial -- detailed by a seven-member team in a paper published online in advance of regular publication in the Journal of Structural Biology. The translucent substance empowers the claw tips of the striped (or lined) shore crab (Pachygrapsus cassipes) as the pinchers pick and hold prey. (EurekAlert!)
First Step Towards A World Reclassification Of Viruses Feb 25, 2009
24, 2009) Prof Dave Stuart, Director of Life Sciences at Diamond the UK national synchrotron and head of the Structural Biology Laboratory at Oxford's Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics will unveil the structure of a biological protein from the vaccinia virus at the American Association for the Advancement of Science AAAS- in Chicago ... Synchrotrons have already played a crucial role in the advancement of modern structural biology ... In addition to his own research Prof Stuart praised... (Science Daily)
A New Gene Silencing Platform -- Silence Is Golden Feb 19, 2009
A new study published in the February issue of Nature Structural Biology reports the creation. (July 5, 2002) A natural method of disarming some types of viruses may enable scientists to someday treat infections with HIV, the AIDS virus, according to a virologist at Jefferson Medical College. (Science Daily)
Comparison of molecular dynamics and superfamily spaces of protein domain deformation Feb 17, 2009
BMC Structural Biology 2009, 9:6doi:10. 1186/1472-6807-9-6. (BioMed Central)
authors & referees @ NPG Feb 8, 2009
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology evolved from the successful Nature Structural Biology. It publishes studies that advance the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying all cellular processes, and that provide mechanistic insights. (Nature News Service)
deCODE Breakthrough in Thyroid Cancer May Enable More Targeted Risk Assessment and Earlier Intervention Feb 7, 2009
Its lead therapeutic programs, which leverage the company's expertise in chemistry and structural biology, include DG041, an antiplatelet compound being developed for the prevention of arterial thrombosis; DG051 and DG031, compounds targeting the leukotriene pathway for the prevention of heart attack; and DG071 and a platform for other PDE4 modulators with therapeutic applications in Alzheimer's disease and other conditions. deCODE is a global leader in human genetics, and has identified key... (PR Newswire)
