Biochemistry
The latest chemistry news and research on biochemistry, including proteomics, metabolism, enzymes and nucleic acid chemistry, from the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine, Chemistry World
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Feature
Hibernation awakes interest for drug discovery
With many different species entering torpor for a variety of reasons, scientists are looking to their sleepy secrets for ways to treat human diseases. Anthony King reports
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Research
Rare disease drug can make human blood toxic to mosquitoes
Insect enzyme inhibitor could help control malaria
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Research
AI takes step towards cracking biology’s toughest problem – protein sequencing
The team hopes the system will eventually be as influential as AlphaFold was for protein structure prediction
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Research
‘Ageing’ cellular blobs could be linked to neurodegenerative diseases
Over time biomolecular condensates’ redox activity drops and tangled aggregates linked to conditions like Alzheimer’s build-up
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Feature
The circles of DNA that cause cancer
Ring-shaped extrachromosomal DNA is implicated in many cancers. Rachel Brazil talks to the scientists trying to uncover their secrets
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Research
Designer protein performs multi-step catalysis with life-like performance
Computer-designed enzyme competitive with nature for the first time
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Research
Generative AI pipeline creates promising antimicrobial peptides
AI model extrapolates beyond training data to predict diverse antimicrobial structures
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Research
This nanotechnology expert works with both plant and brain cells
Could Markita Landry’s research group be any more interdisciplinary?
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Research
Zika virus discovered to alter skin chemistry to entice mosquitoes
Changing the volatiles human skin produces helps enhance viral transmission
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Research
‘Hidden grammar’ explains proteins’ distribution into sub-cellular condensates
Proteins’ amino-acid sequences appear to guide their access to blob-like aggregates involved in many cell processes
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Feature
On the trail of the male contraceptive pill
As multiple novel male contraception compounds enter clinical trials, is family planning about to undergo a second revolution? James Mitchell Crow reports
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Feature
The promise of drugs that send proteins to the shredder
Andy Extance charts how research into revolutionary targeted protein degradation therapies is moving from serendipity to strategic discovery
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Research
Protein cement is the trick to how ticks stick
New insight into bioadhesive proteins could aid development of future biomedical tissue sealants
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Opinion
There are no life lessons to be learned in AI’s Chinese Room
There’s a lot more lab work to do before we understand the ‘language of life’
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Feature
Life on ice
We may be able to freeze embryos, but challenges remain for larger organs. Hayley Bennett talks to the scientists trying to push the boundaries of cryopreservation
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Research
Easy to remove tag could make mRNA synthesis for vaccines quicker and cheaper
Chemical synthesis takes another step towards overtaking more complex enzymatic routes
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Research
Mineral-extracting microorganism could solve early Earth’s nitrogen-fixing mystery
Ancient microorganisms could have extracted vital nitrogen compounds using molybdenum mined from rocks
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Opinion
Does lysergic acid link the Salem witch trials and a Catholic saint?
A fungal factor may have been the common cause of witch hunts and St Anthony’s fire
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Opinion
This year’s chemistry Nobel proves it’s hard to make predictions
It’s been a long journey from the myoglobin model
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News
Explainer: Why have protein design and structure prediction won the 2024 Nobel prize in chemistry?
Research that has taken us from sequence to structure and back again