Building Artificial Proteins Like LEGOs to Design New Vaccines
Vaccines are one of the most effective interventions to prevent the spreading of infectious diseases. They trigger the immune system to produce antibodies that protect…
Protein
MIT Chemist Investigates How Diseases Are Linked to Flawed Protein Folding
Matt Shoulders investigates how proteins assume their shape and hopes to shed light on diseases linked to flawed protein folding. When proteins are first made…
High-Definition View of Diabetes-Related Proteins Obtained, Opening the Door to Future Treatments
Scientists have examined a key receptor for the first time at high resolution — broadening understanding of how it might function, and opening the door…
Aiming to to Form Biological Patterns, Scientists Dissect and Redesign Protein-Based Pattern Formation
Dissecting self-organizing protein systems step by step may help scientists design the process of biological pattern formation from minimal ingredients. Probing the functional segments, or…
Gamers Accurately Design Folded Proteins As Realistic As Those Created by Experts
The unique ways in which proteins fold dictate their interplay with diseases and medicines, so understanding their twists and turns is key to designing effective…
Human Cells Made Magnetic With Engineered Protein Crystals
If scientists could give living cells magnetic properties, they could perhaps manipulate cellular activities with external magnetic fields. But previous attempts to magnetize cells by…
Sustainable Organic Batteries for Safer, Environmentally Friendly Power Storage
Proteins are good for building muscle, but their building blocks also might be helpful for building sustainable organic batteries that could someday be a viable…
Protein ASTN2 Provides New Insight Into Autism and Other Brain Disorders
In the brain, as in business, connections are everything. To maintain cellular associates, the outer surface of a neuron, its membrane, must express particular proteins—proverbial…
Scientists Discover Tiny Protein Has Big Impact in Times of Stress
Ribosomes churn out proteins that carry out all of life’s functions, but when missing a key and previously overlooked factor, they can break down in…
Scientists Find Evidence Of A Protein That Existed When Life Began
How did life arise on Earth? Rutgers researchers have found among the first and perhaps only hard evidence that simple protein catalysts – essential for…
Scientists Discover New Protein Shield That Protects Broken DNA
Researchers from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research have uncovered a new protein shield that aids in repairing damaged DNA in cells and…
Higher Protein Intake Does Not Increase Lean Body Mass in Older Men
Regardless of whether an adult is young or old, male or female, their recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein, set by the Institute of Medicine,…
New Analysis of Longevity Protein Yields Important Therapeutic Insights
Named after the Greek goddess who spun the thread of life, Klotho proteins play an important role in the regulation of longevity and metabolism. In…
‘NoBody’ – A Microprotein on a Mission
Using a technique that has revealed more than 400 new proteins too tiny to be found by other means, scientists from Yale University have helped…
Engineers Design Nanoparticles to Track Cells and Interactions Within Them
Engineers from MIT have developed new protein nanoparticles that allow scientists to track cells and interactions within them. MIT engineers have designed magnetic protein nanoparticles…
Enhanced-Sensitivity NMR Reveals New Details on Protein Structure
Using a new technique based on dynamic nuclear polarization, scientists hope to gain more insight into protein structure and function. Proteins can fold in different…
Calprotectin Plays a Key Role in Blocking Pathogen Survival
New research from MIT reveals the process by which human calprotectin prevents invading pathogens from obtaining iron. Invading microbial pathogens must scavenge essential nutrients from…
Newly Developed Simple Protein Plays Active Role in Cellular Function
Scientists from Yale University have created a synthetic protein that is active, despite its simplicity. Yale scientists have developed simple new proteins almost devoid of…