https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Leiden researchers, led by Sebastian Pomplun, have developed a new method to screen hundreds of thousands of molecules for drug discovery, using mass spectrometry instead of DNA tags. "We wanted to make drug discovery faster and more accessible," said the researcher. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-faster-medicines-limitations-big-dna.html Biochemistry Thu, 30 Oct 2025 12:14:03 EDT news681045241 In medicine and biotechnology, the ability to evolve proteins with new or improved functions is crucial, but current methods are often slow and laborious. Now, Scripps Research scientists have developed a synthetic biology platform that accelerates evolution itself—enabling researchers to evolve proteins with useful, new properties thousands of times faster than nature. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-scientists-evolution-rapidly-reprogram-proteins.html Biotechnology Fri, 08 Aug 2025 08:27:05 EDT news673860421 Scientists at the Center for Cell Dynamics, School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, in collaboration with Carl Zeiss, have developed an innovative live-cell imaging technique that combines an exceptional resolution of 60 nanometers with fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, while significantly reducing light-induced cellular damage. This advancement allows researchers to observe intricate cellular processes with unprecedented clarity, opening new avenues for understanding fundamental biological mechanisms, including DNA repair and chromosome dynamics. The technology can also facilitate novel live-cell dynamics based drug target and drug screening methods that transcend the diffraction limit of systems. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-super-resolution-imaging-method-gentle.html Biotechnology Mon, 04 Aug 2025 13:00:03 EDT news673530744 A new study led by Prof. Yosef Buganim from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Dr. Abdenour Soufi from the University of Edinburgh reveals how transcription factors (TFs)—key proteins that regulate gene activity—navigate DNA and chromatin structures to determine cellular identity. This discovery provides new insights into how cells establish their roles and opens pathways for advancements in regenerative medicine and cell therapy. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-reveals-transcription-factors-dna-architecture.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 19 Dec 2024 09:24:03 EST news653822642 A tiny, four-fingered "hand" folded from a single piece of DNA can pick up the virus that causes COVID-19 for highly sensitive rapid detection and can even block viral particles from entering cells to infect them, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers report. Dubbed the NanoGripper, the nanorobotic hand also could be programmed to interact with other viruses or to recognize cell surface markers for targeted drug delivery, such as for cancer treatment. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-nanorobot-dna-viruses-diagnostics-blocks.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 27 Nov 2024 14:38:04 EST news651940682 The first crystal structure of an alternative DNA shape from the insulin gene has been revealed by a UCL-led research team. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-crystallized-alternative-dna-insulin-diabetes.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 06 Sep 2024 11:49:04 EDT news644842142 CRISPR-Cas systems, defense systems in bacteria, have become a plentiful source of technologies for molecular diagnostics. Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg have expanded this extensive toolbox. Their novel method, called PUMA, enables the detection of RNA with Cas12 nucleases, which naturally target DNA. PUMA promises a wide range of applications and high accuracy. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-addition-crispr-toolbox-gene-scissors.html Biotechnology Tue, 16 Jul 2024 10:57:13 EDT news640346229 The electric eel is the biggest power-making creature on Earth. It can release up to 860 volts, which is enough to run a machine. In a recent study, a research group from Nagoya University in Japan found electric eels can release enough electricity to genetically modify small fish larvae. They published their findings in PeerJ. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-discovery-electricity-electric-eels-genetic.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 05 Dec 2023 11:08:48 EST news620996921 UMass Amherst researchers have pushed forward the boundaries of biomedical engineering one hundredfold with a new method for DNA detection with unprecedented sensitivity. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nano-mechanoelectrical-approach-dna-sensitivity.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 03 Oct 2023 10:42:03 EDT news615548521 The tumor suppressor protein p53 has been dubbed the "guardian of the genome" because it protects the DNA from stress or long-term damage by regulating the expression of numerous genes involved DNA repair, cell division and cell death. Now, FMI researchers have homed in on some of the mechanisms that regulate the activation of p53 target genes. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-zeroing-tumor-suppressor-protein-p53.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 30 Jun 2023 10:38:02 EDT news607340281 The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS CoV-2 virus, continues to threaten populations around the world, after killing over 1 million Americans. In recent weeks, XBB.1.5, the most transmissible variant to date, has started to sweep across the country. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-x-ray-reveals-virus-responsible-covid-.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 10 Jan 2023 15:53:05 EST news592588382 Utah State University biochemists Thomson Hallmark and Ryan Jackson, along with collaborators, published two seminal papers this week. Their findings describe the structure and function of a newly discovered CRISPR immune system that—unlike better-known CRISPR systems that deactivate foreign genes to protect cells—shuts down infected cells to thwart infection. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-biochemists-function-newly-crispr-immune.html Biochemistry Wed, 04 Jan 2023 11:00:08 EST news591617226 Under the microscope, researchers often observe different cell types organizing themselves in peculiar patterns within tissues, or sometimes a rare cell type that stands out by occupying a unique position, exhibiting an unusual shape, or expressing a specific biomarker molecule. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-spotlight-cells-tissues-rna-story.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 10 Oct 2022 11:00:09 EDT news584616678 Recent advances in imaging technology have made it possible to visualize intracellular dynamics, which offers a better understanding of several key biological principles for accelerating therapeutic development. Fluorescent labeling is one such technique that is used to identify intracellular proteins, their dynamics, and dysfunction. Both internal as well as external probes with fluorescent dyes are used for this purpose, although external probes can better visualize intracellular proteins as compared to the internal probes. However, their application is limited by non-specific binding to intracellular components, resulting in a low target specific signaling and higher background noise. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-intracellular-imaging-conditionally-immunofluorescence-probe.html Biochemistry Thu, 08 Sep 2022 16:01:28 EDT news581871685 New structural information about an enzyme target in cancer medicine could help the development of next generation inhibitors. The enzyme, called PARP1, senses DNA damage and sends a cellular signal to carry out repair. PARP1 activity is important to many cancer types, making it an attractive target for treatments. https://phys.org/news/2022-08-gain-insights-dynamic-protein-cancer.html Biochemistry Tue, 16 Aug 2022 15:38:02 EDT news579883081 Early detection of prostate cancer, one of the most common types of cancer in men, is often achieved with PSA tests. However, this blood test for prostate-specific antigens gives many false positive results, causing unnecessary biopsies and overtreatment. In the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, a Chinese research team now introduces a highly specific, non-invasive alternative to biopsy: the "thermophoretic AND gate operation" assay, abbreviated as Tango, quickly and reliably detects prostate cancer directly in blood samples. https://phys.org/news/2022-07-fast-uncomplicated-specific-diagnosis-prostate.html Biochemistry Wed, 20 Jul 2022 16:34:02 EDT news577553641 Therapeutics based on messenger RNA, or mRNA, can potentially treat a wide range of maladies, including cancer, genetic diseases, and as the world has learned in recent years, deadly viruses. https://phys.org/news/2022-07-screening-technique-mrna-therapies.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 04 Jul 2022 06:14:36 EDT news576134066 An emerging type of material called a metal-organic framework (MOF) could help improve the delivery of genetic material for treating disease. https://phys.org/news/2022-04-genetic-material-mofs-therapies.html Biochemistry Mon, 11 Apr 2022 10:25:29 EDT news568891527 One of the most promising avenues in treating cancer is to restore our immune system's ability to recognize and attack cancerous cells. A team of University of Chicago chemists and biologists developed a tiny device that can locate tumor cells and force them to reveal themselves to patrolling immune cells. In tests with mice, this resulted in tumor regression. https://phys.org/news/2022-03-tiny-devices-dna-cancer.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 03 Mar 2022 07:51:53 EST news565516305 Detecting the activity of CRISPR gene editing tools in organisms with the naked eye and an ultraviolet flashlight is now possible using technology developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. https://phys.org/news/2021-12-biosensors-crispr-gene.html Biotechnology Thu, 09 Dec 2021 13:02:38 EST news558277350 A new study led by a team of bioscientists from Durham University, UK, in collaboration with University of Liverpool, Northumbria University and New England Biolabs, hopes to exploit newly characterized defense systems in bacteria to compare changes to the human genome. https://phys.org/news/2021-10-bacteria-strong-immunity-viruses.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 18 Oct 2021 03:46:22 EDT news553747571 Researchers have found a simple way to eliminate almost all sequencing errors produced by a widely used portable DNA sequencer, potentially enabling scientists working outside the lab to study and track microorganisms like the SARS-CoV-2 virus more efficiently. https://phys.org/news/2021-01-method-pocket-sized-dna-sequencer-near-perfect.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 12 Jan 2021 16:00:20 EST news529689617 A new multinational study has shown how the process of distinguishing viruses and bacteria could be accelerated through the use of computational methods. https://phys.org/news/2020-03-identification-viruses-bacteria-sped-methods.html Biotechnology Tue, 31 Mar 2020 07:46:35 EDT news504859593 CRISPR-based genetic screens have helped scientists identify genes that are key players in sickle-cell anemia, cancer immunotherapy, lung cancer metastasis, and many other diseases. However, these genetic screens are limited in scope: They can only edit or target DNA. For many regions of the human genome, targeting DNA may not be effective, and other organisms, such as RNA viruses like coronavirus or flu, cannot be targeted at all with existing DNA-targeting CRISPR screens. https://phys.org/news/2020-03-kind-crispr-technology-rna-viruses.html Biotechnology Mon, 16 Mar 2020 12:45:47 EDT news503581537 CRISPR-based gene editing has potential therapeutic benefits but also some technical shortcomings. One set of these gene editing tools, base editors, can rewrite the four individual DNA letters, or bases— A, C, T or G—which represent key chemical building blocks of DNA, adenine, cytosine, thymine, and guanine. https://phys.org/news/2020-02-base-editors.html Biotechnology Tue, 11 Feb 2020 10:45:13 EST news500640305 Scientists of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich have developed a tool to eliminate essential proteins from cells with a flash of light. The new method makes it possible to study the function of essential proteins. https://phys.org/news/2020-01-method-triggers-degradation-proteins-analysis.html Biotechnology Tue, 21 Jan 2020 09:57:22 EST news498823039 It is the the dream of every molecular geneticist: an easy-to-use program that compares datasets from different cellular conditions, identifies enhancer regions and then assigns them to their target genes. A research team led by Martin Vingron at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin has now developed a program that does all of this. https://phys.org/news/2019-11-swiss-army-knife-genome.html Biotechnology Wed, 27 Nov 2019 06:59:12 EST news494060348 A team from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has developed a new CRISPR genome-editing approach by combining two of the most important proteins in molecular biology—CRISPR-Cas9 and a reverse transcriptase—into a single machine. https://phys.org/news/2019-10-crispr-genome-wide-range-versatility.html Biotechnology Mon, 21 Oct 2019 12:50:12 EDT news490880997 In a study published in Nature on June 10, researchers from Dr. Yang Hui's Lab at the Institute of Neuroscience of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and collaborators from the CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology of CAS and Sichuan University demonstrated that DNA base editors generated tens of thousands of off-target RNA single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and these off-target SNVs could be eliminated by introducing point mutations to the deaminases. https://phys.org/news/2019-06-dna-base-substantial-off-target-rna.html Biotechnology Mon, 10 Jun 2019 12:05:44 EDT news479387129 Distortions to DNA, which occur routinely during gene expression and other cellular processes, could lead to off-target changes to the genome when using CRISPR-Cas9, a new study suggests. The Medical Research Council scientists behind the research say that their findings may help to pave the way to improve on the accuracy of gene editing for clinical applications. https://phys.org/news/2019-02-distorted-dna-off-target-crispr-cas9.html Biotechnology Tue, 26 Feb 2019 08:14:33 EST news470391235