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. Conventional treatments of Alzheimer's disease, one of the most common forms of dementia, have been largely focused on targeting individual pathological features. However, Alzheimer's disease is a multifactorial disorder driven by multiple, tightly interconnected processes, rendering single-target therapeutic approaches inherently limited. Addressing this challenge, KAIST researchers propose a new strategy that enables the simultaneous regulation of multiple disease-inducing factors simply by rearranging the structural positions of drug candidate molecules without altering their chemical substituents. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-molecular-strategy-multiple-alzheimer-disease.html Biochemistry Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:30:04 EST news688663620 Therapeutic education has become a dominant influence on the teaching of values in Britain's primary schools, according to new research from the Universities of Surrey, York and Sheffield. From mindful "body scans" to "Zones of Regulation" charts, well-being initiatives are quietly reshaping how children develop and learn about morals, with psychological and therapeutic approaches stepping into roles once filled by religion. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-schools-therapy-children-values.html Social Sciences Thu, 13 Nov 2025 21:00:01 EST news682250269 Nanobodies—tiny proteins derived from animals in the camelid family including camels, llamas, and alpacas—could be useful in treating brain disorders like schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-nanobodies-camels-llamas-schizophrenia-alzheimer.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:00:12 EST news681554941 Melanoma is a fast-progressing skin cancer characterized by a high mortality rate after metastasis. Local chemotherapy could be considered a therapeutic approach only in stage 0 of progression (in situ melanoma) and in the postoperative phase after surgical removal of suspected skin lesions. For this purpose, drugs such as Imiquimod, 5-Fluorouracil, Dacarbazine, and Doxorubicin have been tested and shown positive effects. Recently, metal nanoparticles as separate therapeutic units or drug carriers have also fallen into the research focus. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-green-tea-derived-nanosilver-complex.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 31 Jan 2025 10:29:02 EST news657541741 Mutations that disrupt development of germ cells cause infertility or birth defects. Mutations that cause female infertility in humans, such as mutations in the gene BMP15, also cause infertility in zebrafish. However, female zebrafish can undergo a complete reversal of sex traits. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-immune-cells-sex-reversal-zebrafish.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 22 Jan 2024 15:36:37 EST news625160195 Remember when your parents used to say, "Eat your greens, they are good for you"? Well, they were really onto something. Several studies have shown that higher intakes of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, one of the most widely consumed vegetables in the United States, are associated with reduced risks of diseases such as diabetes and cancer, thanks to their organosulfur compounds, such as glucosinolates and isothiocyanates that exhibit a broad spectrum of bioactivities including antioxidant activity. However, few studies have focused on the endogenous content of polysulfide in broccoli sprouts. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-small-mighty-hidden-power-broccoli.html Plants & Animals Tue, 24 Oct 2023 09:54:49 EDT news617360086 Proteins are large, complex molecules that play many critical roles in the body and are produced following the instructions encoded in DNA. By reading their DNA letters, cells produce an intermediate RNA molecule that will give rise to the corresponding protein. Most diseases occur with altered protein levels, which are either a cause or consequence of the condition itself. RNA plays a pivotal role in diseases with altered protein levels by serving as the intermediary messenger between DNA and protein. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-simulation-tools-generation-therapies-based.html Biotechnology Wed, 17 May 2023 15:06:04 EDT news603554761 A team of scientists in the Physical Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have combined robotics with biology by equipping E. coli bacteria with artificial components to construct biohybrid microrobots. First, as can be seen in Figure 1, the team attached several nanoliposomes to each bacterium. On their outer circle, these spherical-shaped carriers enclose a material (ICG, green particles) that melts when illuminated by near infrared light. Further towards the middle, inside the aqueous core, the liposomes encapsulate water soluble chemotherapeutic drug molecules (DOX). https://phys.org/news/2022-07-bacteria-based-biohybrid-microrobots-mission-day.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 15 Jul 2022 14:00:07 EDT news577095730 Cells communicate with their environment via receptors on their surface. When a protein approaches these receptors, they can pass along a message to the inside of the cell, for example the instruction to grow which can lead to tumor formation. New research by the team of prof. Savvas Savvides (VIB-UGent, Belgium), the National Cancer Research Institute (Tokyo, Japan), the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, U.S.), and ℏ bioconsulting (Minnesota, U.S.) reveals the 3D structure of the ALK receptor, which is involved in various cancers and other diseases. These insights can lead to the understanding of the function of these receptors, the first important step towards therapeutic approaches. The work appears in the journal Nature. https://phys.org/news/2021-10-3d-cell-receptor-critical-role.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 14 Oct 2021 08:55:10 EDT news553420506 Modern anticancer therapies aim to attack tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue. An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and FU Berlin has made important progress in this area: the scientists have produced tiny nanoparticles that are designed to specifically target cancer cells. They can navigate directly to the tumor cells and visualize those using advanced imaging techniques. Both in petri dishes and animal models, the scientists were able to effectively guide the nanoparticles to the cancer cells. The next step is to combine the new technique with therapeutic approaches. https://phys.org/news/2020-02-nanoparticles-straight-tumors.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 24 Feb 2020 13:01:08 EST news501771663 A cellular control mechanism prevents the production of defective proteins in our cells. A team of researchers from Bern has now obtained valuable insights into this vital mechanism that could lead to new therapeutic approaches for genetic diseases. https://phys.org/news/2013-07-quality-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 08 Jul 2013 07:13:43 EDT news292486408 (Phys.org) —How do organisms adapt over time? Do they evolve through a series of small beneficial steps as envisioned by Charles Darwin, or through a series of rare but large jumps? Or through a combination of both? https://phys.org/news/2013-06-redefining-populations-survive.html Evolution Fri, 28 Jun 2013 09:50:04 EDT news291628709 Bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a computational model of 1,366 genes in E. coli that includes 3D protein structures and has enabled them to compute the temperature sensitivity of the bacterium's proteins. The study, published June 7 in the journal Science, opens the door for engineers to create heat-tolerant microbial strains for production of commodity chemicals, therapeutic proteins and other industrial applications. https://phys.org/news/2013-06-metabolic-coli-reveals-bacterial-growth.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:00:01 EDT news289737611 Researchers from the University of Kentucky have designed and discovered a series of highly efficient enzymes that effectively metabolize cocaine. These high-activity cocaine-metabolizing enzymes could potentially prevent cocaine from producing physiological effects, and could aid in the treatment of drug dependency. The results of this study by Chang-Guo Zhan et al are published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology. https://phys.org/news/2012-07-enzymes-therapies-cocaine-abuse.html Other Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:00:03 EDT news262539827 A team of researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) have managed for the first time to extract trustworthy structural information from a triple helix DNA in gas phase, that is to say in conditions in which DNA is practically in a vacuum. The study appears today in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), one of the journals with greatest impact in chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2012-04-description-triple-dna-helix-vacuum.html Biochemistry Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:53:04 EDT news253961571 Vijay Pande's chemistry and structural biology group at Stanford has become known for Folding@home, a distributed computing project that borrows computing time from home computers to simulate how proteins take shape. https://phys.org/news/2011-11-stanford-software-foldinghome-biological-supercomputers.html Computer Sciences Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:50:01 EST news241086086 Research scientists at the Ruhr University Bochum discovered a new enzyme, which gives decisive insights into protein import into specific cellular organelles (peroxisomes). In the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the team of Prof. Erdmann (Medical Faculty, Department of Systemic Biochemistry) reports that the enzyme Ubp15p collaborates with two other proteins to convert the protein transport machinery back into its initial condition after work has been completed. https://phys.org/news/2011-07-shuttle-cells-scientists-components-protein.html Biochemistry Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:47:19 EDT news230813227