The light of fireflies for medical diagnostics

In biology and medicine, we often need to detect biological molecules. For example, in cancer diagnostics, doctors need quick and reliable ways of knowing if tumor cells are present in the patient's body. Although such detection ...

Protein structure reveals how cells regulate their skeletons

Insight into the regulation of cell skeleton structure has come from a study conducted by A*STAR researchers. The work, which solved a protein structure that has eluded scientists for 20 years, should lead to further insights ...

Structural data reveals new mechanism behind protein transport

In order for newly-produced secretory or membrane proteins to find their final destination, the proteins have signal-sequences connected to themselves as a form of address tag. Furthermore, they use a particle guiding them ...

How to reset a diseased cell

In proof-of-concept experiments, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine demonstrate the ability to tune medically relevant cell behaviors by manipulating a key hub in cell communication networks. ...

Evolution of the back-to-belly axis

Most animals have a dorso-ventral (back-to-belly) body axis, which determines for instance the localized position of the central nervous system, dorsal in humans, ventral in insects. Surprisingly, despite enormous morphological ...

Protein threshold linked to Parkinson's disease

The circumstances in which a protein closely associated with Parkinson's Disease begins to malfunction and aggregate in the brain have been pinpointed in a quantitative manner for the first time in a new study.

How cells communicate

During embryonal development of vertebrates, signaling molecules inform each cell at which position it is located. In this way, the cell can develop its special structure and function. For the first time now, researchers ...

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