https://phys.org/chemistry-news/biochemistry/ en-us The latest news on biochemistry Biomolecules, also known as organic molecules, include sugars, proteins and lipids and are the building blocks of all life. They play a role in the structure and metabolism of all living organisms. To make them visible under a microscope, researchers use special dyes to make them glow. A research team at the University of Göttingen has now developed a new method to do this better. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-biomolecules-dye-imaging-problem.html Biochemistry Fri, 22 May 2026 17:20:01 EDT news698676002 In a new discovery, researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute of Science have found that something in the direction of a magnetic field can influence how molecules of life behave at the most fundamental level and how early chemical processes linked to life may have unfolded. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-magnet-blocks-life.html Biochemistry Wed, 20 May 2026 09:40:03 EDT news698485141 A new study led by Dr. Lin Su of Queen Mary University of London, published today in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, describes a new integrated solar reactor in which engineered Escherichia coli (E. coli) are grown directly inside the same liquid that converts CO₂ into a usable energy source using sunlight. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-solar-reactor-paves-chemicals-plastics.html Biochemistry Tue, 19 May 2026 18:00:08 EDT news698426101 A team at the University of Vienna, led by chemist Nuno Maulide, has developed a new method for controlling chemical reactions in a more targeted and efficient manner. At the heart of this is the concept of "cation sampling": specially selected groups (ketones), in a sense, function as molecular signposts for randomly migrating positive charges, enabling reactions to take place at sites on a molecule that were previously difficult to access. The method allows carbon-hydrogen bonds (C–H bonds) to be specifically modified. The study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-migrating-hard-bond-molecules.html Biochemistry Tue, 19 May 2026 16:50:02 EDT news698427061 Florida State University chemists have synthesized new molecules derived from bacteria found in a Pacific Ocean sea sponge, a breakthrough for the future of drug development, particularly for rare forms of cancer. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-chemists-sea-sponge-bacteria-molecules.html Biochemistry Tue, 19 May 2026 16:20:05 EDT news698420435 What happens when a scientific problem seems too complex to solve precisely, yet understanding it could reshape how researchers design new materials and medicines? For decades, much of the polymer science community has relied on a "good enough" approach to a stubborn problem: binding a polymer to a protein in a precise way that reliably controls how the protein behaves. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-imperfect-polymer-sequences-protein-function.html Biochemistry Tue, 19 May 2026 14:40:04 EDT news698415361 Scientists have uncovered how tobacco plants naturally make nicotine, solving a mystery that has puzzled researchers for nearly two centuries. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, could lead to safer production of medicines and vaccines using tobacco plants, without the unwanted nicotine. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-year-puzzle-tobacco-nicotine.html Biochemistry Tue, 19 May 2026 10:20:01 EDT news698404003 In addition to serving as biochemical weapons for offense and defense, the venoms produced by ants in the subfamily Formicinae also fulfill additional roles. For example, the ants use it to protect their nests from pathogens. It has long been assumed that the primary constituent of these venoms, formic acid, was responsible for these functions. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-discovery-antimicrobial-peptides-ant-venom.html Biochemistry Thu, 14 May 2026 12:53:32 EDT news697981981 An international team led by researchers at University of California San Diego and University of California, Riverside has developed a free, web-based platform designed to make public metabolomics data more accessible. By allowing users to search for chemical structures across billions of chemical spectra (the unique signatures of molecules) spanning thousands of studies, the tool has the potential to make "big-data" metabolomics as straightforward as a standard internet search. It can be used to discover new metabolites, track drug exposures and connect specific molecules to diseases or environmental sources. The study was published in Nature Biotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-molecules-chemistry-life.html Biochemistry Wed, 13 May 2026 15:28:19 EDT news697904356 In 2018, an artificial intelligence (AI) program called AlphaFold achieved a major breakthrough by placing first in the critical assessment of structure prediction, a competition for predicting the three-dimensional structures of proteins. It scored close to 90 on a 100-point scale for moderately difficult targets, marking a turning point in the use of AI for understanding protein structure and highlighting its potential applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-deepafm-decodes-protein-motion-noisy.html Biochemistry Tue, 12 May 2026 15:00:03 EDT news697807741 Circularly polarized light has properties that make it useful in a growing range of technologies, from next-generation 3D displays to bioimaging tools that can detect signals deep within living tissues. One way to produce this kind of light is with the help of chiral molecules—compounds that have a mirror-image form to which they cannot be perfectly superimposed. Among these, small organic molecules (SOMs) offer tunable emission wavelengths. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-luminescent-radicals-enable-bright-circularly.html Biochemistry Sat, 09 May 2026 14:00:03 EDT news697378455 Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have developed a solid polymer coated with harmless viruses to detect the bacteria Salmonella enterica (S. enterica), an advance that could lead to new ways of finding contamination in the food supply. The work is published in the journal ACS Applied Bio Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-harmless-viruses-salmonella-flexible-polymer.html Biochemistry Thu, 07 May 2026 18:20:01 EDT news697389961 Researchers from the Universities of Bath and Leeds (UK) have made a significant advance in the fight against malaria by uncovering a promising new potential target for drug discovery. The findings, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, provide a powerful new framework for designing more effective antimalarial drugs with fewer side effects. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-antimalarial-drug-uncovers-enzyme-potent.html Biochemistry Wed, 06 May 2026 19:20:02 EDT news697296241 The closest-ever detailed look at a key enzyme inside the virus that causes COVID-19 could lead to more effective treatment of the disease. Nucleotide analogs are a common type of antiviral medication that mimic the genetic material viruses use to replicate, essentially duping them into inserting faulty building blocks into new copies of the virus. Many nucleotide analogs don't work as well as expected against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, because coronaviruses carry an enzyme that identifies and removes genetic errors in its RNA—a "proofreader" called exoribonuclease (ExoN). https://phys.org/news/2026-05-atomic-snapshots-enzyme-covid-drugs.html Biochemistry Wed, 06 May 2026 17:00:07 EDT news697291621 Researchers at the University of Toronto have identified a protein from the quagga mussel that can stick to surfaces underwater, even though it lacks a chemical feature long thought to be essential for this kind of adhesion. The protein, called Dbfp7, is the first freshwater mussel adhesive protein to be functionally characterized. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-freshwater-mussel-protein-source-medical.html Biochemistry Wed, 06 May 2026 09:00:02 EDT news697275901 Finding and developing new molecules is one of the great research endeavors of modern chemistry. From the development of new drugs to the creation of more sustainable materials, everything depends on finding new combinations of atoms with useful properties. Now, a research team from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) has developed an artificial intelligence tool capable of generating millions of new molecules which, although still unknown to science, comply with the laws of chemistry and could therefore be realistic possibilities. The research results have been published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-chemistry-aware-ai-generate-millions.html Biochemistry Tue, 05 May 2026 16:10:01 EDT news697214102 Many properties of molecules cannot be predicted from the properties of the atoms they consist of. These properties only emerge when they are combined—a phenomenon known in science as "emergence." A publication by Goethe University Frankfurt examines, from chemical, biological, and philosophical perspectives, how emergence and complexity are connected. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hallmarks-complexity-path-molecules-life.html Biochemistry Tue, 05 May 2026 13:10:01 EDT news697204741 Using bright X-rays from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), researchers pioneered an innovative approach to designing proteins with targeted functions. Their method generated new insights that allowed the team to turn a single designed protein into two new proteins with completely different functions—one of which is the most active designed enzyme to date. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-synchrotron-rays-uncover-hidden-protein.html Biochemistry Mon, 04 May 2026 17:00:02 EDT news697125001 Drug discovery still too often relies on expensive trial and error. Researchers from ICTER show there is another way—building molecules step by step and observing their behavior at atomic resolution. This approach could significantly speed up the development of new therapies while reducing side effects. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-guesswork-drug-atomic-resolution-method.html Biochemistry Mon, 04 May 2026 14:00:05 EDT news697117321 Researchers at European XFEL have developed a way to study liquid samples that are too dilute for many existing X-ray experiments. The method is highly sensitive, and in the first experiment a group of international scientists uncovered new details about how vitamin B12 in water changes after absorbing light. The results, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, open the possibility to investigate a much wider range of chemical and biological systems than before. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-approach-reveals-hidden-vitamin-b12.html Biochemistry Mon, 04 May 2026 11:20:08 EDT news697107661 Scientists at the Université de Montréal's affiliated Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) have identified a new family of natural molecules with strong antiviral activity, notably against the Ebola virus and SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. The discovery comes at a time of renewed fears of the rapid emergence of new pandemics, and highlights the ongoing search at the IRCM for novel antiviral agents derived from natural sources. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hidden-molecules-stronger-ebola-covid.html Biochemistry Sat, 02 May 2026 11:00:01 EDT news696769999 Mechanochemistry is a growing field for chemical reactions that proceed in the solid state in the absence, or with minuscule amounts, of solvent added. For decades, solvents have been considered conventional for the progression of modern chemistry; nonetheless, researchers are increasingly demonstrating that mechanochemistry can synthesize complex molecules more effectively. With more progress, mechanochemistry could alleviate solvent-related environmental and financial burdens in chemical industries. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mechanochemistry-synthesis-molecules.html Biochemistry Fri, 01 May 2026 15:20:01 EDT news696856981 In the world of organic chemistry, nitrogen-containing organic compounds are ubiquitous, forming the backbone of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, dyes, and functional materials. To build these important molecules, chemists often rely on highly reactive intermediates that can be transformed into many different products. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-azide-diazo-reaction-safer-path.html Biochemistry Fri, 01 May 2026 14:20:02 EDT news696856742 Research conducted at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil revealed that hops (Humulus lupulus L.) industrial waste from the brewing industry is a viable option for sunscreen formulation production. The multidisciplinary study, which involved researchers from USP's School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FCF), was inspired by the large amount of waste generated and discarded during beer production. The study brought together complementary expertise in natural products and bioactive photoprotection. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-beer-sunscreen-ingredient-spent-uv.html Biochemistry Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:40:05 EDT news696692341 An international research team has identified a previously overlooked factor that influences how antibodies neutralize SARS-CoV-2: their mechanical stability under force. Antibodies are key components of the immune system that bind to viral particles and block infection. Traditionally, their effectiveness has been evaluated based on binding affinity alone—how strongly they attach to viral proteins. However, in the human body, antibodies function in a mechanically dynamic environment shaped by blood flow, respiratory motion, and cellular forces. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-antibodies-strong-core-sars-cov.html Biochemistry Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:10:01 EDT news696697441 Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions in living organisms. They are widely applied in industries such as food production, detergents, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. However, for commercial use, natural enzymes often need improved stability, substrate specificity, or catalytic efficiency. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-molecule-method-rapidly-screens-custom.html Biochemistry Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:40:05 EDT news696686821 A UCLA-led international research collaboration has unveiled a new technology that may help scientists better understand how small molecules, including many drugs, bind to proteins. The invention works with an existing lab method called photo-crosslinking. The paper is published in the journal Nature Chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-molecular-probe-drug-effects-easier.html Biochemistry Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:00:11 EDT news696683282 Chemists and computer scientists tapped AI to find new disinfectants to combat the growing threat of dangerous "superbugs." Their computational-experimental framework for developing quaternary ammonium compounds, or QACs, to kill bacteria yielded 11 new QACs that show activity against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-chemists-disinfectants.html Biochemistry Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:40:02 EDT news696680281 How do photosynthetic organisms harvest light so efficiently? To help answer this question, researchers have developed an ultrafast transient absorption microscope with sensitivity approaching the single-molecule level. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-microscope-reveals-previously-hidden-differences.html Biochemistry Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:20:02 EDT news696614221 Science has long taken inspiration from the natural world, and few natural designs are as iconic as the helical shape that makes life possible. The best-known example of such a molecule is DNA, a double helix that carries the genetic instructions for all living organisms. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-evolving-polymer-recreates-nature-signature.html Biochemistry Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:40:04 EDT news696508441