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. Proteins are critical to life—and to industry. There are countless proteins that could be engineered to treat and even cure serious diseases and cellular dysfunctions. Industrial applications are similarly promising, with proteins increasingly used as enzymes in food manufacturing and in consumer detergents. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-bioengineers-condense-protein-day.html Biotechnology Mon, 18 May 2026 19:40:02 EDT news698341021 Researchers have demonstrated a nondestructive way to collect cellular material from historical parchment manuscripts, allowing them to conduct genetic analyses that offer new insights into everything from trade routes to agricultural practices dating back 1,300 years—without harming the valuable manuscripts. The paper, "Adventures in the Animal Archive: New Techniques for the Genetic Analysis of Parchment Manuscripts," is published in the journal Manuscript Studies. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nondestructive-dna-sampling-reveals-years.html Archaeology Mon, 18 May 2026 14:00:05 EDT news698322298 Scientists have uncovered more than 1,700 new proteins that could have implications for human diseases, including cancer. Mostly very small, these proteins were found in what's called the "dark proteome," which covers gene products from previously overlooked sections of DNA. These proteins have unusual properties, motivating scientists to coin a new concept, peptideins, to help understand their potentially unique biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-dark-proteome-yields-microproteins-reshape.html Biotechnology Wed, 06 May 2026 11:00:10 EDT news697206062 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 The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed a new imaging method, known as RF-SIRF, that quantitatively detects and maps reversed DNA replication forks with single-cell resolution. The results also demonstrated a unique epigenetic code for DNA replication stress that can be further examined to understand mechanisms of genomic stability, aging and treatment response. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-imaging-method-reversed-dna-replication.html Molecular & Computational biology Sun, 03 May 2026 10:00:01 EDT news696519515 A Moffitt Cancer Center researcher has introduced a new model that addresses one of biology's most fundamental questions: How does genetic information keep living systems organized and therefore alive? https://phys.org/news/2026-05-genetic-cells-resist-chaos-stay.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 01 May 2026 12:20:03 EDT news696853201 Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage biotechnology company powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI), today announced advancements to its unified AI framework for drug target discovery, integrating its previously introduced Target Identification Pro (TargetPro) and Target Identification Benchmark (TargetBench 1.0) into a validated system designed to improve the accuracy, reliability, and scalability of early-stage drug development. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-drug-platform-pairs-benchmarking.html Biotechnology Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:40:01 EDT news696682566 Anyone who has ever used a microscope knows that it takes time to bring a sample into sharp focus. Each time you move the slide, the image blurs, and you have to stop and carefully turn a knob to bring everything back into clear view. For scientists and clinicians, even if the motion is semi-automated, that time quickly adds up as they work with dozens or hundreds of samples. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hidden-stripe-pattern-microscopes-auto.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:40:03 EDT news696610208 How can cancer cells be targeted without damaging healthy tissue? This is one of the major challenges facing oncology today. Using synthetic DNA strands, a team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has created a "smart" system that can recognize cancer cells with exceptional precision and release powerful drugs only where they are needed. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-molecular-distinguish-neutralize-cancer-cells.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:20:05 EDT news694264802 Large protein machines in the body carry out many of the cell's most essential tasks, from energy production to the regulation of signal transmission. Although they can now be imaged in great detail using cryo-electron microscopy, it has long been difficult to understand how these complexes actually move and function. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now developed a computational method capable of simulating the movements of some of the cell's largest protein complexes. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-simulation-movements-cell-largest-protein.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:03 EST news691861081 Intrinsically disordered proteins lack a fixed structure, which is why they have been considered "undruggable" targets for drug development for years. However, these proteins play a key role in numerous diseases—ranging from various types of cancer to neurodegenerative disorders—long limiting the therapeutic options available to treat them. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-key-undruggable-proteins-transient-clustering.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 03 Mar 2026 16:40:02 EST news691764962 Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), used to treat genetic diseases, can affect how cells repair damage to their DNA. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Communications. The findings may have implications for the development of future genetic medicines and deepen our understanding of how RNA, natural counterparts to ASOs, participate in DNA repair systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-synthetic-gene-medicines-disrupt-dna.html Biotechnology Tue, 03 Mar 2026 09:20:06 EST news691750021 The results of a study into whether cancer detection dogs can smell bladder cancer in other dogs' urine suggests that this could be an effective new way to diagnose the disease in dogs. The research, involving University of Bristol researchers, is published in Veterinary and Comparative Oncology. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-dogs-cancer.html Plants & Animals Fri, 06 Dec 2024 11:44:20 EST news652707856 Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois Chicago have demonstrated a powerful new approach to small molecule drug development. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-multiplication-enzymatic-oncology-drugs.html Biochemistry Thu, 02 Feb 2023 12:22:04 EST news594562921