https://phys.org/chemistry-news/biochemistry/ en-us The latest news on biochemistry Initial tests with a natural dye produced by the Amazonian fungus Talaromyces amestolkiae show that eco-friendly cosmetics, such as face creams, gel sticks, and shampoos, can be developed with antioxidant and antibacterial properties. This finding is significant because microbial dyes, which are still underexplored in cosmetic research, can serve as a sustainable alternative to synthetic dyes. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-natural-dye-amazonian-fungus-cosmetics.html Biochemistry Wed, 04 Mar 2026 19:40:01 EST news691864501 A team at ETH Zurich developed a new peptide-based organocatalyst that handles macrocycle formation from start to finish. Macrocyclic compounds are ubiquitous both in nature and in the chemical industrial setup. They are ring-shaped molecules with 12 or more atoms and are key components of many natural products and pharmaceuticals. Their unique structures let them lock onto specific proteins with impressive precision, making them exciting candidates for new therapies. Some even come with fun names—like robotnikinin, a macrocycle that inhibits the Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) protein. However, synthesizing them hasn't been as fun as their names—until now. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-peptide-catalyst-enables-stereoselective-tail.html Biochemistry Wed, 04 Mar 2026 07:50:03 EST news691756351 Diastereomers are structurally identical molecules that are not mirror images of each other. Diastereomers can have different biological activities, potencies or toxicities, which means they can influence biological systems, be separated from one another and more. To fully unlock their potential in organic chemistry, it is important to create the necessary diastereomer, but their creation is a key problem in organic synthesis. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-hard-diastereomers-cage-allyl-reagent.html Biochemistry Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:10:01 EST news691780682 A new catalyst strategy developed at Institute of Science Tokyo uses BaSi2 as a support for nickel and cobalt to decompose ammonia at lower temperatures. By forming unique ternary transition metal–nitrogen–barium intermediates that facilitate nitrogen coupling, the system lowers the energy barrier for ammonia decomposition. This enables nickel- and cobalt-based catalysts to achieve high hydrogen-production activity at reduced temperatures, matching the performance of ruthenium while relying on Earth-abundant metals for cleaner hydrogen generation. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-basi8322-nickel-catalyst-boosts-temperature.html Biochemistry Tue, 03 Mar 2026 16:50:03 EST news691777201 Researchers at the University of Bath have developed a new technology that uses bacteria to build, chemically stabilize, and test millions of potential drug molecules inside living cells, making it much quicker and easier to discover new treatments for difficult-to-treat cancers. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-chemically-stapled-peptides-difficult-cancers.html Biochemistry Tue, 03 Mar 2026 16:20:01 EST news691764541 Chemists from St. Petersburg University has developed a new family of luminescent iridium complexes that, for the first time, realize a unique mechanism of photoactivated proton transfer. In the future, this discovery will potentially allow for the creation of a fundamentally new class of "smart" antitumor drugs that can be activated directly inside tumor cells and tracked in real time by the change in the color of their glow. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-chemists-iridium-compounds-synthesis-smart.html Biochemistry Mon, 02 Mar 2026 22:10:01 EST news691679679 No "sticky ends"? No problem. A new study by NYU chemists finds that DNA tiles can assemble into 3D structures without the sticky cohesion of hydrogen bonding. This finding, published in Nature Communications, turns a fundamental paradigm in the field of DNA self-assembly on its head. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-chemists-complex-dna-hydrogen-bonds.html Biochemistry Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:50:04 EST news691690861 Bones broken in a skiing accident usually heal on their own. But if the break is too severe or a bone tumor needs to be removed, surgeons insert an implant that enables the bone to grow back together. Implants often consist of pieces of the patient's own bone, known as autografts, or metal or ceramic parts. A key drawback of many of today's implants is that they require a second surgery to harvest the tissue for the autografts. Additionally, metal implants tend to be too rigid and may loosen over time, compromising stability. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-dissolvable-hydrogel-enable-personalized-bone.html Biochemistry Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:20:03 EST news691678648 Researchers at the University of Granada have revealed that the Nutri-Score labeling system, commonly used in Europe to assess food quality, is unable to adequately reflect the nutritional and metabolic complexity of soluble cocoa sold in Spain. The study, which integrates non-targeted metabolomics techniques applied to the evaluation of nutritional labeling systems, analyzed 54 products from 19 different brands with Nutri-Score ratings between A and D. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-nutri-score-true-nutritional-quality.html Biochemistry Sat, 28 Feb 2026 16:00:01 EST news691155867 Thanks to modern therapies, a cancer diagnosis is no longer an automatic death sentence. But many patients still suffer from unwanted side effects and limited efficacy. In a recent Bioconjugate Chemistry publication, William & Mary researchers have designed an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) with the potential to improve the potency and decrease the cost of currently approved cancer drugs. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-undergrads-chemical-toolbox-cancer-drugs.html Biochemistry Thu, 26 Feb 2026 18:30:01 EST news691349102 Minor changes in moisture level can promote lipid molecules to reorganize themselves in biomaterial or biomembranes. This can affect how the skin, lungs and tear film protect us from dehydration. This new discovery from Lund University in Sweden could be the inspiration for smart materials and new drug delivery techniques. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-smart-materials-drug-delivery-exploit.html Biochemistry Thu, 26 Feb 2026 17:20:06 EST news691338062 Scientists have developed a new way to help understand what happens in the body when people consume a plant product and the many chemicals it contains. The Journal of Natural Products published the method to quickly analyze the effects of a natural product, developed at Emory University. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-leaf-analyses-natural-products.html Biochemistry Thu, 26 Feb 2026 16:20:01 EST news691333741 From the 1950s to 1970s, discovery of enzymes began by identifying new chemical reactions within cell-free extracts, but their molecular identification among (function unknown) hypothetical genes (proteins) is difficult. Sugar acids are compounds formed by the oxidation of aldose monosaccharides. Metabolic genes for C4 and C5/C6 sugar acids are separately located on bacterial genomes. However, researchers discovered that in several bacteria, including the marine bacterium Paracoccus litorisediminis, these genes form a single cluster, in which a homologous gene to GL300_RS07945 was usually contained. GL300_RS07945, belonging to SDR protein superfamily, was a typical "function unknown gene" with less than 30% amino acid sequence similarity to any known functional protein. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-molecular-identification-enzyme-years.html Biochemistry Thu, 26 Feb 2026 11:10:01 EST news691324683 Many therapeutic molecules used in cancer treatments are highly toxic, often harming healthy tissues and causing significant side effects. This creates a critical need for strategies that localize their toxic activity to tumors. What if cancer drugs could stay dormant until they reach cancer cells? A new study by Syracuse University researchers demonstrates a promising chemistry-based strategy that could do just that. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-key-chemistry-cancer-drugs-inactive.html Biochemistry Wed, 25 Feb 2026 17:30:01 EST news691257241 A study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society reports that artificial intelligence can enhance protein stability in an unexpected way—by engineering the water around a protein, not just the protein itself. Researchers led by Dr. Kuen-Phon Wu, at Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica and Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, found that AI-designed ubiquitin-fold proteins can achieve exceptional resilience by creating a protective, "mesostructured" hydration shell on their surface. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ai-hydration-shield-proteins.html Biochemistry Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:50:03 EST news691256822 Deep in our cells, a wide range of processes are occurring constantly. These cellular processes rely on enzymes to act as catalysts and set off a series of molecular interactions. There are still many processes within the body that are not fully understood. Discovering exactly how these cellular pathways work can help researchers better understand how some diseases proliferate and develop new treatments that target part of these processes. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-decoding-immune-cellular-pathways-enzyme.html Biochemistry Tue, 24 Feb 2026 12:10:06 EST news691157199 An Oregon State University scientist and a team of undergraduate students have uncovered real-time insights into a chemical process linked with Alzheimer's disease, paving the way toward better drug designs. The researchers used a molecule measuring technique to observe in a laboratory setting how certain metals can promote the protein clumping that leads to the blocked neural pathways associated with Alzheimer's. Led by Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz, associate professor of chemistry in the OSU College of Science, the research team also watched molecules known as chelators disrupt or reverse the clumping. The findings are published in ACS Omega. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-lab-technique-reverse-chemical-linked.html Biochemistry Tue, 24 Feb 2026 11:40:02 EST news691150381 Living cells are sustained by countless chemical reactions that must be carefully regulated to maintain internal order and function. Enzymes play a central role in this process, accelerating reactions that would otherwise proceed too slowly to support life. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-enzymes-maxwell-demon-memory-motion.html Biochemistry Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:00:02 EST news691147859 Whether in our bodies or in fuel cells, phosphoric acid plays an important role in many chemical processes because it is exceptionally good at transporting charges. Researchers from the Department of Molecular Physics at the Fritz Haber Institute gained new molecular insights into this remarkable property of the small molecule. Their results are published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry A. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-phosphoric-acid-dimers-reveal-nature.html Biochemistry Mon, 23 Feb 2026 16:00:01 EST news691072667 UNSW engineers have tackled a longstanding problem at the heart of global agriculture: how to make urea for fertilizer without the intensity of emissions associated with fossil-fuel-powered factories. The solution is outlined in a study published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-high-emissions-fertilizer-catalyst-boosts.html Biochemistry Mon, 23 Feb 2026 15:20:01 EST news691072201 Central goals of the circular economy include closing material cycles, reducing waste, and permanently keeping raw materials in the economic system. Achieving this requires innovative technologies that open up new avenues for recycling. Gas fermentation is a promising technology; however, some aspects are still in the research phase. The biotechnological process uses exhaust gases such as carbon dioxide as feedstocks to produce valuable products and enable a new approach to industrial emissions. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-qa-gas-fermentation-game-changer.html Biochemistry Sat, 21 Feb 2026 08:30:01 EST news690730128 When developing new drugs, one thing is particularly important: finding and producing the right molecules that can be used as active ingredients. The key elements of some drugs, such as penicillin, are small, tri- or quadripartite ring molecules. A team led by Prof Frank Glorius from the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the University of Münster (Germany) has now developed a method for efficiently converting readily available basic materials into such small, high-grade ring molecules. The product has a structure reminiscent of a line drawing of a house, hence its name "housane." The reaction is triggered by a photocatalyst that transfers light energy to the molecules to enable the conversion. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-housane-powered-route-drugs.html Biochemistry Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:40:03 EST news690736241 For the first time, researchers have succeeded in developing an artificial DNA base pair that is based on a different chemical force than natural genetic material. While the common natural DNA building blocks are held together by hydrogen bonds, the new base pair relies on halogen bonds as its central attraction force. These act like tiny, precisely aligned "docking sites" between molecules. The study demonstrates for the first time that such alternative bonds also enable stable DNA structures. It was published under the title "Investigating Halogen Bonds as Pairing Force in an Artificial DNA Base Pair" in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-genetic-alphabet-artificial-dna-base.html Biochemistry Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:20:01 EST news690728402 Ozempic has been making headlines for its remarkable success in treating obesity and diabetes. Yet it is just one in a rapidly growing class of drugs called peptide therapeutics that sits between small molecules (like aspirin) and biologics (like antibodies). A UC Santa Barbara research team has developed a technique for efficiently synthesizing non-natural amino acids and applying them to peptide construction. They hope that the methodology, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, will significantly advance peptide research, giving scientists greater access to amino acids beyond the 22 found in nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-scientists-massive-palette-biomedical-natural.html Biochemistry Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:18:30 EST news690733081 Despite rare earth elements' importance in manufacturing cell phones, magnets and a host of other consumer and commercial electronics, the lack of a sustainable, environmentally friendly approach to obtaining these metals has led to a global shortage, according to Amir Sheikhi, associate professor of chemical engineering at Pennsylvania State University. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-based-material-sustainable-method-recovering.html Biochemistry Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:46:34 EST news690655561 Proteins often function in pairs or groups, concealing their internal connection points and making it difficult for scientists to study their individual units without altering their natural structure. In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers successfully isolated single units of the protein SOD1, which is linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), by chemically tagging the protein and encapsulating it within tiny, self-assembled artificial cages. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-protein-molecular-cage-path-drug.html Biochemistry Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:40:19 EST news690648001 As cultured meat moves toward commercialization, people want to understand how it impacts health compared to conventional animal meat. So, researchers publishing in theJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry conducted an initial food safety study to identify potential allergens in cultured beef cells. They report mixed hazard results: Cultured cells contained relatively fewer traditional protein allergens than regular steak but provoked stronger immune reactions in blood samples from people with an acquired meat allergy. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-cultured-beef-differs-conventional-allergy.html Biochemistry Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:00:01 EST news690543165 A new study led by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has unveiled the first biomaterial that is not only waterproof but actually becomes stronger in contact with water. The material is produced by the incorporation of nickel into the structure of chitosan, a chitinous polymer obtained from discarded shrimp shells. The development of this new biomaterial marks a departure from the plastic-age mindset of making materials that must isolate from their environment to perform well. Instead, it shows how sustainable materials can connect and leverage their environment, using their surrounding water to achieve mechanical performance that surpasses common plastics. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-chitosan-nickel-biomaterial-stronger-plastics.html Biochemistry Wed, 18 Feb 2026 05:00:09 EST news690483601 Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plants and managing its availability is critical for growing crops to maintain the global food supply. In an effort to move toward a more sustainable bioeconomy, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators have developed a new method to recycle phosphorus from the biorefinery waste stream. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-renewable-biological-catalyst-potential-wastewater.html Biochemistry Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:23:29 EST news690564181 To find new ways to shield hair from heat, sunlight and air pollution, researchers in Brazil are turning to vegan-friendly ingredients for shampoos and conditioners. Published in ACS Omega, early tests show that a fruit-algae combination added to haircare products coats strands with a protective film. Although the botanical film makes hair slightly less elastic, it improves shine and makes locks easier to comb compared to hair washed and conditioned with products not containing the biopolymer. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-vegan-friendly-haircare-early-shinier.html Biochemistry Mon, 16 Feb 2026 10:09:12 EST news690458941