https://phys.org/chemistry-news/biochemistry/ en-us The latest news on biochemistry University of Missouri researchers have discovered a new way to harness one of the body's natural defenses: copper. While copper is essential for life and helps power important biological processes, having too much of it can be toxic. To keep copper levels in balance, cells rely on specialized proteins that regulate where it goes and how much is present. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-harness-copper-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria.html Biochemistry Tue, 08 Sep 2026 12:20:12 EDT news708081541 Packaged food usually sits in plastic-lined bags designed to keep air, moisture and contaminants out. That same protection can also increase the chances of chemicals from the packaging seeping into the food. When a chemical raises health concerns, industries often swap it for a molecular cousin, a substitution that may either be genuinely safer or simply be too understudied to know whether it is harmful. With thousands of chemicals in use, one-by-one regulation can't keep pace, so untested replacements can slide through unchecked. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-screening-flags-food-packaging-chemicals.html Biochemistry Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:00:09 EDT news707998019 University of California, Davis, researchers have stripped down LSD to the base features responsible for its hallucinogenic and therapeutic effects. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-lsd-reveals-features-linked-hallucinogenic.html Biochemistry Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:00:10 EDT news707742302 The human body and its gut microbiome produce thousands of small molecules that shape how the body functions—influencing immunity, metabolism and more. Identifying what those molecules actually are has been one of the biomedical sciences' most persistent bottlenecks. More than 80% of compounds detected in a typical biological sample cannot be matched to any known structure using current methods. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-tool-hidden-universe-small.html Biochemistry Fri, 04 Sep 2026 17:00:01 EDT news707746802 Researchers have been elucidating the structures of complex molecules for more than 100 years using a variety of techniques. Some molecular structures, however, are more difficult to solve than others. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ultrafast-sample-protein-dizzying-proportions.html Biochemistry Fri, 04 Sep 2026 11:40:01 EDT news707736781 Scientists from Leeds' School of Food Science and Nutrition have developed an advanced AI process that can rapidly identify plant proteins capable of acting as emulsifiers from tens of millions of initial candidates. To date, it has identified nearly 800. The discovery will cut years of costly trial-and-error research and bring the next generation of plant-based foods and cosmetics closer. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-peas-potatoes-ai-proteins-food.html Biochemistry Thu, 03 Sep 2026 19:00:04 EDT news707663648 Sulfur-reducing bacteria of the phylum Desulfobacterota play a crucial role in the global biogeochemical sulfur cycle. Species such as Geobacter sulfurreducens use elemental sulfur as a terminal electron acceptor during anaerobic respiration, producing sulfide that participates in the global sulfur cycle. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-enzyme-mechanism-sulfur-bacteria-elemental.html Biochemistry Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:40:10 EDT news707649441 For many years, the European Union has pursued a policy aimed at the replacement, reduction and refinement of animal testing (the 3Rs principle). To put the ethical principle of the 3Rs into practice, the European Commission has published a roadmap for the gradual phaseout of animal testing in the safety assessment of chemicals. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-roadmap-animal-free-chemical.html Biochemistry Tue, 01 Sep 2026 17:40:02 EDT news707488201 Certain phosphorus compounds are highly effective at suppressing fires, which is why they are widely used in flame retardants. Phosphorus, however, is a finite resource. Estimates suggest it could be depleted within the next 50–300 years. That is why, as part of the ScaleAmP project, a research team is working to extract phosphorus from corn steep liquor, a byproduct of starch production. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-sustainable-flame-retardant-derived-corn.html Biochemistry Tue, 01 Sep 2026 17:20:04 EDT news707488023 Separating things and then putting them back together is a common principle in industrial food production. Agricultural raw materials are broken down into their individual constituents, such as proteins, starches and fats, and the food industry then reassembles these building blocks into specific products. In many cases, not all of the harvested crop ends up in the food we eat. In some instances, byproducts are formed that must be reused outside the food industry. These processing steps can also lead to the loss of dietary fibers, vitamins and minerals in the finished product. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-food-kitchen-peas-beans-lentils.html Biochemistry Tue, 01 Sep 2026 05:00:09 EDT news707404861 Swapping out one letter in a word can entirely change its meaning. Similarly, swapping one atom in a molecule can completely change its identity. A group of chemists at the University of Chicago has demonstrated a new way to make a single-atom edit to a molecule without changing any of its other components. The innovative method can be used to make a family of molecules known as pyrroles, including many widely used medicines, and is significantly simpler, faster and more cost-effective than previous processes. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-method-swaps-atom-molecule-drug.html Biochemistry Mon, 31 Aug 2026 16:40:01 EDT news707400601 Proteins with exposed arginine can selectively accumulate even on protein-resistant coatings, as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. Through an in-depth analysis of which proteins adhere and how they adhere to various anti-fouling surfaces, the team found that arginine disrupts the protective water layer that normally blocks adsorption. Their results will help scientists develop safer and more effective biocompatible materials for medical devices, such as stents and advanced biosensors. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-proteins-accumulate-protein-resistant-surfaces.html Biochemistry Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:20:06 EDT news707406841 A team of scientists from the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, has reported a new method that simplifies the preparation of complex molecules. The work was published in the journal Organic Letters. Such molecules are related to natural compounds known for their anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects. The new approach could help scientists prepare different variants of these compounds and study their biological effects. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-chemists-method-synthesis-natural-compounds.html Biochemistry Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:40:15 EDT news707386755 Restructuring a molecule without rebuilding it from scratch is an increasingly important goal in modern organic chemistry. Skeletal editing is an approach that helps chemists explore new chemical structures and simplify the synthesis of molecules with potential pharmaceutical applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fuse-strategy-route-molecular-skeletal.html Biochemistry Sun, 30 Aug 2026 17:00:03 EDT news707112646 Some of nature's most important chemical reactions rely on the coupled movement of negatively and positively charged particles. These processes play central roles in photosynthesis, catalysis and biological energy conversion yet remain difficult to observe. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-capture-molecular-images-reaction.html Biochemistry Fri, 28 Aug 2026 14:00:08 EDT news707141522 A large international team has developed a new compound that showed strong antiviral activity against HIV, including some drug-resistant variants. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-compound-potential-drug-resistant-hiv.html Biochemistry Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:40:06 EDT news707125081 Many cars and not enough lanes is a recipe for traffic jams. Now, researchers from Japan show that even proteins can get backed up and start behaving poorly when too many try to squeeze too quickly through a small space. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-narrow-channels-amyloid-formation-reveal.html Biochemistry Thu, 27 Aug 2026 18:00:03 EDT news707064721 ζ-Carotene, a key intermediate in lycopene biosynthesis, is widely found in plants and photosynthetic microorganisms, but its isomer-specific properties remain poorly understood due to isolation and purification challenges. Researchers have now developed a purification strategy to obtain high-purity geometric isomers and systematically characterized, for the first time, their isomer-specific spectral properties, photoisomerization behavior, UV-shielding capacity, antioxidant activity and skin-related biological activities—highlighting ζ-carotene's promise as a natural ingredient for skin health and photoprotection. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-carotene-isomers-reveal-driven-shifts.html Biochemistry Tue, 25 Aug 2026 19:20:03 EDT news706896542 Researchers from the Department of Chemistry at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), led by Professor Jian He and collaborators, have developed a new light-driven method for constructing three-dimensional molecular building blocks that could give medicinal chemists greater flexibility in designing new drug candidates. The approach broadens the range of starting materials that can be used while suppressing unwanted polymerization, overcoming key limitations of existing synthetic methods. The findings have been published in Nature Chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-chemists-harness-3d-molecular-drug.html Biochemistry Tue, 25 Aug 2026 15:40:05 EDT news706878361 Fibrinogen, the abundant plasma protein best known for forming blood clots, may play a second and far less benign role during SARS-CoV-2 infection: acting as a molecular bridge that simultaneously hides the virus from neutralizing antibodies and delivers it to the cells lining blood vessels. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-blood-clotting-protein-sars-cov.html Biochemistry Mon, 24 Aug 2026 20:00:01 EDT news706783360 Since the COVID-19 pandemic, developing surfaces that can inactivate viruses upon contact has become an important goal in public health care. Ideally, such surfaces would work on their own without requiring chemical disinfectants, so they could offer consistent protection in hospitals, public transportation and other shared spaces. This has driven scientists worldwide to search for durable antiviral materials that can be used in everyday surfaces. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ball-milling-antiviral-inexpensive-inorganic.html Biochemistry Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:10:02 EDT news706804921 If you want to describe a particular color, you could look to the Pantone color wheel to find its exact hue, saturation and brightness, and how it compares with other colors. But nothing like that has existed for complex odors. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-complex-odors-easier-machine.html Biochemistry Fri, 21 Aug 2026 17:00:01 EDT news706536961 Scientists have redefined how the key blood-clotting protein fibrinogen behaves when it contacts air, overturning two decades of scientific consensus on wound healing. It is the culmination of more than a decade of international collaboration by Dr. Richard Campbell of The University of Manchester, Professor Juan Ruso of the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and Dr. Natalia Hassan of the Metropolitan Technological University in Chile. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fibrinogen-discovery-reshapes-wounds.html Biochemistry Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:20:03 EDT news706445083 Changing the carbon source used during bacterial fermentation—essentially, what bacteria are fed—can significantly influence the properties of the sugar polymers they produce, known as bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPSs). https://phys.org/news/2026-08-bacterial-feedstock-flexible-biopolymers-stronger.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2026 19:40:03 EDT news706372261 Light-driven membrane proteins are key components in biohybrid systems because they can convert light energy into ion gradients, enabling energy conversion or sensory applications. While their integration into natural lipid membranes is well studied, embedding them in artificial polymer membranes has proven challenging. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-driven-proteins-artificial-membranes-method.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:40:04 EDT news706356661 Proteins form complex three-dimensional shapes and can join together to create larger structures. Researchers want to use these properties to make artificial materials. However, arranging proteins and synthetic molecules together with a high level of structural precision is no easy task. This is partly because of the lack of large, clearly defined contact surfaces between the two components. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-foldamerprotein-pair-precise-blocks-artificial.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:40:01 EDT news706354444 Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are omega-3 fatty acids known to have beneficial effects and are popular as functional foods and dietary supplements. They are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs); the primary source of these PUFAs for humans is fish oil. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-reusing-liquid-pickle-omega-fatty.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:52:25 EDT news706351922 In the living world, roughly a third of all proteins we know rely on metals to function. Zinc helps enzymes break down molecules, iron helps carry oxygen in the blood, calcium helps relay signals in cells and potassium flows through channels that help keep our hearts beating. But despite the important role they play, scientists have long struggled to pinpoint exactly where metal ions bind in a protein to get the job done. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-deep-approach-rapidly-metals-proteins.html Biochemistry Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:40:05 EDT news706272722 A research team has developed a new molecular editing strategy that can directly convert pyridine compounds into their positional isomers. Instead of moving individual substituents around the molecule, the method relocates the nitrogen atom within the pyridine ring itself, allowing existing molecular structures to be reorganized while preserving their substituents. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nitrogen-pyridine-path-molecular.html Biochemistry Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:00:08 EDT news706272901 Sugars, or glycans, play a crucial role in biology—from cell signaling and recognition to interactions with pathogens. Changes in glycosylation are also associated with diseases including cancer. But studying glycans poses a major challenge: because many glycans are highly water-soluble, or hydrophilic, they cannot easily cross the cell membrane and must be modified with a hydrophobic moiety—a water-repelling chemical group—and prepared and delivered using potentially harmful solvents. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-method-sugars-cells.html Biochemistry Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:40:04 EDT news705931261