Research News

- Read more about Targeting HIV in dormant state
Discovery of a novel, advanced technique to identify the rare cells where human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) hides in patients taking antiretroviral therapy (ART). This is an important step forward in the search for a HIV/AIDS cure.
- Read more about New Polymers can kill Superbugs
Tiny, star-shaped molecules are effective at killing bacteria that can no longer be killed by current antibiotics, new research shows.
- Read more about Synthetic nanoparticles can differentiate lung cancer cells from healthy cells
Researchers with the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center successfully developed a synthetic polymer that can transport a drug into lung cancer cells without going inside of normal lung cells.

Since conventional chemo drugs indiscriminately kill all rapidly dividing cells to halt the growth of cancer, these selective nanoparticles could decrease side effects by reducing drug accumulation in normal cells.
- Read more about Snail venom contains 'ultra-fast-acting' insulins
New research has found that venom extracted from a species of marine cone snail could hold the key to developing 'ultra-fast-acting' insulins, leading to more efficient therapies for diabetes management.
- Read more about Glucose changes a traditional Chinese medicine into powerful anticancer medicine
More than 20 years ago, a billboard in China piqued the interest of a chemical biologist. It endorsed an extract from the plant known as the "thunder god vine" as an immunosuppressant. A brief review of published research revealed that the extract's key ingredient, the small molecule triptolide, had been identified 20 years before that billboard ad, and it could stop cells from multiplying.
- Read more about Indoor dust with antibacterial components could lead to antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, known as superbugs, pose a major public health threat. Some officials have even warned of a post-antibiotic, and sicker, era. To better understand the problem, researchers have been piecing together its contributing factors.
- Read more about Neutron crystallography aids in drug design
Neutron crystallography is an important complementary technique to X-ray crystallography since it provides details of the hydrogen atom and proton positions in biological molecules. Furthermore, as neutrons are a non-destructive probe, the resulting structures are free from radiation damage even at room temperature.
- Read more about Lysozyme can be new marker for Alzheimer's disease
New research suggests that Alzheimer's disease may trigger increased expression of an enzyme called lysozyme, which attempts to counteract amyloid build-up in the brain.
- Read more about Cannabinoid receptor activates spermatozoa
Biologists from Bochum and Bonn have detected a cannabinoid receptor in spermatozoa. Endogenous cannabinoids that occur in both the male and the female genital tract activate the spermatozoa: they trigger the so-called acrosome reaction, during which the spermatozoon releases digestive enzymes and loses the cap on the anterior half of its head. Without this reaction, spermatozoa cannot penetrate the ovum. The researchers published their findings in Scientific Reports.
- Read more about Drug response influence by Intestinal microbes
Intestinal flora has multiple influences on human health, but researchers have revealed that it is also likely to have an effect on the body's response to drugs. Recent research from Kumamoto University in Japan strongly suggests that changes in the intestinal flora, caused by antibacterial and antibiotic drugs or individual differences between people, may have an effect on a person's response to drugs including side effects. The research focused on the changes in proteins due to the condition of intestinal flora that affect the response to drugs in the liver and kidneys.