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Category: chemistry – Page 19

“We have found a key to controlling the switching on and off of proteins by combining photochemistry and hydrolysis,” says KTH researcher Tove Kivijärvi.

When designing materials that aim to improve medicine, you need to be able to control the functions of the material in a very precise way. If this is achieved, cell environments similar to the human body can be created in the lab, which is important for understanding biological mechanisms, disease processes and how the body repairs itself. Biological materials can also be used to study how drugs work and to streamline drug testing and preclinical studies.

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New research from Northwestern University has systematically proven that a mild zap of electricity can strengthen a marine coastline for generations—greatly reducing the threat of erosion in the face of climate change and rising sea levels.

In the new study, researchers took inspiration from clams, mussels and other shell-dwelling sea life, which use dissolved minerals in seawater to build their shells.

Similarly, the researchers leveraged the same naturally occurring, dissolved minerals to form a natural cement between sea-soaked grains of sand. But, instead of using metabolic energy like mollusks do, the researchers used to spur the chemical reaction.

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A research team led by Rice University’s Yang Gao has uncovered new insights into the molecular mechanisms of ADAR1, a protein that regulates ribonucleic acid (RNA) induced immune responses. Their findings, published in Molecular Cell March 17, could open new pathways for treating autoimmune diseases and enhancing cancer immunotherapy.

ADAR1 converts adenosine to inosine in double-stranded RNA, a process essential for preventing unwarranted immune responses, yet the molecular basis of this editing had remained unclear. Through detailed biochemical profiling and structural analysis, researchers found that ADAR1’s editing activity depends on RNA sequence, duplex length and mismatches near the editing site. High-resolution structures of ADAR1 bound to RNA reveal its mechanisms for RNA binding, substrate selection and dimerization.

“Our study provides a comprehensive understanding of how ADAR1 recognizes and processes RNA,” said Gao, assistant professor of biosciences and a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Scholar. “These insights pave the way for novel therapeutic strategies targeting ADAR1-related diseases.”

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A curiosity about tiny dots on a germanium wafer with metal films led to the discovery of intricate spiral patterns etched by a chemical reaction. Further experiments revealed that these patterns emerge from chemical reactions interacting with mechanical forces through a deforming catalyst. This breakthrough marks the most significant advance in studying chemical pattern formation since the 1950s. Understanding these complex systems could shed light on natural processes like crack formation in materials and the effects of stress on biological growth.

University of California, Los Angeles doctoral student Yilin Wong noticed tiny dots appearing on one of her samples, which had been accidentally left out overnight. The layered sample consisted of a germanium wafer topped with evaporated metal films in contact with a drop of water. On a whim, she examined the dots under a microscope and couldn’t believe her eyes. Beautiful spiral patterns had been etched into the germanium surface by a chemical reaction.

Wong’s curiosity led her on a journey of discovery, revealing something never seen before: hundreds of nearly identical spiral patterns spontaneously forming on a centimeter-square germanium chip. Even more remarkably, small changes in experimental parameters, such as the thickness of the metal film, produced different patterns, including Archimedean spirals, logarithmic spirals, lotus flower shapes, radially symmetric patterns, and more.

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Since it was first synthesized in a post-WW2 American lab in 1949, berkelium has been a rebel of the periodic table, defying quantum mechanics and taking on an extra positive charge that its relatives would never.

Now, a team of scientists from berkelium’s alma mater, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has wrangled the elusive element into a rare partnership with carbon that will enable them to study it in more detail.

Thanks to challenges involved in producing and safely containing the heavy element, few chemists have had the privilege of dealing with berkelium. Just one gram of the stuff can cost a boggling US$27 million. For this experiment, just 0.3 milligrams of berkelium-249 was required.

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Peanut butter and jelly. Simon and Garfunkel. Semiconductors and bacteria. Some combinations are more durable than others. In recent years, an interdisciplinary team of Cornell researchers has been pairing microbes with the semiconductor nanocrystals known as quantum dots, with the goal of creating nano-biohybrid systems that can harvest sunlight to perform complex chemical transformations for materials and energy applications.

Now, the team has for the first time identified exactly what happens when a microbe receives an electron from a quantum dot: The charge can either follow a direct pathway or be transferred indirectly via the microbe’s shuttle molecules.

The findings are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The lead author is Mokshin Suri.

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1. Introduction.

The natural production of EGF, a short polypeptide hormone, promotes the processes of proliferation, expansion, and division of cells [1]. For in vitro cell culture, EGF functions as a growth factor [2] and has an effective mitogenic effect on endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and most epithelial tissues. Its biological functions rely on associating itself with a specific cell membrane receptor [3]. Because EGF plays a crucial role as a mitogen in the proliferation of various cell types both in vivo and in vitro, it has been used in the therapeutic and cosmetic areas [4] to cover scars and reduce the appearance of aging skin [1]. Moreover, recombinant EGF is used topically for diabetic foot ulcers [5]. The structures and properties of proteins vary; favorable conditions are necessary for conformation, stability, and proper function. In contrast, a protein degrades, denatures, or precipitates when it is exposed to unfavorable conditions or when its natural environment changes suddenly. Recombinant human EGF is most frequently degraded by oxidation and deamidation [6]. These reactions typically have long-term implications. For protein solutions to remain stable and have a longer shelf life, excipients may need to be added, depending on how the protein is used in the experiment and other factors. When it comes to the chemical and physical degradation of proteins, the solution environment plays a crucial role in protein formulations. Of particular concern are buffer types, pH, and antioxidants [7]. Even though antioxidants assist in stability and solubility in liquid solutions, which help to preserve protein structure and function, they are frequently considered inactive ingredients in pharmaceutical compositions [8] [9].

Since an unstable protein solution can impact the product’s appearance, potency, purity, healing effects, and cell proliferation, in vitro protein stabilization is an essential practical consideration for the development of an effective EGF formulation. The stability of EGF in solution has been well documented in several in vivo solutions [10]. Though there have been numerous reports on EGF stability, none have specifically addressed treatment in cell culture conditions. Since it has a big influence on several aspects of the parenteral formulation creation process and EGF-based cell proliferation, the study of EGF stability in cell culture medium has gotten little attention. But since many of these in vitro tests are conducted in non-physiological settings, such as organic solvents or acidic solutions [11], they frequently fail to yield qualitatively positive results in cellular therapies.

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When light interacts with metallic nanostructures, it instantaneously generates plasmonic hot carriers, which serve as key intermediates for converting optical energy into high-value energy sources such as electricity and chemical energy. Among these, hot holes play a crucial role in enhancing photoelectrochemical reactions. However, they thermally dissipate within picoseconds (trillionths of a second), making practical applications challenging.

Now, a Korean research team has successfully developed a method for sustaining hot holes longer and amplifying their flow, accelerating the commercialization of next-generation, high-efficiency, light-to-energy conversion technologies.

The research team, led by Distinguished Professor Jeong Young Park from the Department of Chemistry at KAIST, in collaboration with Professor Moonsang Lee from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Inha University, has successfully amplified the flow of hot holes and mapped local current distribution in real time, thereby elucidating the mechanism of photocurrent enhancement. The work is published in Science Advances.

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Convergent engagement of neural and computational sciences and technologies are reciprocally enabling rapid developments in current and near-future military and intelligence operations. In this podcast, Prof. James Giordano of Georgetown University will provide an overview of how these scientific and technological fields can be — and are being — leveraged for non-kinetic and kinetic what has become known as cognitive warfare; and will describe key issues in this rapidly evolving operational domain.

James Giordano PhD, is the Pellegrino Center Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Biochemistry; Chief of the Neuroethics Studies Program; Co-director of the Project in Brain Sciences and Global Health Law and Policy; and Chair of the Subprogram in Military Medical Ethics at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC. Professor Giordano is Senior Bioethicist of the Defense Medical Ethics Center, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences; Distinguished Stockdale Fellow in Science, Technology, and Ethics at the United States Naval Academy; Senior Science Advisory Fellow of the SMA Branch, Joint Staff, Pentagon; Non-resident Fellow of the Simon Center for the Military Ethic at the US Military Academy, West Point; Distinguished Visiting Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Health Promotions, and Ethics at the Coburg University of Applied Sciences, Coburg, GER; Chair Emeritus of the Neuroethics Project of the IEEE Brain Initiative; and serves as Director of the Institute for Biodefense Research, a federally funded Washington DC think tank dedicated to addressing emerging issues at the intersection of science, technology and national defense. He previously served as Donovan Group Senior Fellow, US Special Operations Command; member of the Neuroethics, Legal, and Social Issues Advisory Panel of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); and Task Leader of the Working Group on Dual-Use of the EU-Human Brain Project. Prof. Giordano is the author of over 350 peer-reviewed publications, 9 books and 50governmental reports on science, technology, and biosecurity, and is an elected member of the European Academy of Science and Arts, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (UK), and a Fulbright Professorial Fellow. A former US Naval officer, he was winged as an aerospace physiologist, and served with the US Navy and Marine Corps.

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