Molecular

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common psychiatric illnesses worldwide, but its molecular causes have still not been clearly identified.

In a preclinical study, researchers found tamoxifen encourages uterine cell growth; the findings could change how some breast cancers are treated in the future.

A qubit is the delicate, information-processing heart of a quantum device. In the coming decades, advances in quantum information are expected to give us computers with new, powerful capabilities and detectors that can pick up atomic-scale signals in medicine, navigation and more. The realization of such technologies depends on having reliable, long-lasting qubits.

An international research team led by the University of Vienna has succeeded in developing a new method to directly measure partial charges in molecules. The results, now published in Nature, provide new insights into molecular interactions and offer potential applications in drug development and materials science.

Scientists have long speculated that polaritons—hybrids of light and matter—could be harnessed to control photochemistry. Now, researchers at the City University of New York (CUNY) have shown that these fleeting states can indeed drive a fundamental type of molecular reaction.

A research team has developed upconversion nanoparticles to assist in powering molecular motors. The nanoparticles can convert near-infrared radiation, which is capable of penetrating bulk material, into blue or UV light that can efficiently power the motors. As a result, these motors can now be effectively used to make bulk materials responsive or act as molecular switches in biological applications. The results were published last month in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Researchers created upconversion nanoparticles that turn near-infrared light into blue/UV light to power molecular motors for materials and biological uses.

Scientists observed charge separation in a solar cell dye, driven by nuclear vibrations, not solvent effects, reshaping views on light-induced transport.

Whether in solar cells or in the human eye, whenever certain molecules absorb light, the electrons within them shift from their ground state into a higher-energy, excited state. This results in the transport of energy and charge, leading to charge separation and eventually to the generation of electricity.

A team of Johns Hopkins engineers has developed a new, more powerful method to observe molecular vibrations, an advance that could have far-reaching implications for early disease detection.

Author(s): Fiona Bell, Lukas Jakob, Caleb Todd, Ishaan Lohia, Yeeun Roh, Rakesh Arul, and Jeremy J. BaumbergDipolar interactions among molecules in a plasmonic nanocavity extend vibrational coherence by counteracting dephasing from cavity coupling. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 076901] Published Fri Aug 15, 2025

Dendrobium officinale, a prized medicinal herb, is valued for its bioactive mannans—compounds with documented antioxidant effects, immune-enhancing properties, and potential to alleviate type 2 diabetes. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating mannan biosynthesis in the plant have long remained elusive.

Interactions between atoms and molecules are facilitated by electromagnetic fields. The bigger the distance between the partners involved, the weaker these mutual interactions are. In order for the particles to be able to form natural chemical bonds, the distance between them must usually be approximately equal to their diameter.

Traditional drug development methods involve identifying a target protein (e.g., a cancer cell receptor) that causes disease, and then searching through countless molecular candidates (potential drugs) that could bind to that protein and block its function.

Fighting off pathogens is a tour de force that must happen with speed and precision. A team of researchers at CeMM and MedUni Vienna led by Christoph Bock and Matthias Farlik has investigated how macrophages—immune cells that are the body's first responders—master this challenge.

Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, have documented their use of a new RNA sequencing technology to uncover molecular drivers of cellular differentiation that could lead to better regenerative therapies.

Chiral gold nanostars show how molecular asymmetry transfers to high-symmetry nanoparticles, producing structures with distinctive optical behavior and enhanced molecular detection.

Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, have documented their use of a new RNA sequencing technology to uncover molecular drivers of cellular differentiation that could lead to better regenerative therapies.

Both for research and medical purposes, researchers have spent decades pushing the limits of microscopy to produce ever deeper and sharper images of brain activity, not only in the cortex but also in regions underneath such as the hippocampus.

Researchers at UBC Okanagan have made two major discoveries that are set to revolutionize how scientists observe and measure molecular forces within living cells.

The outskirts of the Milky Way offer a unique laboratory to study molecular clouds and star formation under metal-poor conditions. Unlike the inner galaxy, including the solar neighborhood, the molecular gas in this region experiences low density, reduced metallicity, and minimal influence from spiral arm perturbations.

A collaborative team from the Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, and affiliated institutions has elucidated how glycosylation dynamically modulates the architecture of human IgG antibodies.

Newly developed DNA nanostructures can form flexible, fluid, and stimuli-responsive condensates without relying on chemical cross-linking, report researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo and Chuo University, in the journal JACS Au.

The targeted engineering of artificial proteins with unique properties is now possible with the assistance of a novel method developed by a research team led by Prof. Dr. Dominik Niopek at the Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology (IPMB) of Heidelberg University.

In nature, the concept of chirality or "handedness" is fundamental to life itself, just as our left and right hands are mirror images that cannot be overlapped perfectly. Molecular handedness is crucial in biological systems—the same molecule with different chirality acts as a healthful or toxic compound. Living organisms excel at creating chiral cavities through molecular self-assembly, allowing proteins to bind and transform substrates with high selectivity.

Nanofluidic tech lets scientists control single molecules with precision, opening doors to molecular robotics, AI advances, and next-gen materials.

A University of Queensland-led study has found Australian skinks have evolved molecular armor to stop snake venom from shutting down their muscles. The research has been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Molecular testing in dermatology involves decisions about who gets tested, how to test and interpret results, and where to go for help in interpreting results.

A new study uncovers revealing insights into how plastic materials used in electronics are formed, and how hidden flaws in their structure could be limiting their performance.

Panelists discuss how they perform comprehensive molecular testing using immunohistochemistry, FISH, and next-generation sequencing to identify IDH mutations and other critical markers like CDKN2A/2B loss that guide treatment decisions and tumor classification.

Aging and neurodegeneration are both known to disrupt the production of functional proteins in cells – a process called "proteostasis," or protein homeostasis.

About one quarter of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) may be treated and derive a benefit with the current standard chemotherapy.

Threads or ropes can easily be used for braiding, knotting, and weaving. In chemistry, however, processing molecular strands in this way is an almost impossible task. This is because molecules are not only tiny, they are also constantly in motion and therefore cannot be easily touched, held or precisely shaped.

Amyloids are perhaps best known as a key driver of Alzheimer's disease.

Penn materials scientist Shoji Hall and colleagues have found that manipulating the surface of water can allow scientists to sustainably convert carbon monoxide to higher energy fuel sources like ethylene.

Immediately after the Big Bang, which occurred around 13.8 billion years ago, the universe was dominated by unimaginably high temperatures and densities. However, after just a few seconds, it had cooled down enough for the first elements to form, primarily hydrogen and helium. These were still completely ionized at this point, as it took almost 380,000 years for the temperature in the universe to drop enough for neutral atoms to form through recombination with free electrons. This paved the way for the first chemical reactions.

The glycocalyx surrounds each cell in the human body like a coat. This complex sugar layer plays a key role in the progression of numerous diseases, such as cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Researchers efficiently synthesize functionalized oligophenylene cages using covalent templates and cooperative intermolecular coupling.

Panelists discuss how the 2021 WHO classification has fundamentally shifted glioma diagnosis from histologic appearance to molecular markers, particularly IDH mutation status, which now determines treatment strategies and prognosis.

In a first-of-its-kind experiment tracing evolution across 25 generations, scientists have discovered that marine copepods—the tiny crustaceans at the heart of the ocean food web—rely on a largely unknown biological toolkit to survive the stresses of climate change.

A team of plant scientists has made a significant breakthrough in understanding how potato plants defend themselves against Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea (Sss)—the soilborne pathogen that causes powdery scab, an emerging and economically damaging disease affecting potato crops worldwide.

Author(s): M. Ballu, Z. Yao, B. Mirmand, D. J. Papoular, H. Perrin, and A. PerrinThe authors use a microwave field to probe the least-bound molecular states of sodium at ultracold temperatures, and compare their results with numerical calculations using known interaction potentials between two sodium atoms. The precision of the results exceeds that of previous measurements by almost three orders of magnitude. [Phys. Rev. A 112, 013312] Published Tue Jul 22, 2025

PhoreMost Ltd., a next-generation targeted protein degradation (TPD) company progressing a pipeline of degrader therapeutics within oncology and inflammation, today announced the publication of a study demonstrating the capabilities of its high-throughput GlueSEEKER platform to accelerate the design and development of novel molecular glue degraders.

Investigators led by Francesca Elizabeth Duncan, Ph.D., the Thomas J. Watkins Memorial Professor of Reproductive Science, have discovered new molecular mechanisms that lead specialized immune cells to cause ovarian aging and functional decline, according to a recent study published in PLOS Biology.

Excessive alcohol consumption causes alcoholic liver disease, and about 20% of these cases progress to alcohol-associated steatohepatitis (ASH), which can lead to liver cirrhosis and liver failure. Early diagnosis and treatment are therefore extremely important.

An international team of astronomers has discovered a massive cloud of gas and dust located in a little-known region of our Milky Way galaxy. The Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) is about 60 parsecs—or 200 light years—long.

Overlooked rock samples from 640 million years ago record microbes hanging on beneath frozen oceans

While humans can escape the heat by seeking shade or shedding layers, plants remain rooted in place. So how do they survive extreme heat? It's a question many have wondered—and now, science has an answer.

Mice experienced far fewer hay fever symptoms when a pollen-blocking antibody was applied within their nose

Vaccine experts have developed an antibody that, when applied to the nose, intercepts allergens before they can trigger a reaction.

If measured from beginning to end, the DNA in our cells is too long to fit into the cell’s nucleus, explaining why it must be constantly folded and packaged.

As part of a person's first line of defense against viruses and other microbes that cause illness and disease, a whole network of proteins and other molecules detect and respond to intruders, which they do in part by sensing the genetic material of the invading pathogens and recognizing it as "not self." Most immune proteins researchers have identified thus far are able to recognize either intruding DNA or RNA—not both.

The graphite found in your favorite pencil could have instead been the diamond your mother always wears. What made the difference? Researchers are finding out.

If measured from beginning to end, the DNA in our cells is too long to fit into the cell's nucleus, explaining why it must be constantly folded and packaged. When it is time for cell division, and the genetic information needs to be passed on to the next generation, DNA must be packed particularly tightly, or else serious consequences for a cell's viability might ensue.

A fundamental discovery by University of Missouri scientists could help solve one of the most frustrating challenges in treating lung cancer: Why do some patients initially respond to drug treatment, only for it to stop working 18 months later?

Recent research is the latest to suggest that UV nail polish dryers aren't harmless to our skin cells.

The study aims to uncover the immunological basis of Tanshi (phlegm-dampness) constitution—a subhealth type in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)—using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

Mitochondria are the body's "energy factories," and their proper function is essential for life. Inside mitochondria, a set of complexes called the oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) system acts like a biochemical assembly line, transforming oxygen and nutrients into usable energy.

Imagine the magnificent glaciers of Greenland, the eternal snow of the Tibetan high mountains, and the permanently ice-cold groundwater in Finland. As cold and beautiful as these are, for the structural biologist Kirill Kovalev, they are more importantly home to unusual molecules that could control brain cells' activity.

Each time a cell divides, a small section of each chromosome's protective cap—the telomere—is worn away. Most cells use an enzyme called telomerase to help mitigate this loss, but 10% to 15% of cancers have another mechanism called the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway.

Cornell researchers have found a new and potentially more accurate way to see what proteins are doing inside living cells - using the cells' own components as built-in sensors.

Scientists mapped the bacterial flagellum in atomic detail, revealing it as a target to disarm infections without killing bacteria or driving antibiotic resistance.

Cornell researchers have found a new and potentially more accurate way to see what proteins are doing inside living cells—using the cells' own components as built-in sensors.

A new result from the molecular gas survey in the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy M83 using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Telescope reveals a discovery of 10 high-velocity clouds composed of molecular gas, moving at velocities significantly different from M83's overall rotation, an indication that the influx of these gases—which help to form stars—are from outside the galaxy.

Scientists have studied a new target for antibiotics in the greatest detail yet—in the fight against antibiotic resistance. The "molecular machine" flagellum is essential for bacteria to cause infection, allowing bacteria to "swim" around the bloodstream until finding something to infect. But it could also be a target for antibiotics.

Scientists have designed a molecule that can remember magnetic information at the highest temperature ever recorded for this kind of material.

A new tool called PHOTON, developed by scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center, can identify RNA molecules at their native locations within cells—providing valuable clues to where different RNA species are distributed spatially in response to various cellular cues. This approach, detailed in a paper published in Nature Communications, could help researchers explain processes that go awry in diseases and potentially identify new targets for treatments.

Most people who separate their plastic waste for recycling assume the bulk of it will in fact be recycled. But current recycling methods, which "require sorting, grinding, cleaning, remelting and extrusion to obtain plastic pellets, usually lead to lower value materials because of contamination and mechanochemical degradation," the authors of a new study write. As a result, only about 10% of the plastic that makes it to recycling facilities is recycled. The rest is incinerated, sent to landfills or ends up in the environment.

A novel molecular imaging agent targeting glypican-3 (GPC3) has demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in detecting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), including tumors smaller than one centimeter, according to results from a pilot clinical study.

Researchers have discovered that the genes related to extracellular matrix (ECM) and the Wnt signaling pathway characterize the independently acquired lip hypertrophy in cichlids of the East African Great Lakes. Through advanced omics-based experiments and comparative histological analyses, they found that hypertrophied lips of cichlids had a larger proteoglycan-rich layer. This study provides vital insights into the evolutionary biology of lip hypertrophy in cichlids of the East African Great Lakes.

For the past five years, researchers at Leipzig University have been working on fundamentally new methods for selectively assembling gaseous, charged molecular fragments into new, complex molecules. The synthesized substances are deposited onto surfaces. This innovative process opens up new perspectives for applications in modern nanoelectronics and sensor technology. It also offers new avenues of research across various scientific disciplines—from catalyst research to medical applications.

Imidazoles and triazoles are essential chemical compounds used in many medicines, including drugs used to defeat various pathogen-induced infections and cancer. Besides these applications, both imidazoles and triazoles are used not only in humans but also to protect crops against fungi.

The kidney, a critical organ for waste filtration and fluid regulation, is the subject of a groundbreaking molecular mapping project that could reshape our understanding of renal health.

Researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil have identified a robust set of genetic markers associated with meat quality in the Nelore cattle breed (Bos taurus indicus) genome. The results pave the way for substantial progress in the genetic enhancement of the Zebu breed, which accounts for about 80% of the Brazilian beef herd.

How do we know exactly what is happening at a molecular level during extremely fast processes, such as burning during combustion? In less than the blink of an eye, one chemical compound and then another are present in a flame only to disperse and give way to more. Understanding which molecules are present gives scientists a way of understanding the inner workings of the chemical processes taking place.

A team of researchers, led by Professor Chae Un Kim from the Department of Physics at UNIST, has successfully tracked the catalytic pathway of carbonic anhydrase II (CAII), an enzyme that converts carbon dioxide (CO2) into bicarbonate. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Nature is the foremost international weekly scientific journal in the world and is the flagship journal for Nature Portfolio. It publishes the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology on the basis of its originality, importance, interdisciplinary interest, timeliness, accessibility, elegance and surprising conclusions. Nature publishes landmark papers, award winning news, leading comment and expert opinion on important, topical scientific news and events that enable readers to share the latest discoveries in science and evolve the discussion amongst the global scientific community.

Tuberculosis is the world's leading infectious cause of death, killing more than one million people each year. When the antibiotic bedaquiline was introduced in 2012, it was the first new tuberculosis drug in over 40 years. Bedaquiline quickly became the key drug in all standard drug-resistant tuberculosis regimens globally. Unfortunately, clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains rapidly become resistant to bedaquiline, predominantly by overexpression of MmpL5.

In a study published in Cell Research, a research team has, for the first time, resolved the high-resolution in situ structure of the central apparatus (CA) within the axoneme of mammalian sperm.

Researchers from the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS)/SOKENDAI and Kyushu University have uncovered the molecular mechanism that drives the "ticking" of the circadian clock in cyanobacteria.

Researchers have identified a form of molecular motion that has not previously been observed. When what are known as "guest molecules"—molecules that are accommodated within a host molecule—penetrate droplets of DNA polymers, they do not simply diffuse in them in a haphazard fashion, but propagate through them in the form of a clearly-defined frontal wave. The team includes researchers from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research and the University of Texas at Austin.

Ticks pose a grave risk to public health, with nearly half a million cases of the tick-borne Lyme disease treated every year in the United States.

A collaborative effort between Meta, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory leverages Los Alamos' expertise in building tools for molecular screening capabilities. The release of "Open Molecules 2025", an unprecedented dataset of molecular simulations, can accelerate opportunities for machine learning to transform research in fields such as biology, materials science and energy technologies.

A new molecule that lets energy hop around quickly within its structure makes the upcycling of light more efficient and tunable. The Kobe University development lays out a design strategy for better solar power harnessing as well as medical and sensor applications.

Blood clotting is a complex, tightly regulated process involving numerous molecular steps and myriad biomolecules to carry them out, including vitamin K. While the medical field has capitalized on this knowledge to produce medications that toggle up or down vitamin K—to boost or reduce clotting, respectively—scientists had not understood how the integral membrane enzyme utilizing vitamin K, vitamin K-dependent gamma carboxylase (VKGC), manages these activities.

Scientists at Northwestern University have developed the largest open-access resource of its kind to help researchers shave off months of early-stage drug development time by allowing them to better understand diseases and find potential treatments.

Panelists discuss how overcoming barriers to molecular testing in ovarian cancer requires addressing logistical challenges like tissue availability and external pathology coordination, managing financial constraints through institutional support and low-cost options, and enhancing patient communication by clearly explaining how testing creates a personalized treatment roadmap that empowers patients to pursue tailored therapies based on their tumor's genetic and molecular profile.

Author(s): Daoyuan Qian, Hannes Ausserwoger, William E. Arter, Rob M. Scrutton, Timothy J. Welsh, Tadas Kartanas, Niklas Ermann, Seema Qamar, Charlotte M. Fischer, Tomas Sneideris, Peter St George-Hyslop, Rohit V. Pappu, and Tuomas P.J. KnowlesBiomolecular condensates are vital in cellular organization and disease, yet their multicomponent nature makes it challenging to understand the interactions driving their formation. This study extends the energy dominance framework to show that measuring the dilute-phase concentration of a single target component reveals four distinct modes of condensate modulation. Using this approach, the authors experimentally demonstrate that the small molecule suramin dissolves condensates formed by protein G3BP1 by specifically weakening the G3BP1-RNA interactions, thus establishing a versatile framework for studying

Boltz-2 predicts molecular binding affinity at newfound speed and accuracy and is available under the highly permissive MIT license, which allows commercial drug developers to use the model internally and apply their own proprietary data.  The post Boltz-2 Released to Democratize AI Molecular Modeling for Drug Discovery appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

A team led by Kenneth Merz, Ph.D., Staff at Cleveland Clinic's Center for Computational Life Sciences, showed how quantum computers can be used for investigating how molecules act in aqueous solutions.

CRAIC Technologies is proud to introduce Circular Dichroism Microspectroscopy. The field of biology is witnessing a transformative leap forward with the advent of Circular Dichroism (CD) Microspectroscopy, an innovative analytical technique that bridges micron-scale precision with biological applications.

You may have seen it in the news recently: a baby in Pennsylvania with a rare genetic disorder was healed with a personalized treatment that repaired his specific genetic mutation.

Epilepsy is primarily treated symptomatically - that is, the majority of the available medications aim to suppress seizures without influencing the underlying causes of the disease.