Molecular Biology

The classical RAS family of proteins functions as molecular switches at the cell’s plasma membrane where it cycles between an active and inactive state. The active state initiates a cascade of events that promote downstream signaling to regulate cellular functions, such as cell proliferation. Mutations and dysregulation of the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK…

The Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory is working with industry partners to bolster the use of nanotechnology in drug development and delivery as the interest in the promising technology expands. “Pharma has initially been hesitant to get into nano because it’s too much risk versus reward,” said Jeffrey D. Clogston, Ph.D., the…

Predicting disease severity from a SARS-CoV-2 infection has been an elusive but critical need in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, as some patients experience mild symptoms while others develop fatal complications. As scientists try to determine what contributes to infection levels and mortality, several medical signs are providing potential…

The spike protein critical for coronavirus research -- and for some COVID-19 vaccines -- slowly deteriorates while in storage, which can affect research results and vaccine production, a new study suggests. But the effect can be reversed. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which is used in laboratories around the world, is unstable under…

A team of scientists has gone fishing, but they’re interested in more than the bounty of the seas: They’ve also cast out nets on land. And they’ve never left the laboratory. Their “nets” are high-powered chemical and biological analyses. The team, a group of cancer biologists, dermatologists, biochemists, natural product chemists, and…

In a recent study that sought to measure antibody prevalence in participants who had not previously been diagnosed with a SARS-CoV-2 infection, a team of National Institutes of Health researchers reported that for every person diagnosed with COVID-19 in the spring and summer of 2020, it’s estimated that five additional people infected with the…