Latest Biomolecules Stories

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Using a high-output camera to film the back of the human eye, for the first time researchers have shown that a resveratrol-based (rez-vair-ah-trawl) nutriceutical matrix can effectively remove cellular debris from the human eye that accumulates with advancing age and correlated this with significant improvement in visual acuity and night vision in an 80-year old man. Resveratrol is widely known as a red wine molecule. To view the Multimedia News...

Researchers at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed microscopic polymer beads that can deliver an antioxidant enzyme made naturally by the body into the heart.Injecting the enzyme-containing particles into rats' hearts after a simulated heart attack reduced the number of dying cells and resulted in improved heart function days later.Michael Davis, PhD, is presenting the results Sunday evening at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Orlando....

SAN MARCOS, Calif., Nov. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Natural Alternatives International, Inc. ("NAI")(Nasdaq: NAII), today announced that it has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, accusing Vital Pharmaceutical, Inc. ("VPX") and DNP International Co., Inc. of infringing patents exclusively licensed to NAI relating to its CarnoSyn® beta-alanine. NAI has also asserted claims for unfair competition and false marking against one or both of the companies...

Restores innate biological defense mechanismsResearchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine report that cutting back on the consumption of processed and fried foods, which are high in toxins called Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs), can reduce inflammation and actually help restore the body's natural defenses regardless of age or health status. These benefits are present even without changing caloric or nutrient intake.The findings, published in the October/November issue of the Journal...

Researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have for the first time successfully reconstituted in the laboratory the enzyme responsible for producing the blockbuster cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin.The research, published Oct. 23 in the journal Science, could potentially lead to the development of other compounds with similarly beneficial effects.The lovastatin-synthesizing enzyme is one of the most interesting but least understood of the polyketide...

Dutch researcher successfully packages enzymesDutch researcher Saskia Lindhoud has discovered a new way to package enzymes by causing charged polymers to form a 'ball of hair' around these. Her approach significantly increases the utility of the enzymes. For example, healthy enzymes with a foul taste can be packaged in such a way that they are released in the stomach without being tasted.Enzymes are molecules that can trigger specific chemical reactions. They are responsible for the taste of...

Custom built enzyme to replace harsh and hazardous chemicalsPerilous and polluting industrial processes can be made safer with enzymes. But only a short range of enzymes have been available for the chemical industry.Recently a group of researchers at The Department of Chemistry at University of Copenhagen succeeded in producing an artificial enzyme that points the way to enzymes tailor-made for any application.With their group leader, Professor Mikael Bols, Ph.d. students Jeanette Bjerre and...

With would-be goblins and ghosts set to drape those huge fake spider webs over doorways and trees for Halloween, scientists in Wyoming are reporting on a long-standing mystery about real spider webs: It is the secret of spider web glue. The findings are an advance toward a new generation of biobased adhesives and glues "” "green" glues that replace existing petroleum-based products for a range of uses. A report on the study is in the October issue of ACS' Biomacromolecules, a monthly...

Researchers have solved the mystery of how barnacles attach themselves to other objects, showing that barnacle glue binds together exactly the same way as human blood does when it clots, BBC News reported.Barnacles are crustaceans that live in shallow ocean environments. As larvae they affix to hard substrates, then remain stationary for the rest of their lives.The barnacles secrete an adhesive substance in order to attach themselves to a surface.Scientists have long been aware of the...

Scientists at the University of York have uncovered the structure of an unusual enzyme which can be used to reverse the contamination of land by explosives.The discovery, by scientists in the York Structural Biology Laboratory and the Center for Novel Agricultural Products, will support the development of plants that can help tackle pollution caused by royal demolition explosive, also known as RDX.Researchers at York have identified bacteria that use RDX as a food source and used that...