Researchers can measure distances in molecules optically

MINFLUX microscopy allows the determination of distances within biomolecules using an optical microscope

15-Oct-2024 - A team led by physicists Steffen Sahl and Stefan Hell at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen and the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg has succeeded in measuring distances within biomolecules using a light microscope, down to one nanometer ...

Early Detection by Tango

Fast, uncomplicated, and specific: diagnosis of prostate cancer from blood samples

24-Aug-2022 - Early detection of prostate cancer, one of the most common types of cancer in men, is often achieved with PSA tests. However, this blood test for prostate-specific antigens gives many false positive results, causing unnecessary biopsies and overtreatment. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a ...

Fine-tuning the gene scissors CRISPR

04-Dec-2018 - The introduction of the tool for gene editing, the so-called gene scissors CRISPR, in 2007 was a revolution within medical science and cell biology. But even though the perspectives are great, the launch of CRISPR has been followed by debate, especially focussing on ethical issues and the ...

New high-throughput screening study may open up for future Parkinson's disease therapy

12-Sep-2018 - Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common movement disorder in the world. PD patients suffer from shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and have difficulties walking. It is neurodegenerative disease and is caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the brain. Currently PD cannot be cured ...

Measuring the Nanoworld

Researchers establish a benchmark for accurate determination of internal dimensions within individual molecules

05-Sep-2018 - A worldwide study involving 20 laboratories has established and standardized a method to measure exact distances within individual biomolecules, down to the scale of one millionth of the width of a human hair. The new method represents a major improvement of a technology called single-molecule ...

Detecting hundreds of proteins in a single sample

Barcoding technique offers cost-effective alternative to current technology

17-Aug-2018 - New technology developed by a team of McGill University scientists shows potential to streamline the analysis of proteins, offering a quick, high volume and cost-effective tool to hospitals and research labs alike. Proteins found in blood provide scientists and clinicians with key information on ...

Nanoparticles help with malaria diagnosis

New rapid test in development

23-Nov-2017 - Malaria is caused by parasites transmitted by mosquito bite. The most dangerous form of malaria is malaria tropica. Left untreated, it is fatal in most cases. An early diagnosis is vital for the timely and right kind of therapy. There are five different types of parasites at the origin of the ...

Nerve cells' gatekeepers take many forms

12-Oct-2017 - The ability to track the movements of single molecules has revealed how proteins on the surface of nerve cells control gates that turn chemical signals into electrical signals. The finding is a step forward in detailing mechanisms involved in neurological disease, according to researchers at Rice ...

Shedding light on protein interaction networks in a developing organism

28-Jul-2017 - Researchers succeeded for the first time in mapping protein-protein interactions in living developing plant roots. The findings were made by three international research groups led by the department of Plant Developmental Biology at Wageningen University and Research. The work is considered a ...

Plasmon-powered upconversion nanocrystals for enhanced bioimaging and polarized emission

23-May-2017 - Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanocrystals (UCNCs) have recently found great potential in the applications of near-infrared bioimaging and nonlinear optoelectronic devices due to their tunable spectral characteristics and excellent photostability. In particular, their near-infrared excitation ...