Life Sciences and Chemistry

Robert Hoffmann and Alfonso Valencia of the Spanish National Centre of Biotechnology (CNB/CSIC) in Madrid have developed a new web-based tool called iHOP (Information Hyperlinked over Proteins) to help researchers explore scientific literature and integrate information in a more controlled and targeted manner.

Reporting in the Nature Genetics journal (Nature Genetics 36, 664, 01 Jul 2004), the two scientists describe how iHOP, which was developed as part of the EU-funded ORIEL and TEMBLOR

A complete characterization of monoclonal antibodies also includes the determination of epitope specificity for a given set of monoclonal antibodies. Epitope mapping is a powerful tool in analysing the surface topography of an antigen. The binding of an antibody to the antigen defines a specific binding site or epitope which sterically interferes with the binding of another antibody which has the same or a closely located binding site. The specificity of pairs of antibodies can easily be determined

A protein responsible for regulating acid levels within cells – and pumping out acid accumulated in cardiac cells after a heart attack – activates in direct response to changes in a cell’s volume, according to a new study by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Their findings show that the protein NHE1, which is found in the membranes of nearly all cells and is especially active in cancer cells, is regulated by the stretch and pull of the membrane as a cell changes volum

A new study by scientists at the University of Southampton suggests that MRSA contamination can be reduced by using copper alloys for surfaces in healthcare facilities.

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a virulent organism, essentially resistant to all beta-lactam antibiotics (for example: penicillins, ampicillins, cephalosporins). It can cause skin, bone and life-threatening blood infections, as well as pneumonia.

In a study co-funded by the International Copp

A new protocol for bone marrow transplants, which does not require the destruction of the recipient’s immune system before transfer of the new bone marrow, is described by a group of Oxford scientists in the 6th of July issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

Furthermore, Luis Graça, Alain Le Moine, Herman Waldmann and colleagues from the University of Oxford, UK also found that following bone marrow transplant it is possible to succes

Most visitors to the seaside are content to ride donkeys, eat ice cream, and build sandcastles. But, University of Leeds scientists have no time for sunbathing; they are witnessing the birth of a new species on the rocky shores of North Yorkshire.

Littorina saxatilis (right) is an unremarkable rough periwinkle – a small, grey-brown sea-snail which litters the coast by the million. But it has overcome its lack of charisma and grabbed the attention of scientists trying to unlock the secrets