Feature Channels: Chemistry

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Like recruiters pitching military service to a throng of people, scientists are developing drugs to recruit disease-fighting proteins present naturally in everyone’s blood in medicine’s war on infections, cancer and a range of other diseases. They reported on the latest advances in this new approach here today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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Scientists today unveiled new technology intended to move soybeans, second only to corn as the top food crop in the U.S., along the same use-to-all path of corn and crude oil as a raw material for a wider portfolio of products. They described it - a new integrated soybean biorefinery - at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, being held here through Thursday.

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Stowers scientists manipulate the Set2 pathway to show how genes are faithfully copied.

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Almost 30 years after discovery of a link between alcohol consumption and certain forms of cancer, scientists are reporting the first evidence from research on people explaining how the popular beverage may be carcinogenic. The results, which have special implications for hundreds of millions of people of Asian descent, were reported here today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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A solution finally may be at hand for the number one consumer gripe about America’s favorite fresh fruit, bananas, and their tendency to ripen, soften and rot into an unappetizing mush, seemingly in the blink of an eye. Scientists speaking here today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, described efforts to develop a spray-on coating that would delay the ripening of bananas.

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At the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, scientists today reported identification of the first substance in smokeless tobacco that is a strong oral carcinogen, a health risk for the 9 million users of chewing tobacco, snuff and related products in the U.S., and called upon the federal government to regulate or ban the substance.

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In a study by UW-Madison chemistry Professor Helen Blackwell and her colleagues, and published online in the journal ACS Chemical Biology, certain small molecule chemicals that can disrupt quorum sensing in A. baumanni have been identified, providing a glimmer of hope that the stubborn pathogen can be tamed.

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Promising results were reported here today from a proof-of-concept clinical trial of an “anti-hunger” ingredient for yogurt, fruit shakes, smoothies and other foods that would make people feel full longer and ease the craving to eat. Scientists described the ingredient, a new version of a food additive that has been in use for more than 50 years, at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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As a step toward designing the first effective anti-HIV vaccine, scientists are reporting new insights into how a family of rare, highly potent antibodies bind to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and neutralize it — stop it from infecting human cells. They described the antibodies, which were isolated from people infected with HIV and can neutralize a wide range of HIV strains, today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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Strong scientific evidence suggests that high levels of a blood protein called galectin-3 may increase the risk of heart attacks, cancer and other diseases, and help forecast the outcome of those diseases, a scientist reported here today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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With millions of people already weather-worn after a summer punctuated by record heat, and some of the hottest days still ahead, the American Chemical Society today is hosting a special briefing, “What to Eat to Beat the Heat.” It is part of the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the ACS, which is the world’s largest scientific society.

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With enough sunlight falling on home roofs to supply at least half of America’s electricity, scientists today described advances toward the less-expensive solar energy technology needed to roof many of those homes with shingles that generate electricity. Their report was part of a symposium on sustainability at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, being held here this week.

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Scientists are developing profiles of the contents of individual brain cells in a search for the root causes of chronic pain, memory loss and other maladies that affect millions of people. They described the latest results of a one-by-one exploration of selected cells or “neurons” from among the millions present in an animal’s brain at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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A scientific instrument featured on CSI and CSI: Miami for instant fingerprint analysis is forging another life in real-world medicine, helping during brain surgery and ensuring that cancer patients get effective doses of chemotherapy, a scientist said here today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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The focus of nutrition for good health is quietly shifting to include consumption of food ingredients specifically designed to nourish the non-human cells that comprise 80 percent of the cells in the typical person, an authority on the topic said here today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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Scientists today reported progress toward a 40-year-old dream of extracting uranium for nuclear power from seawater, which holds at least 4 billion tons of the precious material. They described some of the most promising technology and an economic analysis. Their reports were part of a symposium at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, being held here through Thursday.

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A new made-in-the-lab material designed to rejuvenate the human voice, restoring the flexibility that vocal cords lose with age and disease, is emerging from a collaboration between scientists and physicians, a scientist heading the development team said here today as he delivered the Kavli Foundation Innovations in Chemistry lecture at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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Progress toward a new emergency treatment for internal bleeding - counterpart to the tourniquets, pressure bandages and Quick Clot products that keep people from bleeding to death from external wounds - was reported here today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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Already ranked by some as number one in nutrition among vegetables, the traditional sweet potato can be nutritionally supercharged with a simple, inexpensive electric current treatment that increases its content of healthful polyphenols or antioxidants by 60 percent, scientists said here today. Their report on the first electrical enhancement of sweet potatoes, a dietary staple since prehistoric times, was part of the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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Scientists today described development of a new fuel mixture to ease the major air pollution and cost problems facing cruise ships, oil tankers and container ships. These vessels tend to burn the cheapest and most highly polluting form of diesel fuel. Their report was part of the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, being held here this week.

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Coconut water really does deserve its popular reputation as Mother Nature’s own sports drink, a new scientific analysis of the much-hyped natural beverage concluded here today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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A new process for converting municipal waste, algae, corn stalks and similar material to gasoline, diesel and jet fuel is showing the same promise in larger plants as it did in laboratory-scale devices, the developers reported here today. It was part of the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, which continues through Thursday.

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People in ancient Rome 2,000 years ago had better access to clean water and sanitation that keeps disease-causing human excrement out of contact with people than many residents of the 21st century, a scientist said here today. Women in developing countries could play a major role in remedying the situation, if given the chance, she said at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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With concerns about the possible health and environmental effects of oil dispersants in the Deepwater Horizon disaster still fresh in mind, scientists today described a new dispersant made from edible ingredients that both breaks up oil slicks and keeps oil from sticking to the feathers of birds. They reported on the dispersant at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, being held here this week.

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With 1.3 billion tons of food trashed, dumped in landfills and otherwise wasted around the world every year, scientists today described development and successful laboratory testing of a new “biorefinery” intended to change food waste into a key ingredient for making plastics, laundry detergents and scores of other everyday products. They described the research at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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A symposium that showcases chemistry’s pivotal role in righting some of the highest-profile cases of innocent people proven guilty unfolds today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. It features presentations by forensic scientists, attorneys and others who used science to right wrongs, freeing innocent people and saving the lives of prisoners on death row.

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Scientists are trying to open a new front in the battle against gum disease, the leading cause of tooth loss in adults and sometimes termed the most serious oral health problem of the 21st century. They described another treatment approach for the condition in a report here today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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Using information about the unique mating practices of the male malaria mosquito - which, unlike any other insect, inserts a plug to seal its sperm inside the female - scientists are zeroing in on a birth-control drug for Anopheles mosquitoes, deadly carriers of the disease that threatens 3 billion people, has infected more than 215 million and kills 655,000 annually.

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Scientists have found that Mother Nature uses DNA as a wire to detect the constantly occurring genetic damage and mistakes that can result in diseases like cancer. That topic - DNA wires and their potential use in identifying people at risk for certain diseases - is the focus of a plenary talk here today during the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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In a thrust against the major problem of counterfeit medicines sold in developing countries, which causes thousands of illnesses and deaths annually, scientists today described development of a simple, paper-strip test that people could use to identify counterfeit versions of one of the most-frequently faked medicines in the world. They described the research at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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Drug counterfeiting is so common in some developing countries that patients with serious diseases in Southeast Asia and elsewhere have been more likely to get a fake drug than one with ingredients that really treat their illness, a scientist involved in combating the problem said here today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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A major improvement in the world’s lightest solid material and best solid insulating material, described here today, may put more of this space-age wonder into insulated clothing, refrigerators with thinner walls that hold more food, building insulation and other products. The report was part of the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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New evidence reveals the possibility of mood-enhancing effects associated with some flavors, stemming at least in part from natural ingredients bearing a striking chemical similarity to valproic acid, a widely used prescription mood-stabilizing drug, scientists reported here today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society. This effect joins those previously reported for chocolate, teas and some other known comfort foods.

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In a stride toward better health in later life, scientists reported today that resveratrol, the so-called “miracle molecule” found in red wine, might help improve mobility and prevent life-threatening falls among older people. The finding, believed to be the first of its kind, was presented today to some 14,000 scientists and others gathered at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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A new study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, and Emory University has uncovered fundamental details about the hexamer structures that make up the tiniest droplets of water, the key component of life – and one that scientists still don’t fully understand.

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Researchers for the first time have shown that members of a family of enzymes known as cathepsins – which are implicated in many disease processes – may attack one another instead of the bodily proteins they normally degrade.

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Johns Hopkins scientists have decoded for the first time the “stability blueprint” of an enzyme that resides in a cell’s membrane, mapping which parts of the enzyme are important for its shape and function. These studies, published in advance online on June 14 in Structure and on July 15 in Nature Chemical Biology, could eventually lead to the development of drugs to treat malaria and other parasitic diseases.

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New findings on the growth of ice clusters in Polar Stratospheric Clouds could help clarify the process of ozone depletion in the atmosphere.

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Researchers have identified a unique mechanism in bacteria that has the potential to serve as a target for developing new antibiotics for diseases such as AIDS and soft tissue infections including respiratory and urogenital tracts, which are currently difficult to treat.

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Inspired by a European study, a team of Stony Brook University researchers looked into the potential impact of healthy human skin tissue (in vitro) being exposed to ultraviolet rays emitted from compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. The results, “The Effects of UV Emission from CFL Exposure on Human Dermal Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes in Vitro,” were published in the June issue of the journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology.

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Inspired by nature, an international research team has created synthetic pores that mimic the activity of cellular ion channels, which play a vital role in human health by severely restricting the types of materials allowed to enter cells.

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U of S researchers have discovered the chemical pathway that Cannabis sativa uses to create bioactive compounds, paving the way for the development of marijuana varieties to produce pharmaceuticals or cannabinoid-free industrial hemp.

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Scientists have long known that the body rids itself of excess copper and various other minerals by collecting them in the liver and excreting them through the liver’s bile. However, a new study led by Johns Hopkins researchers and published June 22 in PLoS One suggests that when this route is impaired there’s another exit route just for copper: A molecule sequesters only that mineral and routes it from the body through urine.

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Biologists at UC San Diego have discovered a chemical that offers a completely new and promising direction for the development of drugs to treat metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes—a major public health concern in the United States due to the current obesity epidemic.

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Research on the Water Oxidation Reaction in Plants and Bacteria Helps Solve an Important Piece of the Solar Energy Conversion Puzzle; Represents a Major Step Toward a New Generation of Photovoltaics

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“Paper of the week” shows that a master regulator protein brings plethora of coactivators to gene expression sites.

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A chemistry professor describes how fireworks make those colors that keep eyes glued to the sky.

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Using a new tool allowing proteins in a living cell to be manipulated in real time, researchers at Johns Hopkins have stumbled across the answer to a longstanding debate about where and how a certain protein is turned on in the cell. Reporting in the February 2012 issue of Nature Chemical Biology, scientists show that protein kinase A is also activated in the nucleus rather than inside the cell’s body, a challenge to traditional beliefs.

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A key component found in an ancient anaerobic microorganism may serve as a sensor to detect potentially fatal oxygen, a University of Arkansas researcher and his colleagues have found. This helps researchers learn more about the function of these components, called iron-sulfur clusters, which occur in different parts of cells in all living creatures.

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Scientists are racing to sequence DNA faster and cheaper than ever by passing strands of the genetic material through molecule-sized pores. Now, University of Utah scientists have adapted this “nanopore” method to find DNA damage that can lead to mutations and disease.