Feature Channels: Chemistry

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A biological sensor is a critical part of a human cell's control system that is able to trigger a number of cell activities. A type of sensor known as the "gating ring" can open a channel that allows a flow of potassium ions through the cell's wall or membrane — similar to the way a subway turnstile allows people into a station. This flow of ions, in turn, is involved in the regulation of crucial bodily activities like blood pressure, insulin secretion and brain signaling. But the biophysical functioning of the gating ring sensor has not been clearly understood. Now, UCLA researchers have uncovered for the first time the sensor's molecular mechanism, shedding new light on the complexity of cells' control systems.

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A new research project will establish a liver mimic as an effective model for studying the effects of different types of toxicants on the liver.

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Formoterol, a medication used to treat asthma and other lung diseases, improves fat burning and protein metabolism in men, a new study finds. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

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The drug topiramate can help people lose weight as long as they can tolerate the side effects, according to authors of a new study that reviewed the medical literature. Brazilian researchers will present the results Saturday at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

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In his new book, 'First Life,' biochemist David Deamer presents an engaging and accessible overview of research into life's beginnings and a personal history of his work in this field.

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Bitter taste often causes rejection that can interfere with food selection, nutrition and therapeutic compliance. Now, scientists from the Monell Center and Integral Molecular describe the discovery of a compound that inhibits bitterness by acting directly on a subset of bitter taste receptors.

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A drug already approved for people with cancer shows early potential as a therapy for a common form of dementia, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

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A promising cancer treatment drug can restore function of a heart en route to failure from high blood pressure, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

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Their landmark research discovered a family of kinase inhibitor drugs -- that all target one enzyme called IKK beta kinase --as effective for Huntington’s. Basically, the drug restores a critical chemical change that should occur in the huntingtin protein, but does not occur in people with Huntington’s disease.

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A new study by Baylor University environmental health researchers found that zebra fish exposed to several different technical mixtures of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) – a common fire retardant – during early development can cause developmental malformations, changes in behavior and death.

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Less expensive alternative just as safe and effective as common, costly immune suppressants for transplants.

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A new comparison of proteins shared across species finds that complex organisms, including humans, have accumulated structural weaknesses that may have actually launched the long journey from microbe to man. The study, published in Nature, suggests that the random introduction of errors into proteins, rather than traditional natural selection, may have boosted the evolution of biological complexity.

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Slowing down the aggregation or “clumping” of vitamin A in the eye may help prevent vision loss caused by macular degeneration, research from Columbia University Medical Center has found.

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A cancer drug already used to treat adults and school-age children with sickle cell anemia is safe and significantly reduces pain and other complications of the disease in children as young as 9 months, according to a national study involving a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher.

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Two Baylor University chemistry professors have invented a new polarimeter, a basic scientific instrument used to measure and interpret the polarization of transverse waves, such as light waves, that could prove useful in determining the purity of pharmaceuticals. Baylor has now patented the device.

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The American Physical Society has released a new assessment — Direct Air Capture of CO2 with Chemicals — to better inform the scientific community on the technical aspects of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

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High in the sky, water in clouds can act as a temptress to lure airborne pollutants such as sulfur dioxide into reactive aqueous particulates. Although this behavior is not incorporated into today's climate-modeling scenarios, emerging research from the University of Oregon provides evidence that it should be.

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Tests of a new antibody-based “biosensor” developed by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science show that it can detect marine pollutants like oil much faster and more cheaply than current technologies. The device is small and sturdy enough to be used from a boat.

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An over-the-counter drug used to treat diarrhea combined with minocycline, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections, could one day change the lives of those living with cystic fibrosis.

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Many genes that cause human diseases have parallel genes in other organisms, including yeast. Now Columbia University researchers have used an innovative yeast-based screening method to identify a possible treatment for the fatal childhood disease Niemann-Pick C (NP-C). This “exacerbate-reverse” approach can potentially be used to study any disease. The findings were published online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry on April 13, 2011.

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Easy-to-follow recipes for radioactive compounds like those found in nuclear fuel storage pools, liquid waste containment areas and other contaminated aqueous environments have been developed by researchers at Sandia National Laboratories.

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The Johns Hopkins researchers who first showed that the commonly used blood pressure drug losartan may help prevent life-threatening aneurysms of the aorta in patients with Marfan syndrome have now discovered new clues about the precise mechanism behind the drug’s protective effects.

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Scientists find that combustion of methane using two gold atoms at room temperature yields ethylene, while at lower temperatures it yields formaldehyde.

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Drugs already in development to treat Alzheimer’s disease may eventually be tapped for a different purpose altogether: re-growing the ends of injured nerves to relieve pain and paralysis. According to a new Johns Hopkins study, experimental compounds originally designed to combat a protein that builds up in Alzheimer’s-addled brains appear to make crushed or cut nerve endings grow back significantly faster, a potential boon for those who suffer from neuropathies or traumatic injuries.

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Scientists at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School are a step closer to treating, and perhaps preventing, muscle damage caused by neurodegenerative disorders and other forms of disease. In a newly published study, released today and cited as a Paper of the Week by the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the team has discovered that the gene polymerase I and transcript release factor, or PTRF, is an essential component of the cell process that repairs damaged muscle tissue. This discovery has the potential to lead to development of therapeutic treatment for patients who suffer from severe complications of diseases such as muscular dystrophy, cardiovascular disorders and other degenerative conditions.

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A new study from the Monell Center highlights the vital role taste plays as the body’s gatekeeper. The research shows that strong bitter taste in and of itself can cause people to both report the sensation of nausea and display a pattern of stomach activity characteristic of actual nausea.

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Following years of futile attempts, new research from the Monell Center demonstrates that living human taste cells can be maintained in culture for at least seven months. The findings provide scientists with a valuable tool to learn about the human sense of taste and how it functions in health and disease.

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Chemical engineering students at Villanova University are turning used cooking oil from dining services into hand soap and biodiesel fuel to power campus grounds equipment.

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In a finding that could help fight terrorism and improve safety in laboratories working with explosive chemicals, scientists are reporting development of a new material made of nanoparticles that can quickly detect and neutralize explosives. Soldiers, firefighters, lab workers could spray the material onto bombs or suspected explosives to make them no longer harmful, the scientists said. They will describe the new material at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim.

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In a scientific advance literally plucked from the waste heap, scientists today described a key step toward using the billions of pounds of waste chicken feathers produced each year to make one of the most important kinds of plastic. They described the new method at the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society, being held here this week.

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Soldiers and contractors stationed in Iraq not only face enemy gunfire and the threat of roadside bombs, but every day they breathe air polluted with dust particles carrying lead and other contaminants as much as 10 times above desirable level cited in U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

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In the first report on the uptake and internal processing of triclocarban (TCC) in fish, scientists today reported strong evidence that TCC — the source of environmental health concerns because of its potential endocrine-disrupting effects — has a “strong” tendency to bioaccumulate in fish. They presented the findings here today at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

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The next-generation battery, like next-generation TV, may be 3-D, scientists reported at the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Anaheim, CA. They described a new fast-recharge lithium-ion (Li-on) battery, already available in a prototype version, with a three-dimensional interior architecture that could be perfect for the electric cars now appearing in auto dealer showrooms

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The most recently discovered amino acid, pyrrolysine, is produced by a series of just three chemical reactions with a single precursor – the amino acid lysine, according to new research.

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Scientists have identified ingredients in an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine that show promise as a safer, more effective alternative to current skin-whitening cosmetics, which can cause problems ranging from allergic reactions to skin cancer. The finding could be a boon to women in Asian countries, where skin-whitening is a common beauty practice. Scientists will describe the new method and materials at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim.

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In the event of a much-feared bioterror attack involving ricin, food manufacturers may want to reach for the laundry cabinet. That’s because household bleach appears to be an effective, low-cost way to decontaminate the toxin on metal food preparation surfaces, scientists are reporting. They will describe the finding in Anaheim, Calif., during the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

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Wrapping antibiotics in nanofibers so tiny they can’t be seen under a microscope, and injecting them into the body, turns bacteria and fungi that cause food poisoning and hospital-acquired infections into ghosts of themselves, potentially overcoming the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance.

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Coating concrete destined to rebuild America’s crumbling bridges and roadways with millions of tons of underused flyash waste from burning coal could extend the life of the structures significantly, saving billions of dollars, scientists reported here.

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Gaze upon Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, or one of the great Dutch master’s famous self-portraits. Speaking at the 241st National meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society, an international team of scientists today described use of a new technique to see the paintings under the paintings of Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Rubens, and other 17th Century Old Master painters. The report by scientists in Belgium, The Netherlands and the United States was among almost two dozen studies presented as part of a symposium on chemistry and art titled “Partnerships and New Analytical Methodologies at the Interface of Chemistry and Art.”

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Scientists today reported development of bacteria that serve as mobile pharmaceutical factories, both producing disease-fighting substances and delivering the potentially life-saving cargo to diseased areas of the body. They will describe this new candidate for treating diseases ranging from food poisoning to cancer — termed “bacterial dirigibles” — at the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, Calif.

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After tackling the chemistry of coffee, tea, fruit juices, soda pop, beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages, why not take on the ultimate challenge, the Mount Everest of cocktails, what may be the most chemically complex cocktail in the world, the Bloody Mary? And in this the International Year of Chemistry (IYC), why not include its global offspring, the International Mary?

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With millions of adults and children avoiding nutritious foods because of the bitter taste, and gagging or vomiting when forced to take bitter liquid medicines, scientists today reported an advance toward a high-tech version of Mary Poppins’ solution. It’s not a spoonful of sugar to help the stuff go down, they reported at the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), but a new and improved “bitterness blocker.”

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Scientists are reporting development of the first commercially viable nanogenerator, a flexible chip that can use body movements — a finger pinch now en route to a pulse beat in the future — to generate electricity. Their study will be presented at the American Chemical Society’s 241th National Meeting in Anaheim.

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A new study showed that the drug AT-406 effectively targets proteins that block normal cell death from occurring. Blocking these proteins caused tumor cells to die, while not harming normal cells. The researchers believe the drug has potential to treat multiple types of cancer.

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With more and more environmentally conscious consumers choosing “green” products, scientists today reported that the first reality check has revealed that the ingredients in those product may come from a surprising source –– petroleum, rather than natural plant-based sources.

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Taking a lesson from Mother Nature’s genius as a designer, a scientist will describe a whole new menagerie of packets shaped like bubbles, tubes, and disks that could be used to deliver drugs to the body more efficiently and effectively than current materials. His report, scheduled for the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Anaheim, Calif., opens the door to developing a wide range of other materials for improved electronics, drugs, cosmetics, and other applications.

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Scientists are reporting development of a quick, efficient method for recycling automotive waste oil into fuel. The new method could help dispose of the estimated 24 million tons of waste oil produced each year worldwide and provide a supplemental fuel source for an energy-hungry world. Scientists will describe the new method, the first to use microwaves to convert waste oil to fuel, at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim.

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In what they described as the opening of a new era in the development of potentially life-saving new drugs, scientists today reported discovery of a way to tone down an overactive gene involved in colon cancer and block a key protein involved in asthma attacks. The scientists will describe their research on these so-called stapled peptides at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim.

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Your next car hopefully won’t be a lemon. But it could be a pineapple, banana, or some other tropical fruit. That’s because scientists in Brazil are reporting an advance toward the long-awaited “bio-automobile” …. developed a convenient way to turn fruit fibers into nanoparticles to improve the performance and eco-friendliness of automobile plastics, including bumpers and dashboards. Scientists will describe the new method and materials at the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, Calif.

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Producers and writers for several popular medical and science fiction television shows like House, Breaking Bad, and Zula Patrol — major sources of information about science and technology for millions of people — say they do strive for scientific accuracy. They appeared at a special symposium on “Hollywood Chemistry” at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.