News by Subject Chemistry & Physics

Nagoya University researchers and colleagues have uncovered a molecular pathway that enhances chemotherapy resistance in some pancreatic cancer patients. Targeting an RNA to interrupt its activity could improve patient response to therapy and increase their overall survival.

Optimizing manufacturing of rare precursors to drugs has implications in making medications more globally accessible, affordable Microbial production of drug precursors makes product cycle more sustainable Eliminating need for yew trees that take 80 years to grow makes development of taxol, an anti-cancer drug ingredient, possible for more companies

Aziridine structures are an important component of several medicines and pharmaceutical drugs, due to which reactions yielding desirable aziridine structures with high purity have received much interest. In a new study, scientists from Japan have reported a high yield of aziridines with high purity from oxazolones using a novel catalyst and look into the underlying mechanism, paving the way for future development of novel drugs and medicines.

Researchers used platinum and aluminum compounds to create a catalyst which enables certain chemical reactions to occur more efficiently than ever before. The catalyst could significantly reduce energy usage in various industrial and pharmaceutical processes. It also allows for a wider range of sustainable sources to feed the processes, which could reduce the demand for fossil fuels required by them.

* A new method has been developed to measure how fast amyloid fibrils grow. * The team fired a beam of neutrons at the growing fibrils then used a 'contrast matching' method that made most of each fibril invisible to neutrons, so they could analyse the signal from the growing end alone. * The method will help scientists better understand diseases associated with amyloid fibrils, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Type 2 diabetes.