Signaling by diffusible morphogens, such as Hedgehog, Wingless, TGF-β, and various growth factors, is essential during embryogenesis. The establishment of concentration gradients of these morphogens is vital for developmental patterning, ensuring that distinct differentiated cell types appear in the right place and at the right time in forming tissues. A new book from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Generation and Interpretation of Morphogen Gradients, reviews the latest research on how morphogen gradients are formed, and how cells read and respond to them…

A team of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has discovered the structure of a protein that pinches off tiny pouches from cells’ outer membranes. Cells use these pouches, or vesicles, to carry nutrients and other essential substances, but many medicines also hitch a ride inside them. The structure of the protein, called dynamin, is helping to answer many longstanding questions about how vesicles form, advancing knowledge of a process critical to cell survival…

Montana State University chemists have determined the structure of an intermediate form of a unique enzyme that participates in some of the most fundamental reactions in biology. The discovery could lead to understanding life in ancient ecosystems. It could also play a role in producing alternate fuels and fighting pollution, according to MSU researchers who published their findings April 25 in the advance online publication of the journal Nature…

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) will present 10 scientists with the following awards at the Experimental Biology 2010 meeting April 24-28 in Anaheim, Calif. Herbert Tabor/Journal of Biological Chemistry Lectureship 6:00 p.m. Saturday, April 24 Phillip A. Sharp of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will give the Herbert Tabor/Journal of Biological Chemistry Lectureship. Sharp studies the molecular biology of gene expression relevant to cancer and the mechanisms of RNA splicing…

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) announced today that it has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver certification for its biologics manufacturing facility in Devens, Massachusetts. The laboratory and office building at the same facility received LEED Gold certification in December 2009. LEED certification, established by U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute, is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings…

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: SRNE) announced that it has completed the construction of an extensive library of full-length, fully human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Initial analysis indicates a potential diversity of more than one trillion unique mAbs. The company believes this makes its library the largest full-length, fully human antibody library available for drug discovery and development partnerships…

The war against antibiotic resistance is now gaining momentum, as a consortium of 14 European institutes celebrates its first year of molecular scrutiny of the pathogens posing imminent health threats. The aim of the three year project is to exploit basic biological information to design novel, targeted strategies to control the emergence and spread of high-risk antibiotic-resistant bacteria…

The Atomic Force Microscope depicts on its screen the few nanometer thick and few micrometer long fibers as white flexible sticks, crisscrossing the surface on which they are deposited. The very peculiar property of these proteins lies in fact that they can self assemble into complex ribbon-like twisted fibers. Researchers at ETH Zürich, EPF Lausanne and University of Fribourg have teamed up to take Atomic Force Microscopy images of the fibers and to analyze them using concepts from polymer physics and theoretical modeling…

The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences together announce that Dow will contribute $5 million over five years to The Hamner Institutes to support chemical safety through the development of new computational models of toxicity. This contribution is part of Dow’s focus on product safety leadership and the advancement of science to support risk-based chemical safety assessments - key tenets of Dow’s sustainability commitments as a world leader in chemistry…

Engineering Conferences International (ECI) and the Cell Culture Engineering (CCE) XII Conference are proud to announce Prof. Michael J. Betenbaugh, as the winner of the 2010 Cell Culture Engineering Award. Mike Betenbaugh is Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. Professor Betenbaugh’s research has had a large impact on both fundamental and applied aspects of cell culture engineering over the past 20 years…