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Exploiting a chink in the armour of bacteria

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Scientists have identified a key process in the way bacteria protect themselves from attack - and it heralds a new strategy in the hunt for antibiotics. The researchers from the University of Leeds have pieced together how bacteria build their outer, defensive wall - in essence, the cell’s armour plating. The research team focused on...

‘Directing’ evolution to identify potential drugs

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Scientists have developed a technique that could significantly reduce the time to discover potential new antibody-based drugs to treat disease. Read the full press release on the University of Leeds website Read An in vivo platform to select and evolve aggregation-resistant proteins on the Nature Comms website

Nature's lethal shape-shifter

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Every picture tells a story… none more so than this detailed visualisation of a strain of the norovirus. Created from 13,000 separate images taken by an electron microscope, it reveals in rich detail the structure of the virus. It shows bump-like protrusions on the outside of the virus capsid, the protein shell that holds the...

Scientists identify new target for Parkinson’s therapies

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A master control region of a protein linked to Parkinson’s disease has been identified for the first time. The finding, made by scientists from the University of Leeds’ Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, provides a new target for the development of therapies to try and slow down or even prevent the disease. Parkinson’s affects...

High-performance computing to aid scientific discovery

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The University is to be part of two supercomputing centres - to boost the ability of researchers to make major scientific breakthroughs. The announcement is part of a £27 million investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to ensure academics have access to state-of-the-art, high-performance computing facilities. Dr Sarah Harris, Associate Professor in...

Leeds research could revolutionise vaccine development

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Research which has identified a way of making a safer and cheaper polio vaccine is to be scaled-up – to see if it could be used in commercial vaccine production. The new approach, which has the potential to revolutionise vaccine development across the board, is the result of a scientific collaboration led by the University....

Scientists unlock key to photosynthesis

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This discovery could lead to photosynthesis being ‘redesigned’ to achieve higher yields and meet urgent food security needs. The research, published in the journal Nature, reveals the structure of cytochrome b6f - the protein complex that significantly influences plant growth via photosynthesis. Using a high-resolution structural model, scientists found that the protein complex provides the electrical connection...

'Wolves in sheep's clothing' – the superbugs outsmarting lab tests

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Hospital screening tests are failing to identify the true extent of microbial resistance, according to new research. Scientists have found that disease-causing bacteria carry antibiotic resistance genes that are dormant as a result of a genetic mutation. During screening, the bacteria appear susceptible to antibiotics. But such mutations easily become lost, rapidly transforming the bacteria...

'Tricked' bacteria open new pathways to antimicrobial treatments

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Scientists have developed a new technique to trick bacteria into revealing hundreds of holes in their cell walls, opening the door for drugs that destroy bacteria’s cells. Targeting these pores could make current antibiotics more effective or allow for the development of antibiotic-free drugs that can use these openings. When subjected to certain stimuli, such...

Antiseptic resistance in bacteria could lead to next-gen plastics

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The molecular machinery used by ‘superbugs’ to resist chemicals designed to kill them could also help produce precursors for a new generation of nylon and other polymers, according to new research. Scientists from the University of Leeds have collaborated with Australian researchers to identify ancient protein pumps that make infectious bacteria tough to treat, but...