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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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
Scientists have developed an integrated computational and experimental approach to investigate the way proteins and peptides – chains of amino acids – aggregate. Understanding the way the peptides assemble into such aggregates is important for two reasons: 1. Amyloid fibrils are a form of peptide aggregate and some of these are involved in the development...
Scientists have identified a new internal regulator that helps control the body’s response to fight infection. The discovery could be a target for new drugs to tackle autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and scleroderma, where healthy tissues are attacked by the body’s own immune system. Autoimmune diseases include a wide range of difficult-to-treat conditions, including...