structural biology

Experimental Psoriasis Drug Comes With An ‘On-Off’ Switch

IRP Research Could Lead to Light-Activated Treatments for Numerous Diseases

light bulb

Many helpful contraptions we use every day would be problematic if we couldn’t turn them off when we didn't need them. After all, you wouldn’t want to leave your oven on when you’re out of town, and most people wouldn’t sleep well with their bedside lamp on all night. Many medical treatments would benefit from the same flexibility, but creating such treatments is no easy task. IRP researchers recently took a significant step forward in this area by creating an experimental treatment for an irritating skin condition that can be activated and inactivated using different colors of light.

Understanding the Body’s Universe of Atoms

IRP’s Adriaan Bax Elected to Royal Society for Pioneering Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Methods

Dr. Adrian Baax

“My mortal body is indeed a universe of atoms, but I am just an atom in the universe myself,” physicist Richard Feynman once wrote in a poem. Within our own bodily universes, all those atoms tell a story about how our bodies work — and how they sometimes don’t.

IRP Distinguished Investigator Adriaan Bax, Ph.D., has pioneered ways to watch those atoms using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods. This year, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of his research, which has contributed greatly to our knowledge of how the proteins and nucleic acids that keep our bodies running smoothly are structured, how they move, and how they interact, particularly in relation to diseases caused by their malformations and malfunctions. The Royal Society, which was founded in England in the 1660s, is a fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. 

IRP’s Thomas Kunkel Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Scientist Honored for Discoveries About DNA Replication

Dr. Thomas Kunkel

Our cells’ ability to create more of themselves is crucial for many aspects of health, but a cell without DNA can’t do all that much. For that reason, perhaps the most crucial step in cell division is the replication of DNA. IRP Distinguished Investigator Thomas Kunkel, Ph.D., has spent his career trying to understand DNA replication, what happens when the process goes wrong, and what influences the likelihood of mistakes. Earlier this year, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in recognition of his extensive contributions to this field.

A Year of Honors for IRP Cancer Researchers

Four NIH Scientists Received Prestigious Recognition in 2022

clockwise from top-left: Dr. Michael Lichten, Dr. Susan Lea, Dr. Kandice Tanner, and Dr. Deborah Morrison

The complexities of cancer, which is actually a collection of many diseases, has made conquering it an enormous challenge. Fortunately, researchers in the NIH Intramural Research Program are up to the task. This year, four IRP investigators in NIH’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) have been recognized for their groundbreaking contributions to answering fundamental questions about the disease and the immune system’s response to similar threats.

IRP Pushes Forward in Fight Against Pandemic Virus

Many NIH Labs Remain Focused on COVID Research

SARS-CoV-2 virus particles

Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, IRP researchers have been hard at work learning about the virus and developing ways to prevent and treat infections. That research remains as important as ever, particularly as the new Omicron variant of the virus continues to spread rapidly.

Fortunately, NIH’s Intramural Targeted Anti-COVID-19 Program (ITAC) has been providing IRP scientists with millions of dollars to support their research on the pandemic virus, known as SARS-CoV-2. Last week, the “I Am Intramural” blog discussed ITAC-funded efforts to learn about the biology of the virus and how it affects the body. This week, we’ll look at IRP projects focused on ways to track, treat, and prevent infections.

IRP’s Robert Tycko Elected to National Academy of Sciences

NIH Researcher Recognized for Contributions to Structural Biology Techniques

Dr. Robert Tycko

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), established in 1863, is comprised of the United States’ most distinguished scientific scholars, including nearly 500 Nobel Prize winners. Members of the NAS are elected by their peers and entrusted with the responsibility of providing independent, objective advice on national matters related to science and technology in an effort to advance innovations in the United States.

IRP senior investigator Robert Tycko, Ph.D., was one of two NIH researchers elected to the NAS in 2020, an honor he hopes will give him the opportunity to help other scientists and improve the way science is done.