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The enzyme manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) plays a critical role in maintaining human health by keeping the amount of harmful reactive oxygen molecules in cells under control. By using neutron scattering at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, researchers have now obtained a complete atomic portrait of the enzyme, revealing key information about its catalytic mechanism. The work could help experts develop MnSOD-based treatments and design therapeutics that mimic its antioxidant behavior.

ORNL story tips: Mighty Mo material, fueling retooling, goods on the move, doubling concrete and batteries passport.

Using complementary computing calculations and neutron scattering techniques, researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge and Lawrence Berkeley national laboratories and the University of California, Berkeley, discovered the existence of an elusive type of spin dynamics in a quantum mechanical system.

A rare isotope in high demand for treating cancer is now more available to pharmaceutical companies developing and testing new drugs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently received Oak Ridge National Laboratory's drug master file for actinium-225 nitrate, which lets pharmaceutical companies reference the document to support applications for their own Ac-225-based drugs without disclosing proprietary information.

Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory used neutron scattering to investigate the interactions between telaprevir, a drug used to treat hepatitis C viral infection, and the SARS-CoV-2 main protease, the enzyme responsible for enabling the virus to reproduce. Unforeseen changes in the electric charges were discovered in the drug binding site of the protease enzyme that were not predicted by prevailing computer simulations. The research provides key insights for advancing drug design and drug repurposing efforts to treat COVID-19.

Researchers at ORNL have identified a statistical relationship between the growth of cities and the spread of paved surfaces like roads and sidewalks. // Scientists at ORNL successfully demonstrated a technique to heal dendrites that formed in a solid electrolyte, resolving an issue that can hamper the performance of high energy-density, solid-state batteries. // ORNL researchers combined additive manufacturing with conventional compression molding to produce high-performance thermoplastic composites reinforced with short carbon fibers.

An ORNL team has devised a way to extract Pm-147 from the liquid runoff left after Pu-238 production. This reduces radioactive elements that must be disposed of but also, if sustainable, could establish a domestic supply of Pm-147, for which there is already demand. The isotope is used in nuclear batteries and to measure the thickness of materials and has potential medical imaging applications.