What is new in Biotech
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Building a better forest tree with CRISPR gene editing
14.7.2023 | Press monitoring
Researchers at North Carolina State University used a CRISPR geneediting system to breed poplar trees with reduced levels of lignin, the major barrier to sustainable production of wood fibers, while improving their wood properties. The findings hold promise to make fiber production for everything from paper to diapers greener, cheaper and more...
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Caterpillar toxin could punch holes in cancer cells for future therapies
12.7.2023 | Press monitoring
In a new study, scientists from the University of Queensland have found that the venom found in the bristles of the asp caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis) can punch holes in cells in the same way that the sickness-causing E. coli and Salmonella bacterial toxins can. Fascinatingly, the asp has retained this molecular hole-punching trait for more...
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Scientists make common pain killers from pine trees instead of crude oil
10.7.2023 | Press monitoring
A team of scientists, from the University of Bath's Department of Chemistry and Institute for Sustainability have found a way to create two of the world's most common painkillers, paracetamol and ibuprofen, out of a compound found in pine trees, one which is also a waste product from the paper industry. It is perhaps not widely known that many...
Developing a human malaria-on-a-chip disease model
7.7.2023 | Press monitoring
Michael J. Rupar, and a research team at Hesperos Inc., Florida, U.S., developed a functional, multi-organ, serum-free system to culture P. falciparum – a protozoan that predominantly causes severe and fatal malaria, in order to establish innovative platforms to develop therapeutic drugs. The platform contained four human organ constructs,...
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mRNA Trojan Horse tricks cancer into making toxins to kill itself
5.7.2023 | Press monitoring
Inside all living cells are ribosomes, which are essentially tiny factories that produce proteins. Exactly which proteins they make depends on the 'blueprints' they receive, and these come from messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules. Over the past few decades, scientists have found that they can hijack this mechanism to make beneficial proteins on...
Transplantation of genome-edited iPS cells delivers therapeutic molecules in vivo
3.7.2023 | Press monitoring
Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have a great impact on biology and medicine, and they are expected to improve regenerative medicine. Since 2014, when a sheet of retinal pigment epithelial cells derived from iPS cells was transplanted into patients with age-related macular degeneration, clinical trials have been conducted with various cell...
AI-generated nanoparticles prove capable of delivering modern medicines to diseased cells
30.6.2023 | Press monitoring
New research from Cardiff University, in collaboration with Astra Zeneca, used artificial intelligence to create microscopic particles that can effectively transport medicines to precisely target and treat diseased cells. The team say their work has potential future applications in treating genetic diseases and cancer as well as infectious...
Researchers uncover new CRISPR-like system in animals that can edit the human genome
28.6.2023 | Press monitoring
A team of researchers led by Feng Zhang at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT has uncovered the first programmable RNA-guided system in eukaryotes – organisms that include fungi, plants, and animals. In a study published in Nature, the team describes how the system is based on a protein...
Study reports drug that significantly reduces bacteria\'s ability to develop antibiotic resistance
26.6.2023 | Press monitoring
A team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine is gaining ground in their search for solutions to the global problem of bacterial antibiotic resistance, which was responsible for nearly 1.3 million deaths in 2019. The team reports in the journal Science Advances a drug that, in laboratory cultures and animal models, significantly reduces the...
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Biolab replaces horseradish roots for production of important enzymes
23.6.2023 | Press monitoring
It is one of the most important enzymes in medical diagnostics: Horseradish peroxidase is used for many medical products – it is often used when a color change of a test strip is to detect the presence of antibodies or other proteins. Recently, however, there has been a shortage of horseradish peroxidase, because it is obtained from horseradish...
