What is new in Biotech
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Gene-edited tomatoes could be a new source of vitamin D
23.5.2022 | Press monitoring
Tomatoes gene-edited to produce vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, could be a simple and sustainable innovation to address a global health problem. Researchers used gene editing to turn off a specific molecule in the plant's genome which increased provitamin D3 in both the fruit and leaves of tomato plants. It was then converted to vitamin D3...
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Pre-made stem cells may be pulled off the shelf to treat aggressive cancer
20.5.2022 | Press monitoring
The idea of using stem cells engineered to target tumor cells is starting to gain traction as a way of tackling difficult-to-treat cancers, and highly aggressive brain cancers known as glioblastomas (GBMs) are a prime candidate. The trouble is that glioblastoma and other aggressive cancers can advance very rapidly, offering a very short window...
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Tiny dental nanobots generate heat to deep clean the teeth
18.5.2022 | Press monitoring
The buildup of bacteria deep in our teeth can cause infections in difficult-to-reach areas, and scientists at the Indian Institute of Science have developed a set of tiny cleaning robots they believe can tackle this problem. The nano-sized machines can be steered with a magnetic field into microscopic channels in the teeth and kill bacteria with...
Phage Used to Clear Antibiotic-Resistant Lung Infection for Cystic Fibrosis Patient
16.5.2022 | Press monitoring
In recent years, investigators have identified new wild-type phage strains and molecular mechanisms to enable researchers to engineer phage viruses to target specific bacteria. Now, for the first time, researchers have successfully used bacteriophages to treat an antibiotic-resistant mycobacterial lung infection, clearing the way for a young...
Novel supramolecular CRISPR–Cas9 carrier enables more efficient genome editing
13.5.2022 | Press monitoring
CRISPR-Cas9 is considered a revolutionary gene editing tool, but its applications are limited by a lack of methods by which it can be safely and efficiently delivered into cells. Recently, a research team from Kumamoto University, Japan, have constructed a highly flexible CRISPR-Cas9 carrier using aminated polyrotaxane (PRX) that can not only...
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NeuroMechFly: A digital twin of Drosophila
11.5.2022 | Press monitoring
EPFL scientists have developed a digital model of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, that realistically simulates the movements of the animal. The twin is a big step towards reverse engineering the neuromechanical control of animal behavior, and developing bioinspired robots. "We used two kinds of data to build NeuroMechFly," says...
Bacterial biofilms facilitate biocompatible bio-abiotic interfaces for semi-artificial photosynthesis
9.5.2022 | Press monitoring
Semi-artificial photosynthesis integrates the high selectivity of living biosystems and the broad-range light-harvesting of semi-conductive materials, which enables sustainable light-driven chemical production. The bio-abiotic interfaces between living cells and semiconductors are the key for semi-artificial photosynthesis. Recently, a research...
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Ocean organism could be key to animal-free meat
6.5.2022 | Press monitoring
A fungus-like microbe taken from the pristine waters of South Australia could prove to be a vital ingredient in making everything from nutritional supplements, medicines and biofuels to animal-free meat, according to Flinders University researchers. Writing in the journal Trends in Biotechnology, Associate Professor Puri and colleagues say...
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Scientists engineer new tools to electronically control gene expression
4.5.2022 | Press monitoring
Researchers, led by experts at Imperial College London, have developed a new method that allows gene expression to be precisely altered by supplying and removing electrons. This could help control biomedical implants in the body or reactions in large 'bioreactors' that produce drugs and other useful compounds. Current stimuli used to initiate...
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Unlocking a cure for carbon monoxide poisoning
2.5.2022 | Press monitoring
Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas made when fossil fuels burn incompletely. It's also a silent killer. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 400 deaths and 20,000 emergency room visits can be attributed to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning every year. While CO detectors and making sure your fireplace and...
