What is new in Biotech
AI technology generates original proteins from scratch
27.1.2023 | Press monitoring
Scientists have created an AI system capable of generating artificial enzymes from scratch. In laboratory tests, some of these enzymes worked as well as those found in nature, even when their artificially generated amino acid sequences diverged significantly from any known natural protein. The experiment demonstrates that natural language...
Using origami DNA to trap large viruses
25.1.2023 | Press monitoring
A team of researchers from the Technical University of Munich and the University of Regensburg, both in Germany, has found that it is possible to build origami DNA structures that can be used to trap large viruses. As the global pandemic continues, albeit in a less deadly phase, the medical science community continues to look for ways to prevent...
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Researchers identify protein that counteracts key rattlesnake venom toxins
23.1.2023 | Press monitoring
Venomous snakes cause an estimated 120,000 deaths and 400,000 disabling injuries worldwide each year, with approximately 8,000 snake bite cases in the United States alone. To reduce and mitigate the severity of venomous snake bites, a team of University of Maryland biologists launched an investigation into the genome of the western diamondback...
New nanoparticles deliver therapy throughout the brain and edit Alzheimer\'s gene in mice
20.1.2023 | Press monitoring
Gene therapies have the potential to treat neurological disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, but they face a common barrier – the blood-brain barrier. Now, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a way to move therapies across the brain's protective membrane to deliver brain-wide therapy with a range...
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Researchers create Cyborg Cells, natural-artificial cell hybrids
18.1.2023 | Press monitoring
Natural and artificial cells are useful for research, with each having different pros and cons. In research published in Advanced Science, investigators recently created a hybrid called Cyborg Cells that have the engineering simplicity of synthetic materials and the complex functionalities of natural cells. To create Cyborg Cells, scientists...
Epigenetic reboot reverses aging in mice and could extend lifespan
16.1.2023 | Press monitoring
Scientists at Harvard Medical School have investigated why we age, and identified a possible way to reverse it. In tests in mice, the team showed that epigenetic “software glitches” drive the symptoms of aging – and a system reboot can reverse them, potentially extending lifespan. Environmental and lifestyle factors like diet, exercise and even...
Genetically engineered bacterium enables biosynthesis of melanin nanoparticles
13.1.2023 | Press monitoring
Photothermal therapy (PTT) has attracted considerable attention for the treatment of tumors because it is minimally invasive and has spatiotemporal selectivity. Melanin is a kind of multifunctional pigment found widely in mammals, plants and microbes, with great prospects as a PTT agent for cancer treatment. Unfortunately, commercially available...
Resurrected 2.6-billion-year-old CRISPR enzymes can still edit cells
11.1.2023 | Press monitoring
Researchers in Spain have resurrected ancient CRISPR proteins from millions and even billions of years ago. Not only can they still edit human cells, but they’re more versatile than modern versions, paving the way for new and improved synthetic CRISPR gene-editing tools. For the new study, researchers at CIC nanoGUNE in Spain set out to chart the...
Mini human brains implanted in mice respond to light the animals see
9.1.2023 | Press monitoring
Miniature human brains, grown from stem cells and implanted into living mice, have for the first time been shown to respond to things the mice were seeing. The scientists were able to watch the responses in real time thanks to specialized graphene electrodes. In recent years, scientists have found a way to revert adult skin cells into an immature...
New cancer therapy and vaccine uses CRISPR to turn tumors into traitors
6.1.2023 | Press monitoring
Scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) have found a way to fight cancer with cancer. The team genetically engineered cancer cells to release anti-cancer drugs at the site of established tumors, as well as stimulating the immune system against the disease. Tests in mice proved promising as both a therapy and a preventative...
