What is new in Biotech
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Placental stem cells found to regenerate heart cells after heart attack
22.5.2019 | Press monitoring
According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the biggest killers of people in modern times, and it's largely due to the heart's inability to repair itself properly. Even if a person survives the initial cardiac arrest event, scar tissue renders the heart less effective at pumping blood and more likely to suffer future...
How plant viruses can be used to ward off pests and keep plants healthy
20.5.2019 | Press monitoring
Imagine a technology that could target pesticides to treat specific spots deep within the soil, making them more effective at controlling infestations while limiting their toxicity to the environment. Researchers at the University of California San Diego and Case Western Reserve University have taken a step toward that goal. They discovered that...
Lamprey molecules squirm into the brain to deliver cancer drugs
17.5.2019 | Press monitoring
With a mouth like a whirlpool full of teeth, the lamprey is not something you'd normally want anywhere near your brain. But now, researchers from the Universities of Texas and Wisconsin-Madison have used molecules taken from the freaky fish's immune system to deliver drugs inside the body – and even managed to sneak them into the brain. The...
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Researchers replace the genes of E. coli bacteria with synthesized genome
15.5.2019 | Press monitoring
A team of researchers at Cambridge University has replaced the genes of E. coli bacteria with genomes they synthesized in the lab. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes replacing the genome and removing redundant genetic codes. The genome of any given organism is quite complex, yet it is based on just three sets of...
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How scorpion venom is helping surgeons detect brain cancer
13.5.2019 | Press monitoring
A new imaging technique designed to help surgeons identify the location of malignant brain tumors during surgery is showing promising early clinical trial results. The technique combines a new high-sensitivity near-infrared camera with a special imaging agent synthesized from an amino acid found in scorpion venom. Treating gliomas, a lethal kind...
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Researchers quicken drug discovery method via zombie-like cells
10.5.2019 | Press monitoring
Researchers are using zombie-like cells that behave normally on the outside, but are filled with magnetic particles inside, to screen potential drugs from natural products. Discovered at The University of Alabama, the method could quicken a laborious task that slows drug discovery, according to findings in a paper published in the journal...
Machine learning reveals metabolic pathways disrupted by the drugs, offering new targets to combat resistence
8.5.2019 | Press monitoring
Most antibiotics work by interfering with critical functions such as DNA replication or construction of the bacterial cell wall. However, these mechanisms represent only part of the full picture of how antibiotics act. In a new study of antibiotic action, MIT researchers developed a new machine-learning approach to discover an additional...
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Peanut genome sequenced with unprecedented accuracy
6.5.2019 | Press monitoring
Improved pest resistance and drought tolerance are among potential benefits of an international effort in which Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their collaborators have produced the clearest picture yet of the complex genomic history of the cultivated peanut. Scientists undertook this large project to better understand the...
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Discovery of RNA transfer through royal jelly could aid development of honey bee vaccines
3.5.2019 | Press monitoring
Researchers have discovered that honey bees are able to share immunity with other bees and to their offspring in a hive by transmitting RNA 'vaccines' through royal jelly and worker jelly. The jelly is the bee equivalent of mother's milk: a secretion used to provide nutrition to worker and queen bee larvae. The findings suggest new ways to...
Harnessing microorganisms for smart microsystems
1.5.2019 | Press monitoring
A research team at ont of Mechanical Engineering at Toyohashi University of Technology has developed a method to construct a biohybrid system that incorporates Vorticella microorganisms. The method allows movable structures to be formed in a microchannel and combined with Vorticella. In addition, the biohybrid system demonstrates the conversion...
