What is new in Biotech
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Genetically engineered bacteria lets ingestible sensor monitor gut health
25.5.2018 | Press monitoring
Team of researchers at MIT has produced a novel "bacteria on a chip" system that combines genetically engineered bacteria that can detect intestinal bleeding with an ingestible electronic circuit that can wirelessly send a signal to a nearby computer. "By combining engineered biological sensors together with low-power wireless electronics, we...
Quantum dots made from tea leaves lay waste to lung cancer cells
23.5.2018 | Press monitoring
Full of antioxidants and vitamins, tea is pretty good for you, and green tea extracts have even been used as effective carriers for cancer drugs. New research led by Swansea University has found a novel way to wring more health benefits out of the stuff, by making quantum dots from tea leaves and using them to slow the growth of lung cancer...
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Mice regrow brain tissue after stroke with bioengineered gel
21.5.2018 | Press monitoring
In a first-of-its-kind finding, a new stroke-healing gel helped regrow neurons and blood vessels in mice with stroke-damaged brains, UCLA researchers report in the May 21 issue of Nature Materials. "We tested this in laboratory mice to determine if it would repair the brain in a model of stroke, and lead to recovery," said Dr. S. Thomas...
We may finally be able to beat the common cold with a new drug
18.5.2018 | Press monitoring
At last, an experimental drug has shown promise in beating common cold viruses, raising hopes of an effective treatment against rhinoviruses and other pathogens. When tested on human cells in a dish, the drug was found to block several strains of cold virus from replicating, without having any effect on the cells. The drug works by suppressing a...
Gene editing shows promise for improving the chocolate tree
16.5.2018 | Press monitoring
Use of the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 could help to breed cacao trees that exhibit desirable traits such as enhanced resistance to diseases, according to Penn State plant scientists. The cacao tree, which grows in tropical regions, produces the cocoa beans that are the raw material of chocolate. Reliable productivity from cacao plants...
Solar powered sea slugs shed light on search for perpetual green energy
14.5.2018 | Press monitoring
In an amazing achievement akin to adding solar panels to your body, a Northeast sea slug sucks raw materials from algae to provide its lifetime supply of solar-powered energy, according to a study by Rutgers University-New Brunswick and other scientists. "It's a remarkable feat because it's highly unusual for an animal to behave like a plant...
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Tissue-engineered human pancreatic cells successfully treat diabetic mice
11.5.2018 | Press monitoring
Researchers tissue-engineered human pancreatic islets in a laboratory that develop a circulatory system, secrete hormones like insulin and successfully treat sudden-onset type 1 diabetes in transplanted mice. In a study published by Cell Reports, the scientists use a new bioengineering process they developed called a self-condensation cell...
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Milestone research on Madagascar periwinkle uncovers pathway to cancer-fighting drugs
9.5.2018 | Press monitoring
Plant scientists have taken the crucial last steps in a 60-year quest to unravel the complex chemistry of Madagascar periwinkle in a breakthrough that opens up the potential for rapid synthesis of cancer-fighting compounds. The team in the laboratory of Professor Sarah O'Connor at the John Innes Centre have, after 15 years of research, located...
How a virus cocktail can help wash away food poisoning
7.5.2018 | Press monitoring
Food poisoning is far from a fun experience, and usually all you can do is just ride out the storm. But soon you might be able to chase a bad burger with a "virus cocktail" loaded with bacteria-hunting viruses (bacteriophages) that will kill off the invading E. coli without harming the helpful bugs that call your gut home. Of course, not...
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Handheld skin printer may work where skin grafts dont
4.5.2018 | Press monitoring
Four years ago, we heard how researchers had created a microwave-oven-sized 3D printer that could produce sheets of skin for treating burns. Now, some of the same scientists have developed a handheld device that prints skin directly onto deep wounds. The shoebox-sized gadget was built by a team from the University of Toronto, led by PhD student...
