en http://www.gate2biotech.com/ Gate2Biotech: International Biotech News Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/how-ocean-bacterium-turns-carbon-into-fuel/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/how-ocean-bacterium-turns-carbon-into-fuel/ Researchers have uncovered details about how cyanobacteria, one of the most abundant organisms on earth, digest carbon. These bacteria build miniature factories inside themselves that turn carbon into fuel. A new study shows the bacteria organize these factories spatially, lining them up in... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/secret-weapon-of-retroviruses-that-cause-cancer/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/secret-weapon-of-retroviruses-that-cause-cancer/ Oncogenic retroviruses are a particular family of viruses that can cause some types of cancer. Thierry Heidmann and his colleagues in the CNRS-Institut Gustave Roussy-Université Paris Sud 11 "Rétrovirus endogènes et éléments rétroïdes des eucaryotes supérieurs" Laboratory have... Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/skin-cells-turned-into-brain-cells/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/skin-cells-turned-into-brain-cells/ A simple approach shows that cells might be more flexible than once thought. Skin cells called fibroblasts can be transformed into neurons quickly and efficiently with just a few genetic tweaks, according to new research. The surprisingly simple conversion, which doesn't require the... Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/how-bioelectrics-research-could-make-us-healthier/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/how-bioelectrics-research-could-make-us-healthier/ Imagine a technology that, in a few controlled zaps, could cure cancer, purify water, boost alternative-energy production and wrangle agricultural pests — without harmful side effects for humans. It may seem sci-fi. And certainly the electromagnetic gadgets kept for these purposes... Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/microbes-produce-fuels-directly-from-biomass/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/microbes-produce-fuels-directly-from-biomass/ A collaboration led by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) has developed a microbe that can produce an advanced biofuel directly from biomass. Deploying the tools of synthetic biology, the JBEI researchers engineered a strain of Escherichia... Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/sleep-with-the-fishes/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/sleep-with-the-fishes/ There's a new guinea pig in the search for sleep-related drugs: the zebrafish. Researchers at Harvard University have developed a screening tool that tests the effects of thousands of compounds on zebrafish behavior in an effort to discover new pathways that govern sleep. The research,... Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/deadly-scorpion-provides-safe-pesticide/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/deadly-scorpion-provides-safe-pesticide/ Scorpions deliver a powerful, paralyzing venom -- a complex cocktail of poisonous peptides -- that immobilize animal prey on the spot. Some of the toxins in this cocktail damage only insects, which is why a Tel Aviv University researcher is harnessing them to create a safe and... Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/lecithin-nanoparticles-show-promise-as-vaccine-adjuvant/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/lecithin-nanoparticles-show-promise-as-vaccine-adjuvant/ A team at Oregon State University has developed a new adjuvant, a substance that can increased the immune response when used in combination with a vaccine, based on lecithin nanoparticles. Currently only one adjuvant, aluminium hydroxide (alum), is approved for human use in the US... Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/artificial-red-blood-cells-for-drug-delivery/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/artificial-red-blood-cells-for-drug-delivery/ In research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a group specializing in drug delivery has found a way to create biodegradable, biocompatible particles with the size, shape, and flexibility of red blood cells. The group believes these artificial cells might... Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/researchers-develop-nano-cocktail-to-target-and-kill-tumors/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/researchers-develop-nano-cocktail-to-target-and-kill-tumors/ A team of researchers in California and Massachusetts has developed a "cocktail" of different nanometer-sized particles that work in concert within the bloodstream to locate, adhere to and kill cancerous tumors. "This study represents the first example of the benefits of employing... Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/new-insights-into-mushroom-derived-drug-promising-for-cancer-treatment/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/new-insights-into-mushroom-derived-drug-promising-for-cancer-treatment/ A promising cancer drug, first discovered in a mushroom commonly used in Chinese medicine, could be made more effective thanks to researchers who have discovered how the drug works. The research is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and was carried out at The... Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/faster-cheaper-dna-sequencing-method-devised/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/faster-cheaper-dna-sequencing-method-devised/ Boston University biomedical engineers have devised a method for making future genome sequencing faster and cheaper by dramatically reducing the amount of DNA required, thus eliminating the expensive, time-consuming and error-prone step of DNA amplification. The technique uses electrical... Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/why-cancer-cells-just-wont-die/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/why-cancer-cells-just-wont-die/ When cells experience DNA damage, they’ll try to repair it. But if that fails, the damaged cells are supposed to self-destruct, a process called apoptosis. A cancer researcher at Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario has identified a protein that... Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/breakthrough-flu-drug-might-already-exist/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/breakthrough-flu-drug-might-already-exist/ Fragments of known drugs could lead to a more robust antiviral for H1N1 and other flu variants. The flu virus is a wily target, constantly mutating to avoid attack from the immune system and from antiviral drugs like Tamiflu. But in research presented Sunday at the annual meeting of... Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/bioengineers-succeed-in-producing-plastic-without-the-use-of-fossil-fuels/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/bioengineers-succeed-in-producing-plastic-without-the-use-of-fossil-fuels/ A team of pioneering South Korean scientists have succeeded in producing the polymers used for everyday plastics through bioengineering, rather than through the use of fossil fuel based chemicals. This groundbreaking research, which may now allow for the production of environmentally conscious... Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/sticky-solution-for-identifying-effective-probiotics/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/sticky-solution-for-identifying-effective-probiotics/ Scientists have crystallised a protein that may help gut bacteria bind to the gastrointestinal tract. The protein could be used by probiotic producers to identify strains that are likely to be of real benefit to people. The protein was obtained from a strain of Lactobacillus... Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/new-research-helps-explain-how-tumors-go-undetected-by-the-body/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/new-research-helps-explain-how-tumors-go-undetected-by-the-body/ Scientists studying how immune cells are regulated in healthy individuals, have made a key discovery in understanding why tumours may go undetected by the immune system and remain untreated by the body’s own natural defences. Under normal circumstances, the immune system creates... Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/organ-regeneration-in-zebrafish-unraveling-the-mechanisms/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/organ-regeneration-in-zebrafish-unraveling-the-mechanisms/ Now researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified an essential cellular pathway in zebrafish that paves the way for limb regeneration by unlocking gene expression patterns last seen during embryonic development. They found that a process known as histone... Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/lung-tissue-generated-from-human-embryonic-stem-cells/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/lung-tissue-generated-from-human-embryonic-stem-cells/ Scientists in Belgium have successfully differentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESC) into major cell types of lung epithelial tissue using a convenient air-liquid interface. The technique, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Respiratory Research, could provide an alternative... Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/gene-therapy-helps-blind-children-see/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/gene-therapy-helps-blind-children-see/ A single injection of DNA into the eyes of four children born with a blindness-causing disease has given them enough vision to walk without help. The study, published today, confirms that if patients with this disease are given gene therapy early in life, the results can be dramatic.... Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/link-between-alcohol-and-cancer-explained-alcohol-activates-cellular-changes-that-make-tumor-cells-spread/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/link-between-alcohol-and-cancer-explained-alcohol-activates-cellular-changes-that-make-tumor-cells-spread/ Alcohol consumption has long been linked to cancer and its spread, but the underlying mechanism has never been clear. Now, researchers at Rush University Medical Center have identified a cellular pathway that may explain the link. In a study published in a recent issue of... Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/scientists-identify-enzyme-that-could-help-grow-biofuel-crops-in-harsh-environments/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/scientists-identify-enzyme-that-could-help-grow-biofuel-crops-in-harsh-environments/ Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have identified a novel enzyme responsible for the formation of suberin — the woody, waxy, cell-wall substance found in cork. While effective at keeping wine inside a bottle, suberin's most important... Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/what-happens-when-wild-boars-and-fallow-deer-snack-on-genetically-modified-corn/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/what-happens-when-wild-boars-and-fallow-deer-snack-on-genetically-modified-corn/ The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation funded a study to address two controversial questions: When wild boar and deer, traditional menu items in the fall, eat genetically modified corn, do transgenic residues accumulate in their meat? Do they spread GM corn via their feces? The... Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/new-method-to-help-keep-fruit-vegetables-and-flowers-fresh/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/new-method-to-help-keep-fruit-vegetables-and-flowers-fresh/ Did you know that millions of tons of fruits and vegetables in the United States end up in the trash can before being eaten, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture? A Georgia State University professor has developed an innovative new way to keep produce and flowers fresh for longer... Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/protein-engineering-advancing-alzheimers/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/protein-engineering-advancing-alzheimers/ Researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, among others, are breaking new ground in biotechnology to find new tools that can help provide new solutions. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. In the 60-64 age group, one percent have the disorder, and... Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/light-shed-on-the-secret-behind-probiotic-bacteria/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/light-shed-on-the-secret-behind-probiotic-bacteria/ Functional food is the food industry’s fastest-growing product group, its leading products including dairy products which contain probiotics, that is, bacteria promoting health. Valio’s Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG®) is the most frequently studied and used probiotic. Under the... Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/clemson-bioengineer-uses-nanoparticles-to-target/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/clemson-bioengineer-uses-nanoparticles-to-target/ Clemson bioengineer Frank Alexis is designing new ways to target drugs and reduce the chances for side effects. Pharmaceutical commercials can cause the unsettling feeling that if the disease doesn't kill, the cure will, what with a drug's long list of side effects and warnings. Many... Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/unusual-metals-could-forge-new-cancer-dru/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/unusual-metals-could-forge-new-cancer-dru/ Drugs made using unusual metals could form an effective treatment against colon and ovarian cancer, including cancerous cells that have developed immunity to other drugs, according to research at the University of Warwick and the University of Leeds. The study, published in the Journal of... Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/new-technique-paves-way-for-medical-disco/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/new-technique-paves-way-for-medical-disco/ Researchers have previously been able to analyse which sugar structures are to be found on certain proteins, but not exactly where on the protein they are positioned. This is now possible thanks to a new technique developed at the Sahlgrenska Academy. The technique entails preparing... Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/new-technique-may-help-turn-adult-cells-into-stem-cells-faster/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/new-technique-may-help-turn-adult-cells-into-stem-cells-faster/ Scientists have developed a new method that would hasten the process of creating cells from human adult tissue, without the use of embryonic cells. According to lead researcher Professor Sheng Ding, the new technique is 200 times more efficient, twice as fast as conventional methods and... Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/spaghetti-scaffolding-could-help-grow-skin-in/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/spaghetti-scaffolding-could-help-grow-skin-in/ Scientists are developing new scaffolding technology which could be used to grow tissues such as skin, nerves and cartilage using 3D spaghetti-like structures. Their research is highlighted in the latest issue of Business, the quarterly highlights magazine of the Biotechnology and Biological... Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/major-improvements-made-in-engineering-heart-repair-patches/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/major-improvements-made-in-engineering-heart-repair-patches/ University of Washington (UW) researchers have succeeded in engineering human tissue patches free of some problems that have stymied stem-cell repair for damaged hearts. The disk-shaped patches can be fabricated in sizes ranging from less than a millimeter to a half-inch in... Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/bug-barcode-readers-hold-out-promise-of-universal/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/bug-barcode-readers-hold-out-promise-of-universal/ Veterinary scientists have made a discovery that promises to deliver a new approach to fast development of cheap vaccines that are effective in all mammals – not just humans or another particular species. They propose that by harnessing the system that reads the biological... Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/mothers-cancer-can-infect-her-fetus/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/mothers-cancer-can-infect-her-fetus/ A startling case in Japan has confirmed that pregnant women with cancer can pass the disease to their fetuses. These transmissions, normally blocked by the placenta, are rare, so the work likely won't change how doctors screen or care for pregnant women. But scientists say the case could help... Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/new-cancer-gene-discovered/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/new-cancer-gene-discovered/ A new cancer gene has been discovered by a research group at the Sahlgrenska Academy. The gene causes an insidious form of glandular cancer usually in the head and neck and in women also in the breast. The discovery could lead to quicker and better diagnosis and more effective... Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/renewable-hydrogen-production-becomes-reality-at/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/renewable-hydrogen-production-becomes-reality-at/ The first demonstration of a renewable method for hydrogen production from wastewater using a microbial electrolysis system is underway at the Napa Wine Company in Oakville. The refrigerator-sized hydrogen generator will take winery wastewater, and using bacteria and a small... Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/-1824/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/-1824/ Australian scientists have found that the bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans catalyses the biomineralisation of gold by transforming toxic gold compounds to their metallic form using active cellular mechanism. Researchers reported the presence of bacteria on gold surfaces but have never... Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/developing-enzymes-to-clean-up-pollution-by/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/developing-enzymes-to-clean-up-pollution-by/ Scientists at the University of York have uncovered the structure of an unusual enzyme which can be used to reverse the contamination of land by explosives. The discovery, by scientists in the York Structural Biology Laboratory and the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products, will support the... Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/genome-sequence-published-for-important-biofuels/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/genome-sequence-published-for-important-biofuels/ A strain of yeast that thrives on turning sugar cane and other tough grasses into ethanol that might be used as biofuel has had its genome completely sequenced by researchers at Duke University Medical Center. "Understanding this microbe may enable more efficient biofuel production, and also... Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/scientists-develop-nasal-spray-that-improves-memory/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/scientists-develop-nasal-spray-that-improves-memory/ New research in the FASEB Journal demonstrates role of IL-6 on sleep-related consolidation of specific types of memories, particularly during late night REM sleep cycles. To make this discovery, Marshall and colleagues had 17 healthy young men spend two nights in the laboratory. On each night... Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/nobel-prize-for-chemistry-of-life/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/nobel-prize-for-chemistry-of-life/ The prize is awarded for the study of the structure and function of the ribosome - the cell's protein factory. The ribosome translates genetic code into proteins - which are the building blocks of all living organisms. It is also the main target of new antibiotics, which combat... Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/cocaine-vaccine-shows-promise-for-treating-addiction/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/cocaine-vaccine-shows-promise-for-treating-addiction/ Immunization with an experimental anti-cocaine vaccine resulted in a substantial reduction in cocaine use in 38 percent of vaccinated patients in a clinical trial supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. The study,... Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/sciencedaily-your-source-for-the-latest-research-news-and-science-breakthroughs-updated-daily-science-news-share-blog-cite-print-email-bookmark-new-technique-allows-scientists-to-penetrate-yeast-cells/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/sciencedaily-your-source-for-the-latest-research-news-and-science-breakthroughs-updated-daily-science-news-share-blog-cite-print-email-bookmark-new-technique-allows-scientists-to-penetrate-yeast-cells/ If you want to know how a cell responds to a particular chemical, the experiment is simple: Inject it with that chemical. Micropipettes — tiny needles that can puncture a cell and deliver a compound directly into it — are used precisely for this purpose. But biologists who... Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/fish-killing-toxin-could-kill-cancer-cells/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/fish-killing-toxin-could-kill-cancer-cells/ A powerful fish-killing toxin could have cancer-killing properties as well, according to collaborative research led by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) microbiologist Paul V. Zimba and chemist Peter Moeller of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The toxin, called... Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/hydrogen-making-algaes-achilles-heel-discovered/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/hydrogen-making-algaes-achilles-heel-discovered/ Scientists have discovered how oxygen stops green algae from producing hydrogen. The findings could help those working towards ‘solar H2-farms’ in which microorganisms produce hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water. The team used electrochemical kinetic methods to determine the order of... Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/flu-vaccine-race-against-the-clock/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/flu-vaccine-race-against-the-clock/ The influenza pandemic caused by the novel H1N1 virus that emerged in April isn’t the one that was supposed to occur. For several years now, health agencies and governments around the world have been preparing to fight the pathogenic avian H5N1 virus. That virus circulates largely in Asia, and... Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/draft-potato-genome-based-on-unique-potato-variety/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/draft-potato-genome-based-on-unique-potato-variety/ The Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium (PGSC), an international team of scientists from industry and academia in 14 countries, has released a draft sequence of the potato genome with the help of a Virginia Tech researcher. Thanks to a new computer program developed by the... Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/two-proteins-enable-skin-cells-to-regenerate/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/two-proteins-enable-skin-cells-to-regenerate/ Never mind facial masks and exfoliating scrubs, skin takes care of itself. Stem cells located within the skin actively generate differentiating cells that can ultimately form either the body surface or the hairs that emanate from it. In addition, these stem cells are able to replenish themselves,... Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/engineered-pea-seeds-protect-against-para/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/engineered-pea-seeds-protect-against-para/ A breed of pea seeds has been created that contains antibodies against coccidiosis, a disease caused by a parasite that attacks chickens. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biotechnology describe the development of the GM seeds, and demonstrate their effectiveness in... Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.gate2biotech.com/cancer-predisposition-from-genetic-variation-shows-strong-gender-bias/ http://www.gate2biotech.com/cancer-predisposition-from-genetic-variation-shows-strong-gender-bias/ Cancer predisposition resulting from the presence of a specific gene variant shows a strong gender bias, researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have demonstrated. In addition, the research indicates that the risk for development of cancer in individuals harboring the gene...