Biotechnology News – Latest Headlines

RSS Subscribe to our Biotechnology News feed

A minimalist theory to predict protein movements

Scientists develop a new method that predicts the way in which proteins move to exert their biological functions. They have demonstrated that protein movement is governed by the general shape of these molecules, thereby providing new data on how proteins work - a key step for drug development.

Sep 6th, 2016

Read more

Researcher served a world first CRISPR meal

For (probably) the first time ever, plants modified with the 'genetic scissors' CRISPR-Cas9 has been cultivated, harvested and cooked. Although the meal only fed two people, it was still the first step towards a future where science can better provide farmers and consumers across the world with healthy, beautiful and hardy plants.

Sep 5th, 2016

Read more

Biofuel tech straight from the farm

Goats, sheep, and other herbivores eat many types of plants, and in the animals' guts, fungi digest the plant material. Researchers characterized several fungi involved in this digestion process and identified a large number of enzymes that work synergistically to degrade the raw biomass.

Sep 2nd, 2016

Read more

Luminous heart cells

Researchers have succeeded in producing cells which offer new insights into properties of the heart. They installed a molecular sensor into the cells which emits light, and not only makes the cells' electrical activity visible, but also makes it possible for the first time to quickly identify cell types.

Sep 2nd, 2016

Read more

Predicting the future with evolution

Mutations are the raw material of evolution. The QUANTEVOL project was therefore established to determine whether evolutionary theory can be used to predict new mutations and their effects.

Sep 1st, 2016

Read more

A physical mechanism to make the transport of cellular cargo efficient and specific

In order for cells to function properly, cargo needs to be constantly transported from one point to another within the cell, like on a goods station. This cargo is located in or on intracellular membranes, called vesicles. These membranes have a signature, and only those with the correct signature may fuse with the membrane of another organelle into one compartment.

Aug 31st, 2016

Read more

CRISPR/Cas9 technology to inactivate cancer mutations

As for many other biomedical and biotechnology disciplines, the genome scissor CRISPR/Cas9 also opens up completely new possibilities for cancer research. Scientists have shown that mutations that act as cancer drivers can be targeted and repaired. The most relevant mutations could therefore be diagnosed faster, improving personalized therapies.

Aug 31st, 2016

Read more

Algorithms offer insight into cellular development

Through RNA sequencing, researchers can measure which genes are expressed in each individual cell of a sample. A new statistical method allows researchers to infer different developmental processes from a cell mixture consisting of asynchronous stages.

Aug 31st, 2016

Read more
 
 

How does nanotechnology work?