The light of fireflies for medical diagnostics
Scientists have exploited the light of fireflies in a new method that detects biological molecules without the need for complex devices and high costs.
Jul 22nd, 2015
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Biotechnology News – Latest Headlines
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Light-gated control of cell division
Chemists have developed photoresponsive derivatives of an antimitotic drug, which permit light-dependent control of cell division. The new agents could provide the basis for precisely targeted tumor therapies, free of side-effects.
Jul 16th, 2015
Read moreEditing the genome with light
Researchers have developed a new technology to optically control genome editing.
Jul 16th, 2015
Read moreScientists hijack light-loving bacteria to make high-value products
Scientists have directed a common bacterium to produce more of a valuable fatty acid, lauric acid, than it typically does. The achievement is noteworthy not simply because of the increased production of fatty acid, which can be a useful component of biofuels.
Jul 15th, 2015
Read moreCan scientists hack photosynthesis to feed the world as population soars?
Scientists attending a workshop at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory slipped the leash of scientific caution and tried to imagine what they would do if they could redesign plants at will. The ideas they dreamed up may make the difference between full bellies and empty ones in the near future when population may outrun the ability of traditional plant breeding to increase yields.
Jul 15th, 2015
Read moreNew cell division mechanism discovered
Researchers have discovered that chromosomes play an active role in animal cell division. This occurs at a precise stage - cytokinesis - when the cell splits into two new daughter cells.
Jul 13th, 2015
Read moreThe artificial enzyme that 'acts' natural
Certain genetic diseases arise from a deficit of specific genes. An enzyme that amplifies gene transcription could be a viable therapy in these cases, as long as genes are not stimulated to work on the wrong part of the body. SISSA scientists have created synthetic 'intelligent' enzymes which are able to differentiate between active and inactive genes and selectively stimulate the former ones.
Jul 8th, 2015
Read moreScientists develop free, online genetic research tool
The online, free service, RNAMiner, has been developed to handle large datasets which could lead to faster results in the study of plant and animal genomics.
Jul 8th, 2015
Read moreLearning from biology to accelerate discovery
Surveying everything from sea cucumbers and Venus flytraps to human muscles and trees, a new review paper broadly explores the strategies that biology employs to create different functions and the mechanics at play within those functions. Discovering how and why biological systems attain desirable static and dynamic mechanical functionalities often reveals principles that inform new synthetic designs based on biological systems.
Jul 6th, 2015
Read more'Invisible' protein structure explains the power of enzymes
Scientists have managed to capture and describe a protein structure that, until now, has been impossible to study. The discovery lays the base for developing designed enzymes as catalysts to new chemical reactions for instance in biotechnological applications.
Jul 3rd, 2015
Read moreResearchers program solitary yeast cells to say 'hello' to one another
Researchers have engineered yeast cells that can 'talk' to one another, using a versatile plant hormone called auxin.
Jun 30th, 2015
Read moreEarth's daily rotation period encoded in an atomic-level protein structure
Scientists have demonstrated that the Earth's daily rotation period (24 hours) is encoded in the KaiC protein at the atomic level, a small, 10 nm-diameter biomolecule expressed in cyanobacterial cells.
Jun 25th, 2015
Read moreDelivering drugs to the right place
Researchers have developed a targeted drug delivery method that could potentially slow the progression of polycystic kidney disease.
Jun 25th, 2015
Read moreSynthetic biology used to engineer new route to biochemicals
Researchers describe building a new pathway that lets the bacterium, E. coli, feed on both sugar (glucose) and acetate, a common waste material from biomass, to make isobutyl acetate. This product can be used as the basis for flavoring agents, solvents and fuels.
Jun 25th, 2015
Read moreA novel DNA damage alarm
How does our body keep its DNA intact? Researchers have just found a new piece of this puzzle. They discovered a novel alarm that cells use to signal DNA damage.
Jun 25th, 2015
Read moreThousands of droplets for diagnostics
Researchers develop new method enabling DNA molecules to be counted in just 30 minutes.
Jun 25th, 2015
Read moreUnlocking fermentation secrets open the door to new biofuels
Researchers have, for the first time, uncovered the complex interdependence and orchestration of metabolic reactions, gene regulation, and environmental cues of clostridial metabolism, providing new insights for advanced biofuel development.
Jun 24th, 2015
Read moreScientists create synthetic membranes that grow like living cells (w/video)
Chemists and biologists have succeeded in designing and synthesizing an artificial cell membrane capable of sustaining continual growth, just like a living cell.
Jun 24th, 2015
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