'Jekyll-and-Hyde' protein determines life and death of cancer cells
Singapore and Oxford scientists unlock secret to cancer cell growth, paving the way for better fight against cancer.
Oct 7th, 2013
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Biotechnology News – Latest Headlines
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Gene activity and transcript patterns visualized for the first time in thousands of single cells
Biologists of the University of Zurich have developed a method to visualize the activity of genes in single cells. The method is so efficient that, for the first time, a thousand genes can be studied in parallel in ten thousand single human cells.
Oct 6th, 2013
Read moreStem cells engineered to become targeted drug factories
A group of researchers have found a way to use stem cells as drug delivery vehicles. The researchers inserted modified strands of messenger RNA into connective tissue stem cells - called mesenchymal stem cells - which stimulated the cells to produce adhesive surface proteins and secrete interleukin-10, an anti-inflammatory molecule.
Oct 4th, 2013
Read moreLaser propelled cells
A new tool enables biomechanical studies of individual cells: Red blood cells were laser-propelled over long distances through optofluidic photonic crystal fibers and their deformation due to shear forces monitored.
Oct 2nd, 2013
Read moreScientists develop new process to create artificial cell membranes
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) report a highly programmable and controlled platform for preparing and experimentally probing synthetic cellular structures.
Oct 1st, 2013
Read moreAlternative to antibiotics: plasmas attack bacterial cells on several levels
As they destroy bacteria very efficiently, plasmas constitute an alternative to chemical disinfectants and potentially to antibiotics, as well. How they achieve this effect has been investigated by a team of biologists, plasma physicists and chemists.
Oct 1st, 2013
Read moreNeed different types of tissue? Just print them!
What sounds like a dream of the future has already been the subject of research for a few years: simply printing out tissue and organs. Now scientists have further refined the technology and are able to produce various tissue types.
Oct 1st, 2013
Read moreNew metabolic pathway to more efficiently convert sugars into biofuels
UCLA chemical engineering researchers have created a new synthetic metabolic pathway for breaking down glucose that could lead to a 50 percent increase in the production of biofuels.
Sep 30th, 2013
Read moreSynthetic biologists probe biochar's impact on microbial signaling
In the first study of its kind, Rice University scientists have used synthetic biology to study how a popular soil amendment called 'biochar' can interfere with the chemical signals that some microbes use to communicate. The class of compounds studied includes those used by some plant pathogens to coordinate their attacks.
Sep 30th, 2013
Read moreEngineers invent programming language to build synthetic DNA
Similar to using Python or Java to write code for a computer, chemists soon could be able to use a structured set of instructions to 'program' how DNA molecules interact in a test tube or cell.
Sep 30th, 2013
Read moreReplacing animal testing with accurate in vitro innovations
An EU-funded project has successfully established human stem cell-based in vitro tests, which are capable of replicating the development of the human central nervous system. The innovation could lead to the more accurate and efficient testing of drugs, and importantly lead to a move away from animal testing.
Sep 30th, 2013
Read moreLargest, most accurate list of RNA editing sites
A research team centered at Brown University has compiled the largest and most stringently validated list of RNA editing sites in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, a stalwart of biological research.
Sep 29th, 2013
Read moreFirst step to reduce plant need for nitrogen fertilizer uncovered
A discovery by a team of University of Missouri researchers could be the first step toward helping crops use less nitrogen, benefitting both farmers' bottom lines and the environment.
Sep 27th, 2013
Read moreScientists develop a more effective molecular modeling process
A new method to produce accurate computer models of molecules, developed by scientists on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute, combines existing formulas in a kind of algorithmic stew to gain a better picture of molecular structural diversity that is then used to eliminate errors and improve the final model.
Sep 26th, 2013
Read moreTweaking Mother Nature's chemistry box
Scientists attempt to reengineering enzymes to introduce the methods of nature into industrial chemistry.
Sep 26th, 2013
Read moreStudy tests precision of protein 'machine'
Since its discovery, researchers have hailed Cas9 - a protein 'machine' that can be programmed by a strand of RNA to target specific DNA sequences and to precisely cut, paste, and turn on or turn off genes - as a potential key to unlocking a host of new treatments and therapies for genetic conditions, but only if they fully understand how it works.
Sep 26th, 2013
Read moreA key to personalised medicine
ERC Advanced Grant for the chemist Professor Dr. Andreas Marx from Konstanz for research on gene modification.
Sep 26th, 2013
Read moreEngineering liver tissue from embryonic stem cells
The liver, an essential organ, can fail due to disease or abuse. The EU-funded project MICROLIVERMATURATION has found a way to create viable liver cells from embryonic stem cells (ESCs).
Sep 25th, 2013
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