Biotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Forward look report on quantum biology presented

The scientific community represented by about forty researchers and officials from research funding organisations gathered in Brussels on 23 January 2015 to present the outcomes of the European Science Foundation's (ESF) Foresight Activity on Research in Quantum Biology (FarQBio).

January 29, 2015 Read more

Researchers design tailored tissue adhesives

Glue can be modified for optimal performance in different types of diseased tissue.

January 29, 2015 Read more

Damaged DNA may stall patrolling molecule to initiate repair

Sites where DNA is damaged may cause a molecule that slides along the DNA strand to scan for damage to slow on its patrol, delaying it long enough to recognize and initiate repair. The finding suggests that the delay itself may be the key that allows the protein molecule to find its target, according to the researchers.

January 28, 2015 Read more

New model for preserving donor tissue will allow more natural joint repair for patients

Currently, doctors have to throw away more than 80 percent of donated tissue used for joint replacements because the tissue does not survive long enough to be transplanted. Now, researchers have developed a new technology that more than doubles the life of the tissue. This new technology was able to preserve tissue quality at the required level in all of the donated tissues studied, the researchers found.

January 28, 2015 Read more

Bacteria may remain dormant after UV disinfection

A new study shows that UV treatment alone can push bacteria into a dormant state instead of killing them, and that in some cases, the bacteria can later revive and proliferate.

January 28, 2015 Read more

Award-winning research on DNA probes

These new DNA probes can potentially be used to develop a biosensor array for lanthanide and other metal detection. These DNA molecules have catalytic activity (known as DNAzymes) and studies indicate that lanthanide-dependent DNAzymes may have different properties from existing examples.

January 28, 2015 Read more

Tracking DNA helps scientists trace origins of genetic errors

Scientists have shed light on how naturally occurring mutations can be introduced into our DNA. The study, which focuses on how DNA replicates every time a cell divides, helps to make clear previously unexplained patterns in how our DNA changes over time. It also provides new insight into how the human genome has been shaped throughout evolution.

January 27, 2015 Read more

Researchers image and measure tubulin transport in cilia (w/video)

Defective cilia can lead to a host of diseases and conditions in the human body - from rare, inherited bone malformations to blindness, male infertility, kidney disease and obesity. A new study from University of Georgia cellular biologists shows the mechanism behind tubulin transport and its assembly into cilia, including the first video imagery of the process.

January 26, 2015 Read more

Research shows relationship critical for how cells ingest matter

To survive and fulfill their biological functions, cells need to take in material from their environment. In this process, proteins within the cell pull inward on its membrane, forming a pit that eventually encapsulates the material in a bubble called a vesicle. Researchers have now revealed a relationship that governs this process, known as endocytosis.

January 26, 2015 Read more

Chemists find a way to unboil eggs

Ability to quickly restore molecular proteins could slash biotechnology costs.

January 26, 2015 Read more

New analysis explains collagen's force

Experiments and simulations show that adding or removing water makes the material push and pull.

January 22, 2015 Read more

From stem cell to nerve cell in a few weeks

Scientists have developed a novel method for studying processes in the living brain, enabling them to observe how human stem cells transplanted into the cerebral cortex of mice develop into mature functional nerve cells.

January 22, 2015 Read more

Synthetic amino acid enables safe, new biotechnology solutions to global problems

Scientists from Yale have devised a way to ensure genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be safely confined in the environment, overcoming a major obstacle to widespread use of GMOs in agriculture, energy production, waste management, and medicine.

January 21, 2015 Read more

Mathematics improve single-cell analysis

A new computational approach allows to account for confounding factors and hidden biological processes in the analysis of single-cell RNA sequence data. Using this method, individual subpopulations and cell types can be identified within heterogeneous cell populations and can be determined more precisely.

January 21, 2015 Read more

New computation method helps identify functional DNA

Striving to unravel and comprehend DNA's biological significance, scientists have created a new computational method that can identify positions in the human genome that play a role in the proper functioning of cells.

January 20, 2015 Read more

Optogenetics makes sterile mice fertile again

Researchers control swimming behaviour of sperm with light-sensitive enzyme.

January 20, 2015 Read more

New way to model sickle cell behavior (w/video)

Microfluidic device allows researchers to predict behavior of patients' blood cells.

January 20, 2015 Read more

New high-speed 3-D microscope - SCAPE - gives deeper view of living things

Opening new doors for biomedical and neuroscience research, researchers have developed a new microscope that can image living things in 3D at very high speeds.

January 19, 2015 Read more