Biotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Live coverage of the immune system at work

Researchers developed a new technique to safely mark T-cells for non-invasive in vivo imaging.

January 19, 2015 Read more

Picture this - biosecurity seen from the inside

Scientists get an insider's view of plants under attack. They've developed a new biosensor that allows them to see, in real time, what happens when a plant's defence system swings into action.

January 16, 2015 Read more

Paving a road toward mitochondrial plant cell factories

Scientists have devised a new strategy for selectively delivering genes into the mitochondria of plant cells by using a simple combination of cell-penetrating and mitochondria-targeting peptides. This work lays the groundwork for the rational design of peptide-based gene carriers with the potential to create a new field of 'mitochondria engineering', which could enable the creation of mitochondria-based plant cell factories for the creation of bio-polymers and bio-fuels.

January 16, 2015 Read more

Damaged DNA amplified

Researchers have succeeded for the first time in amplifying gene samples containing DNA adducts while retaining references to these adducts. This type of amplification is a prerequisite for the majority of technologies used by researchers to determine a gene's DNA sequence.

January 15, 2015 Read more

Photosynthesis in 3D

Researchers were recently successful in revealing the native structure of the chloroplast in 3D. The results are the first of their kind and provide new insights into the mechanisms of photosynthesis.

January 15, 2015 Read more

First contracting human muscle grown in laboratory

Researchers at Duke University report the first lab-grown, contracting human muscle, which could revolutionize drug discovery and personalized medicine.

January 13, 2015 Read more

Neuroprosthetics for paralysis: Biocompatible, flexible implant slips into the spinal cord (w/video)

New therapies are on the horizon for individuals paralyzed following spinal cord injury - the e-Dura implant developed by EPFL scientists can be applied directly to the spinal cord without causing damage and inflammation.

January 8, 2015 Read more

Tracing tainted food back to its source within an hour

Researchers have developed a cost-effective and highly efficient method to accurately trace contaminated food back to its source.

January 7, 2015 Read more

New technology focuses diffuse light inside living tissue

Scientists reveal a new technique that focuses diffuse light inside a dynamic scattering medium containing living tissue. In addition, they have improved the speed of optical focusing deep inside tissue by two orders of magnitude.

January 5, 2015 Read more

Plant genetic advance could lead to more efficient conversion of plant biomass to biofuels

Genetic advance may help manipulate the polymer-forming processes to improve the efficiency of biofuel production.

January 5, 2015 Read more

Bacteria programmed to churn out valuable chemicals

Scientists create super-productive bacteria colonies that pump out useful chemicals faster than ever before using 'survival of the fittest' tactics.

December 24, 2014 Read more

Bacteria could be rich source for making terpenes

New research shows that the genetic capacity of bacteria to make terpenes is widespread. Using a specialized technique to sift through genomic databases for a variety of bacteria, the researchers found 262 gene sequences that likely code for terpene synthases - enzymes that catalyze the production terpenes.

December 23, 2014 Read more

New technology makes tissues, someday maybe organs

A new instrument could someday build replacement human organs the way electronics are assembled today: with precise picking and placing of parts.

December 22, 2014 Read more

Knee meniscus fixed using revolutionary stem cell procedure

Researchers report on a revolutionary new procedure that uses 3-D printing and the body's stem cells to regenerate knee meniscus, a tissue lining that acts as a natural cushion between the femur and tibia.

December 19, 2014 Read more

A clear, molecular view of how human color vision evolved

Many genetic mutations in visual pigments, spread over millions of years, were required for humans to evolve from a primitive mammal with a dim, shadowy view of the world into a greater ape able to see all the colors in a rainbow. Now, after more than two decades of painstaking research, scientists have finished a detailed and complete picture of the evolution of human color vision.

December 19, 2014 Read more

A 'GPS' for molecules

In everyday life, the global positioning system (GPS) can be employed to reliably determine the momentary location of one en route to the desired destination. Scientists have now developed a molecular 'GPS' with which the whereabouts of metal ions in enzymes can be reliably determined. Such ions play important roles in all corners of metabolism and synthesis for biological products.

December 19, 2014 Read more

Team develops 'cool' new method for probing how molecules fold

Scientists have developed a powerful new system for studying how proteins and other biological molecules form and lose their natural folded structures.

December 18, 2014 Read more

Ancient wisdom boosts sustainability of biotech cotton

Combining computer modeling and field research on cotton pests, a study suggests that biotechnology and traditional agriculture can be compatible approaches toward sustainable agriculture.

December 18, 2014 Read more