Biotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Breakthrough antibacterial approach could resolve serious skin infections

Like a protective tent over a colony of harmful bacteria, biofilms make the treatment of skin infections especially difficult.

August 27, 2014 Read more

New tool to probe cancer's molecular make-up

Scientists have shown how to better identify and measure vital molecules that control cell behaviour - paving the way for improved tools for diagnosis, prediction and monitoring of cancer.

August 26, 2014 Read more

Tilted acoustic tweezers separate cells gently

Precise, gentle and efficient cell separation from a device the size of a cell phone may be possible thanks to tilt-angle standing surface acoustic waves, according to a team of engineers.

August 25, 2014 Read more

Living organ in animal grown from lab-created cells (w/video)

Scientists have grown a fully functional organ from transplanted laboratory-created cells in a living animal for the first time.

August 25, 2014 Read more

Bioengineers close to brewing opioid painkillers without using opium from poppies

A decade-long effort in genetic engineering is close to re-programming yeast cells to make palliative medicines in stainless steel vats.

August 24, 2014 Read more

New grant helps researchers bring cryobiological science to life

Health scientists receive $25.9M to bring life-saving technology from the future to the present.

August 22, 2014 Read more

Peering into plant cells

High-resolution electron microscopy shows in detail how plant cell compartments change with cell growth.

August 22, 2014 Read more

Genetics used to improve plants for bioenergy

An upcoming genetics investigation into the symbiotic association between soil fungi and feedstock plants for bioenergy production could lead to more efficient uptake of nutrients, which would help limit the need for expensive and polluting fertilizers.

August 21, 2014 Read more

How lizards regenerate their tails: researchers discover genetic 'recipe'

By understanding the secret of how lizards regenerate their tails, researchers may be able to develop ways to stimulate the regeneration of limbs in humans. Now, a team of researchers is one step closer to solving that mystery.

August 20, 2014 Read more

Artificial cells act like the real thing

Cell-like compartments produce proteins and communicate with one another, similar to natural biological systems.

August 18, 2014 Read more

Researchers block plant hormone

A small molecule inhibits jasmonic acid and helps to explain its effects.

August 17, 2014 Read more

Microchip reveals how tumor cells transition to invasion

Using a microengineered device that acts as an obstacle course for cells, researchers have shed new light on a cellular metamorphosis thought to play a role in tumor cell invasion throughout the body.

August 17, 2014 Read more

Harnessing the power of bacteria's sophisticated immune system

Scientists now have a clear picture of the bacterial immune system and say its unique shape is likely why bacteria can so quickly recognize and destroy their assailants.

August 16, 2014 Read more

Dynamic culture of a thermosensitive collagen hydrogel improves tissue-engineered peripheral nerve

In a new study, a thermosensitive collagen hydrogel remained as a liquid when kept at temperatures below 10C and gelled when the temperature was increased to 37C in an incubator for 30 minutes, which was used as an extracellular matrix and combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to construct tissue-engineered peripheral nerve composites in vitro.

August 15, 2014 Read more

Tissue development 'roadmap' created to guide stem cell medicine

In a boon to stem cell research and regenerative medicine, scientists have created a computer algorithm called CellNet as a 'roadmap' for cell and tissue engineering, to ensure that cells engineered in the lab have the same favorable properties as cells in our own bodies.

August 14, 2014 Read more

New non-invasive technique controls size of molecules penetrating the blood-brain barrier

A new technique has demonstrated for the first time that the size of molecules penetrating the blood-brain barrier can be controlled using acoustic pressure - the pressure of an ultrasound beam - to let specific molecules through.

August 14, 2014 Read more

Bypass commands from the brain to legs through a computer

Researchers have successfully made an artificial connection from the brain to the locomotion center in the spinal cord by bypassing with a computer and exercised control over walking.

August 14, 2014 Read more

Researchers identify key mechanism that drives movement in living cells

Scientists discovered that living cell migration is regulated by the engagement of a force transmitter composed of vinculin and talin, two types of cytoskeletal protein. The researchers showed that force-dependent vinculin binding to talin plays a critical role in mechanically connecting the actin cytoskeleton to the extracellular substrate to contribute towards cell migration.

August 14, 2014 Read more