Biotechnology News – Latest Headlines
Subscribe to our Biotechnology News feed
Redesigned protein opens door for safer gene therapy
A fusion protein engineered by researchers at KU Leuven combining proteins active in HIV and Moloney murine leukaemia virus (MLV) replication may lead to safer, more effective retroviral gene therapy.
November 13, 2013 Read more
Biomaterial-delivered chemotherapy could provide final blow to brain tumours
A polymer originally designed to help mend broken bones could be successful in delivering chemotherapy drugs directly to the brains of patients suffering from brain tumours, researchers at The University of Nottingham have discovered.
November 12, 2013 Read more
Single-cell genome sequencing gets better
Most complete genome sequences from single E. coli cells and individual neurons from the human brain generated by new sequencing approach from UC San Diego bioengineers and colleagues.
November 11, 2013 Read more
Making progress in biomaterial design and tissue validation
There have recently been several advancements in the world of biomaterial design and tissue validation thanks to the BIODESIGN consortium. Currently, a partnership of 19 research and clinical teams from academic centres, small biotech and large pharmaceutical companies is designing and developing state-of-the-art therapeutic approaches, with the aim to help treat traumatic damage and degenerative diseases in humans and alleviate patient suffering.
November 8, 2013 Read more
Tricking algae's biological clock boosts production of drugs, biofuels
Tricking algae's biological clock to remain in its daytime setting can dramatically boost the amount of valuable compounds that these simple marine plants can produce when they are grown in constant light.
November 7, 2013 Read more
Cost-effective method accurately orders DNA sequencing along entire chromosomes
A major step toward improving the quality of rapid, inexpensive genome assembly.
November 7, 2013 Read more
Bioengineering lab builds winning tool to visualize protein networks, treatments (w/video)
A colorful wheel developed by Rice University bioengineers to visualize protein interactions has won an international competition for novel strategies to study the roots of breast cancer.
November 7, 2013 Read more
New ambitious center delves into protein drugs of the future
Designing new drugs based on the body's own molecules will be the focus of a new Center for Biopharmaceuticals that was launched at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences on 1 November. The Center will help solve the pharmaceutical challenges of the future in the field of biological drugs.
November 6, 2013 Read more
Synthetic biology enterprise boost as new fund opens for business
Entrepreneurial scientists in the synthetic biology space can benefit from a new GBP 10M investment fund that opens for business today. The new fund will help companies in the early stages of their journey towards sustainability, through investment, strategic support and leveraging private capital.
November 6, 2013 Read more
Workhorse bacteria deliver in an acidic environment
A technique that simultaneously modifies multiple genes in fermentation bacteria could aid lactic acid production for industry.
November 6, 2013 Read more
Unlocking a secret of stem cell stability
Proper embryonic development depends on a signaling pathway that helps to preserve stem cell 'immaturity'.
November 6, 2013 Read more
Turning bacteria into chemical factories
Engineering cells to produce useful compounds such as drugs and biofuels.
November 6, 2013 Read more
Will the Nagoya Protocol impact your synthetic biology research?
A new report from the Synthetic Biology Project looks at how the Nagoya Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity may affect US researchers working in the field of synthetic biology.
November 4, 2013 Read more
Riboswitches in action
Riboswitches are RNA segments that switch genes on and off, either during DNA transcription or during protein translation, but little is known about the precise workings of this process. A study at SISSA uncovers some of the basic steps in this complex mechanism and paves the way for future research.
November 4, 2013 Read more
Crafting a better enzyme cocktail to turn plants into fuel faster
Scientists looking to create a potent blend of enzymes to transform materials like corn stalks and wood chips into fuels have developed a test that should turbocharge their efforts. The work revolves around the fungus Trichoderma reesei, which introduced itself to US troops during World War II by chewing through their tents in the Pacific theater. Now the fungus is a star in the world of biofuels.
November 4, 2013 Read more
New stem cells go back further
A new method of producing naïve induced pluripotent stem cells holds promise for the future of regenerative biomedical research.
October 31, 2013 Read more
Gaming technology unravels complex biology
Researchers at the University of Manchester's Institute of Biotechnology have used the power of off-the-shelf computer gaming technology to capture previously unobservable atomic movements.
October 31, 2013 Read more
Researchers discover a new protein fold with a transport tunnel
Researchers have discovered that the protein LIMP 2 possesses a novel protein fold together with a nanomicroscopically small transport tunnel.
October 28, 2013 Read more