Biotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Greater anticancer potency with less risk

When injected as a hydrogel rather than in solution, an anticancer protein treats liver tumors more effectively.

July 3, 2013 Read more

Breakthrough: Sensors monitor cells at work

Transport proteins are responsible for moving materials such as nutrients and metabolic products through a cell's outer membrane, which seals and protects all living cells, to the cell's interior. A team has now developed a groundbreaking new way to measure the activity of transporter proteins in living organisms.

July 2, 2013 Read more

New method for mapping the protein signals between healthy and diseased cells

University of Tübingen researchers help develop a way to trace communication between cells.

July 2, 2013 Read more

Scientists discover molecular communication network in human stem cells

Scientists have discovered a molecular network in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) that integrates cell communication signals to keep the cell in its stem cell state.

July 2, 2013 Read more

Biomedical research revealing secrets of cell behavior

Knowing virtually everything about how the body's cells make transitions from one state to another - for instance, precisely how particular cells develop into multi-cellular organisms - would be a major jump forward in understanding the basics of what drives biological processes.

July 1, 2013 Read more

Study finds biochemical role of crucial TonB protein in bacterial iron transport and pathogenesis

A new study has discovered the role of a protein in bacteria that cause a wide variety of diseases, including typhoid fever, plague, meningitis and dysentery. The results may lead to new and improved antibiotics for humans and animals.

July 1, 2013 Read more

Mimicking living cells: Synthesizing ribosomes

Synthetic biology technology could lead to new antibiotics, modified protein-generators.

June 29, 2013 Read more

This image could lead to better antibiotics

Berkeley Lab scientists create atomic-scale structure of ribosome attached to a molecule that controls its motion.

June 29, 2013 Read more

Scientists view 'protein origami' to help understand, prevent certain diseases (w/video)

Scientists using sophisticated imaging techniques have observed a molecular protein folding process that may help medical researchers understand and treat diseases such as Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's and cancer.

June 28, 2013 Read more

3-D genomics shape up

New studies detail breakthroughs in his research on protein-DNA recognition. The findings may have profound implications for furthering research into cancer and other genetically based diseases.

June 28, 2013 Read more

Lens-free imaging technique that dramatically extends research capabilities into cells, bacteria and viruses

CEA-Leti today introduced a new video lens-free imaging technique that redefines bio imaging, provides significant advantages over traditional microscopy, and opens a new range of capabilities for researchers, such as real-time monitoring of cell cultures.

June 26, 2013 Read more

New 'biowire' technology matures human heart by mimicking fetal heartrate

A new method of maturing human heart cells that simulates the natural growth environment of heart cells while applying electrical pulses to mimic the heart rate of fetal humans has led researchers at the University of Toronto to an electrifying step forward for cardiac research.

June 24, 2013 Read more

Reading DNA, backward and forward

Biologists reveal how cells control the direction in which the genome is read.

June 24, 2013 Read more

Lab reproduction of a marine compound with antibiotic properties

Chemists synthesize baringolin, a substance isolated from the depths of the sea. At very small doses this compound inhibits the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

June 20, 2013 Read more

Researchers develop powerful new technique to study protein function

The advance should allow deeper insights into protein function, Chase says, "because we can only get a true understanding of what that single protein does when we isolate its function." There was no tool to do this. Cover art uses a worm jigsaw puzzle to illustrate how knockdown strategies have evolved to achieve more cell-type specificity, culminating in the new approach, which can restrict knockdown to a single cell type.

June 19, 2013 Read more

Inventor patents anti-cholesterol formula

Senior Brandeis research scientist Daniel Perlman has discovered a way to make phytosterol molecules from plants dispersible in beverages and foods that are consumed by humans, potentially opening the way to dramatic reductions in human cholesterol levels.

June 18, 2013 Read more

Researchers engineer synthetic pathways for new antibacterial treatments

The project BASYNTHEC ('Bacterial synthetic minimal genomes for biotechnology') launched in 2010 with almost EUR 3 million in EU funding. It sought to develop a model-based approach for engineering B. subtilis and create synthetic modules for producing metabolites and proteins of interest. Ultimately, the research could lead to new antimicrobial treatments for bacterial infections.

June 18, 2013 Read more

Researchers demonstrate use of stem cells to analyze causes, treatment of diabetes

Using patient-specific stem cells to correct deficient insulin-producing cells.

June 17, 2013 Read more