Biotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Synthetic key unlocks a hidden biology treasure chest

Scientists have developed a new synthetic biology technology that acts as a sort of universal translator that can track previously unexplored genes and individual metabolic events in different organisms.

April 3, 2022 Read more

The Human Genome Project pieced together only 92% of the DNA - now scientists have finally filled in the remaining 8%

There were gaps: unfilled, often repetitive regions that were too confusing to piece together. With advancements in technology that could handle these repetitive sequences, scientists finally filled those gaps in May 2021, and the first end-to-end human genome was officially published on Mar. 31, 2022.

March 31, 2022 Read more

Researchers discover new model for 'global' DNA repair

Two studies provide a radically new picture of how bacterial cells continually repair damaged sections (lesions) in their DNA.

March 30, 2022 Read more

Artificial spider silk with a toughness equal to dragline silks can now be spun

Researchers have designed artificial spider silk proteins with properties that not even spiders can achieve, and the fibres they have spun are equally tough as the spider's silk. The yield is also in line with what is required for industrial production.

March 30, 2022 Read more

New software to help discover valuable compounds

The Metaboseek app streamlines the analysis of comparative metabolomics data by helping the researcher determine which data features are real and letting them dig deeper into those features - all within the same tool.

March 29, 2022 Read more

Unprecedented videos show RNA switching 'on' and 'off' (w/video)

RNA strands invade, displace one another to enable genetic decision making.

March 28, 2022 Read more

Fixing spinal cord injuries with 'dancing molecules'

For decades, scientists have looked for an effective treatment for spinal cord injuries, often with little success. Now, new research has resulted in a game-changing innovation: an injection that uses ​'dancing molecules' to repair spinal tissue and reverse paralysis.

March 25, 2022 Read more

Striking lane-like patterns found in bacteria populations (w/video)

By combining theoretical models with experiments, scientists have looked closely at how populations of two genetically distinct strains of the bacteria, Escherichia coli, grow in a channel.

March 22, 2022 Read more

New CRISPR element regulates viral defense

Mechanism for prioritizing the immune response discovered.

March 21, 2022 Read more

Computational approach enables spatial mapping of single-cell data within tissues

A new computational approach successfully combines data from parallel gene-expression profiling methods to create spatial maps of a given tissue at single-cell resolution. The resulting maps can provide unique biological insights into the cancer microenvironment and many other tissue types.

March 21, 2022 Read more

Oils produced from microalgae could replace palm oil in food production

Researchers have developed a method to effectively produce and extract plant-based oils from a type of common microalgae.

March 21, 2022 Read more

New insight into the possible origins of life

Researchers have for the first time been able to create an RNA molecule that replicates, diversifies and develops complexity, following Darwinian evolution. This has provided the first empirical evidence that simple biological molecules can lead to the emergence of complex lifelike systems.

March 18, 2022 Read more

Lung tissue from the lab

An international research team has found a simple method for growing lung tissue in the lab. These organoids could be used in diagnosis, drug development, and fundamental research.

March 18, 2022 Read more

Gene regulation at its brightest

Scientists have developed a virus-based approach for measuring variations in gene regulatory elements, called transcription factors, as conditions change in live organisms.

March 18, 2022 Read more

Engineering an 'invisible cloak' for bacteria to deliver drugs to tumors

Researchers genetically engineer a microbial encapsulation system for therapeutic bacteria that can hide them from immune systems, enabling them to reach tumors more effectively and kill cancer cells in mice.

March 17, 2022 Read more

Inhalable aerogel triggers immunity to COVID-19 in mice, may block transmission

An inhalable aerogel loaded with DNA that encodes for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein successfully induces an immune response against COVID-19 in the lungs of mice. The scientists said its aerogel could be used to create an inhalable vaccine that blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission by preventing the virus from establishing an infection in the lungs.

March 16, 2022 Read more

Stem cell-derived retinal patch is shown to survive post-implantation

Results finding that after two years, not only can the implant survive, but also it does not elicit clinically detectable inflammation or signs of immune rejection, even without long-term immunosuppression.

March 16, 2022 Read more

Novel 'Trojan horse' drug delivery system using protein-based microdroplets

Scientists have developed a novel method of delivering drugs into human cells using large biological molecules, by first encasing them in a protein-based microdroplet.

March 16, 2022 Read more