What is new in Biotech
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CRISPR/Cas9 modifies Euglena to create potential biofuel source
18.9.2024 | Press monitoring
News about biofuels sometimes mentions used cooking oil as a feedstock, but if these substances contain animal fat, they can solidify in colder temperatures. This happens because, chemically, the fatty acids of these and many other saturated fats have long carbon chains with single bonds. Enter the Euglena. An Osaka Metropolitan University team...
Golden Lettuce genetically engineered to pack 30 times more vitamins
16.9.2024 | Press monitoring
Most of us don’t eat as much fruit and veggies as we know we should, but that goal might now be a bit more achievable. Scientists in Spain have engineered a new “Golden Lettuce” with 30 times more nutrients than the regular green stuff. Lettuce isn’t the most exciting vegetable, but you’ll often find it padding out sandwiches, wraps, stews and...
Tiny magnetic robots could treat bleeds in the brain
13.9.2024 | Press monitoring
Researchers have created nanoscale robots which could be used to manage bleeds in the brain caused by aneurysms.?The development could enable precise, relatively low-risk treatment of brain aneurysms, which cause around 500,000 deaths globally each year. The medical condition – a blood-filled bulge on a brain artery that can rupture and cause...
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A roadmap for using viruses to enhance crop performance
11.9.2024 | Press monitoring
Humans, livestock and companion animals benefit from virus-based vaccines and gene therapies, but crops do not. This paradox is highlighted by an international research group led by the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (IBMCP) within the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) The study proposes a roadmap to use attenuated...
At-home stress testing possible, thanks to nanoparticles
9.9.2024 | Press monitoring
Stress is a bugbear for many people. Whether caused by work, life circumstances, or finances, when stressed, your body releases a surge of cortisol after its ‘fight or flight’ hormones, keeping you on high alert. It’s trite to say that stress contributes to poor health. As cortisol is a well-known stress biomarker, sensors that accurately measure...
Phage editing technology could lead to alternative treatments for antibiotic-resistant bacteria
6.9.2024 | Press monitoring
As antibiotic resistance becomes an increasingly serious threat to our health, the scientific and medical communities are searching for new medicines to fight infections. Researchers at Gladstone Institutes have just moved closer to that goal with a novel technique for harnessing the power of bacteriophages. Bacteriophages, or phages for short,...
Ancient viral genomes preserved in glaciers reveal climate history – and how viruses adapt to climate change
4.9.2024 | Press monitoring
As humans alter the planet's climate and ecosystems, scientists are looking to Earth's history to help predict what may unfold from climate change. To this end, massive ice structures like glaciers serve as nature's freezers, archiving detailed records of past climates and ecosystems – including viruses. We are a team of microbiologists and...
A chloroplast-mimicking nanoreactor for enhanced CO2 electrocatalysis
2.9.2024 | Press monitoring
Chloroplast, which is a double-membrane-bounded organelle, is the main site for CO2 fixation via photosynthesis in green plants. The double-membrane configuration can regulate the transport of substances into and out of the chloroplasts with the aid of functional units like lipid bilayer and transmembrane proteins. Inspired by the ingenious...
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Silicon exoskeletons for blood cells: Engineered blood cells successfully transfused between species
30.8.2024 | Press monitoring
The growing need to expand the blood supply is now driving technological approaches, including advances in blood preservation and storage. The researchers of the new study report a method for biocompatible blood silicification, which they call shielding-augmenting RBC-in-nanoscale amorphous silica, or SARNAS for short. The technique is a surface...
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First lung cancer vaccine given to patient in international trial
28.8.2024 | Press monitoring
A 67-year-old lung cancer patient from London has been the first recipient of a new investigational cancer vaccine at the National Health Service (NHS) University College London Hospitals (UCLH). “Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with an estimated 1.8 million deaths in 2020,” said Siow Ming Lee, professor of...
