Press monitoring
E. coli rewired to control growth as experts let them make proteins for medicine
30.4.2018 | Press monitoring
Experts have equipped biotech workhorse bacteria with feedback control mechanism to balance growth with making protein products. Medicines like insulin and interferon are manufactured using genetically engineered bacteria, such as E. coli. E. coli grow quickly and can be given DNA that instructs them to make proteins used in medicines and other...
Engineered Chinese shrub produces high levels of antimalarial compound
27.4.2018 | Press monitoring
Artemisinin is a potent antimalarial compound produced naturally by the Chinese shrub Artemisia annua, commonly known as sweet wormwood. Currently,however, the low amount of artemisinin produced in the leaves of this plant does not meet the global demand. The best available treatment for malaria, particularly for cases caused by P. falciparum,...
Earth BioGenome Project aims to sequence DNA from all complex life on Earth
25.4.2018 | Press monitoring
An international consortium of scientists is proposing what is arguably the most ambitious project in the history of biology: sequencing the DNA of all known eukaryotic species on Earth. The benefits of the monumental initiative promise to be a complete transformation of the scientific understanding of life on Earth and a vital new resource for...
Implant gives early cancer warning by growing an artificial mole on your skin
23.4.2018 | Press monitoring
The earlier cancer is detected, the better the outlook for the patient. Unfortunately, cancer is a crafty foe and does a good job of hiding its presence until it's too late. Now, researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a novel early warning system for four common types of cancer. An implant keeps watch for elevated levels of calcium in the...
Promising peanut allergy vaccine misdirects the immune system
20.4.2018 | Press monitoring
We don't want to sound ungrateful for everything our immune system does for us, but as people suffering from food allergies can attest, it can be a little overzealous at times. Now, researchers at the University of Michigan have found a way to retrain the immune system to ignore allergens by developing a nasal spray that vaccinates against peanut...
Human Brain Organoids Thrive in Mouse Brains
18.4.2018 | Press monitoring
Mouse brains make nice homes for human brain organoids. Brain organoids, also known as mini-brains, are tiny clumps of brain cells grown from stem cells that researchers are using to investigate the neural underpinnings of autism and other neurological disorders. But the organoids typically grow in culture for only a few months before they die,...
Ovarian cancer vaccine improves women’s survival rates
16.4.2018 | Press monitoring
A personalised cancer vaccine that trains the immune system to attack tumours has had encouraging results in women with ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women – around 7,300 women in the UK are diagnosed with it each year. The disease often isn’t recognised until it has already spread, and even after...
A vaccine for edible plants? A new plant protection method on the horizon
13.4.2018 | Press monitoring
Novel technologies are being sought to replace the traditional pesticides used to protect plants, particularly edible plants such as cereals. A new collaborative project between the University of Helsinki and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) is shedding light on the efficacy of environmentally friendly RNA-based vaccines...
Mosquito spit can bust blood clots in mice
11.4.2018 | Press monitoring
Does your blood run thick? A bit of mosquito saliva might one day be just what the doctor ordered. That’s because scientists have found a new way to reinvigorate anticlotting factors in mosquito spit in the lab. The modified blood thinner has so far only been tested in mice; if it ever works in humans, it could help prevent – and even treat – the...
Engineers pioneer greener and cheaper technique for biofuel production
9.4.2018 | Press monitoring
A team of engineers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) recently discovered that a naturally occurring bacterium, Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum TG57, isolated from waste generated after harvesting mushrooms, is capable of directly converting cellulose, a plant-based material, to biobutanol. A research team led by...
