Press monitoring
Stool-sample-sniffin\' electronic nose detects diseases
27.12.2017 | Press monitoring
Typically, colon-related illnesses such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are diagnosed via invasive tests. Thanks to a new "electronic nose," however, it may soon be possible to detect such disorders by analyzing a whiff of the patient's feces. Known as the Moosy 32 eNose, the device is being developed by a Spanish team from...
Early disease diagnosis could be dramatically improved with new detection system
25.12.2017 | Press monitoring
By attaching specialised molecules to the backbone of DNA, researchers have made it easier to detect rare molecules associated with early disease. The presence of, or changes in the concentration of, certain proteins in biological fluids can be indicators of disease. However, in the early stages of disease these 'biomarkers' can be difficult to...
Salamander genome gives clues about unique regenerative ability
22.12.2017 | Press monitoring
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have managed to sequence the giant genome of a salamander, the Iberian ribbed newt, which is a full six times greater than the human genome. Amongst the early findings is a family of genes that can provide clues to the unique ability of salamanders to rebuild complex tissue, even body parts. The...
Advanced anti-viral nanoparticles target and destroy a range of viruses
20.12.2017 | Press monitoring
Over the last decade, advances in nanotechnology have resulted in scientists creating amazingly specific nanoparticles that can travel through a human body and home in on specific cells. The latest nanoparticle innovation, driven by advanced computer modeling technologies, targets a broad range of devastating viruses and not only binds to them,...
Natural enzymes filter hormone-disrupting chemicals from sewage
18.12.2017 | Press monitoring
A new filtration system that uses natural molecules to remove hormone-affecting chemicals from wastewater has succeeded in trapping 95 % of these substances before the water goes back into the environment. It's part of a wave of research into new ways of protecting us against so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which also includes working...
New sorghum cultivars can produce thousands of gallons of ethanol
15.12.2017 | Press monitoring
Sweet sorghum is not just for breakfast anymore. Although sorghum is a source for table syrup, scientists see a future in which we convert sorghum to biofuel, rather than relying on fossil fuel. That potential just grew as University of Florida researchers found three UF/IFAS-developed sorghum varieties could produce up to 1,000 gallons of ethanol...
New software can verify someone\'s identity by their DNA in minutes
13.12.2017 | Press monitoring
In the science-fiction movie Gattaca, visitors only clear security if a blood test and readout of their genetic profile matches the sample on file. Now, cheap DNA sequencers and custom software could make real-time DNA-authentication a reality. Researchers at Columbia University and the New York Genome Center have developed a method to quickly...
World\'s smallest tape recorder is built from microbes
11.12.2017 | Press monitoring
Through a few clever molecular hacks, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have converted a natural bacterial immune system into a microscopic data recorder, laying the groundwork for a new class of technologies that use bacterial cells for everything from disease diagnosis to environmental monitoring. The researchers modified an...
Gene therapy stops bleeding episodes in hemophilia trial
8.12.2017 | Press monitoring
Researchers have scored their first clear success in using gene therapy to treat hemophilia, an inherited blood disorder. Ten men received a single intravenous infusion of a harmless virus ferrying a gene for factor IX, a blood-clotting protein missing in people with hemophilia B. Up to 18 months later, the men’s livers are making, on average,...
Scientists just added two functional letters to the genetic code
6.12.2017 | Press monitoring
All life forms on Earth use the same genetic alphabet of the bases A, T, C, and G-nitrogen-containing compounds that constitute the building blocks of DNA and spell out the instructions for making proteins. Now, scientists have developed the first bacterium to use extra letters, or unnatural bases, to build proteins. The new research builds on...
