Press monitoring
Newly discovered gut microbe could treat diseases, such as MS
14.8.2017 | Press monitoring
Scientists have discovered a gut microbe that could be used to treat diseases outside the stomach, presenting new territory for these belly-dwelling bacteria. Live bacteria have been used for a long time to help with things like digestion, treating diarrhea and fending off harmful bacteria that can cause infections. But these probiotics have not...
CRISPR Corrects RNA-based Disease Defects
11.8.2017 | Press monitoring
In human cells, researchers deploy the genome editor to snip out toxic repetitive sequences. Armed with a modified version of CRISPR-Cas9, scientists have removed nucleotide repeats from RNA in vitro that are known to cause diseases, namely, Huntington’s, ALS, and myotonic dystrophy. Cells from patients with myotonic dystrophy were restored to...
Synthetic Genomics unveils digital-to-biological converter using digital DNA to print biologics
9.8.2017 | Press monitoring
A team of researchers at Synthetic Genomics (SG) has unveiled a machine they call a digital-to-biological converter - it sends digitized information describing DNA, RNA or a protein to a device that prints out synthesized versions of the original material. The team has published a paper describing their creation in the journal Nature...
Team uses phage-enhanced nanoparticles to kill bacteria that foul water treatment systems
7.8.2017 | Press monitoring
Magnetic nanoparticle clusters have the power to punch through biofilms to reach bacteria that can foul water treatment systems, according to scientists at Rice University and the University of Science and Technology of China. The nanoclusters developed through Rice's Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) Engineering Research Center...
CRISPR-treated skin graft used to treat diabetes in mice
4.8.2017 | Press monitoring
While the development of the CRISPR gene editing system is turning into one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs of the century, there are still many hurdles to overcome before the technology is efficiently applied in people. One big problem is finding a way to clinically deliver the technology to humans and animals. A University of Chicago...
Crops that kill pests by shutting off their genes
2.8.2017 | Press monitoring
Plants are among many eukaryotes that can "turn off" one or more of their genes by using a process called RNA interference to block protein translation. Researchers are now weaponizing this by engineering crops to produce specific RNA fragments that, upon ingestion by insects, initiate RNA interference to shut down a target gene essential for...
Lab-created mini-brains reveal how growing organ maintains neuronal balance
31.7.2017 | Press monitoring
Scientists can now explore in a laboratory dish how the human brain develops by creating organoids – distinct, three-dimensional regions of the brain. In research published in Cell Stem Cell, Yale scientists coaxed early stage stem cells to create and fuse two types of organoids from different brain regions to show how the developing brain...
Thousands of genes exchanged within microbial communities living on cheese
28.7.2017 | Press monitoring
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have found that microbial species living on cheese have transferred thousands of genes between each other. They also identified regional hotspots where such exchanges take place, including several genomic "islands" that host exchanges across several species of bacteria. Postdoctoral fellow...
Brain’s stem cells slow ageing in mice
26.7.2017 | Press monitoring
Stem cells in the brain could be the key to extending life and slowing ageing. These cells — which are located in the hypothalamus, a region that produces hormones and other signalling molecules — can reinvigorate declining brain function and muscle strength in middle-aged mice, according to a study published on 26 July in Nature. Previous...
A toolbox for creating new drugs
24.7.2017 | Press monitoring
ETH microbiologists led by Markus Künzler have discovered a remarkable enzyme in a fungus. They now want to use it to develop new drugs. Fungi appear to offer a truly inexhaustible reservoir of new substances. One such fungus is the jack-o'-lantern mushroom (Omphalotus olearius), which is found throughout the Mediterranean region and has a...
