Press monitoring
Lab unveils heart-on-a-chip
12.5.2017 | Press monitoring
Prescription drugs have enabled millions of Americans with chronic medical conditions to live longer and more fulfilling lives, but many promising new drugs never make it to the human trials stage due to the potential for cardiac toxicity. Through "heart-on-a-chip" technology-modeling a human heart on an engineered chip and measuring the...
Artificial womb helps premature lamb fetuses grow for 4 weeks
10.5.2017 | Press monitoring
Extremely premature lambs have been kept alive in an artificial uterus for four weeks. The system uses a fluid-filled plastic bag and could be used for premature babies within the next three years. “We’ve developed a system that, as closely as possible, reproduces the environment of the womb and replace the function of the placenta,” says Alan...
Scientists engineer baker\'s yeast to produce penicillin molecules
8.5.2017 | Press monitoring
The synthetic biologists from Imperial College London have re-engineered yeast cells to manufacture the nonribosomal peptide antibiotic penicillin. In laboratory experiments, they were able to demonstrate that this yeast had antibacterial properties against streptococcus bacteria. The authors of the study, which is published today in the journal...
The Blob? First outdoor trial of genetically engineered algae conducted
5.5.2017 | Press monitoring
Scientists have been tweaking algae in the lab for use in everything from making foam to making fuel to using it to clean up wastewater. But till now, at least in the US, those tests have been confined to the lab. The US Environmental Protection Agency approved moving things outdoors, and green glowing algae was let loose in water from five...
Cassava is genetically decaying, putting staple crop at risk
3.5.2017 | Press monitoring
For breeders of cassava, a staple food for hundreds of millions in the tropics, producing improved varieties has been getting harder over time. A team at Cornell used genomic analysis of cassava varieties and wild relatives to make a diagnosis: Mutations have corroded the genome, producing many dysfunctional versions of genes and putting at risk a...
Mud DNA means we can detect ancient humans even without fossils
1.5.2017 | Press monitoring
We have an astonishing new way to study our early human ancestors: looking for their DNA in ancient sediments in places such as caves. A team of researchers has found the DNA of Neanderthals and Denisovans in some of the sites where they are known to have lived. “I think we show convincingly that these sequences are authentic,” says lead author...
First malaria vaccine to be introduced in Africa
28.4.2017 | Press monitoring
It kills hundreds of thousands a year and infects many millions more across the globe, but no place bears the brunt of malaria like Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 90 percent of 2015's malaria cases occurred in Africa, as did 92 percent of malaria deaths. It is here that WHO has chosen to pilot the world's first...
Scientists discover gene that influences grain yield
26.4.2017 | Press monitoring
Researchers at the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center have discovered a gene that influences grain yield in grasses related to food crops. Four mutations were identified that could impact candidate crops for producing renewable and sustainable fuels. Researchers conducted genetic...
Cartilage-like hydrogel promises 3D-printable knee implants
24.4.2017 | Press monitoring
Far more than a simple hinge, the human knee is a complex, intricate mechanism, and a knee injury is a painful and debilitating of condition that's difficult and expensive to repair. Duke University is developing a cartilage-like material based on hydrogel that may make the task of repairing knees easier. The 3D-printable hydrogel allows...
Fast CRISPR test easily detects Zika and antibiotic resistence
21.4.2017 | Press monitoring
CRISPR has another trick up its sleeve. The system that sparked a revolution in gene editing can also be used in fast and cheap tests for pathogens. A tool based on CRISPR has been shown to detect the Zika virus in blood, urine and saliva. It was developed by researchers at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who call it SHERLOCK –...
