Press monitoring
Scientists grow human serotonin neurons in petri dish
7.8.2015 | Press monitoring
Serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in regulating mood and mental states, has been linked to numerous neurological and mental illnesses, including depression. But because there has been no way to obtain live human serotonin neurons to study these diseases, most serotonin research has been done on lab animals. Now, University at Buffalo...
New clot-busting treatment targets number one killer
5.8.2015 | Press monitoring
Australian researchers funded by the National Heart Foundation are a step closer to a safer and more effective way to treat heart attack and stroke via nanotechnology. Professor Christoph Hagemeyer, Head of the Vascular Biotechnology Laboratory at Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, said this latest step offers a revolutionary difference...
Heating and cooling with light leads to ultrafast DNA diagnostics
3.8.2015 | Press monitoring
New technology developed by bioengineers at the University of California, Berkeley, promises to make a workhorse lab tool cheaper, more portable and many times faster by accelerating the heating and cooling of genetic samples with the switch of a light. This turbocharged thermal cycling, described in a paper to be published Friday, July 31, in...
Researchers design first artificial ribosome
31.7.2015 | Press monitoring
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Northwestern University have engineered a tethered ribosome that works nearly as well as the authentic cellular component, or organelle, that produces all the proteins and enzymes within the cell. The engineered ribosome may enable the production of new drugs and next-generation...
In CRISPR advance, scientists successfully edit human T cells
29.7.2015 | Press monitoring
Scientists have devised a new strategy to precisely modify human T cells using the genome-editing system known as CRISPR/Cas9. Because these immune-system cells play important roles in a wide range of diseases, from diabetes to AIDS to cancer, the achievement provides a versatile new tool for research on T cell function, as well as a path toward...
Toxin from salmonid fish has potential to treat cancer
27.7.2015 | Press monitoring
Pathogenic bacteria develop killer machines that work very specifically and highly efficiently. Scientists from the University of Freiburg have solved the molecular mechanism of a fish toxin that could be used in the future as a medication to treat cancer. The Yersinia species of pathogens can cause the bubonic plague and serious...
Sweet revenge against superbugs
24.7.2015 | Press monitoring
A team of scientists from The University of Queensland and Queensland biotechnology company Alchemia have discovered a potential new class of antibiotics inspired by sugar molecules produced by bacteria. New antibiotics to which bacteria are unlikely to develop resistance are urgently needed to combat the rise of superbugs -- drug resistant...
Rare form: Novel structures built from DNA emerge
22.7.2015 | Press monitoring
DNA, the molecular foundation of life, has new tricks up its sleeve. The four bases from which it is composed snap together like jigsaw pieces and can be artificially manipulated to construct endlessly varied forms in two and three dimensions. The technique, known as DNA origami, promises to bring futuristic microelectronics and biomedical...
Genetically modified moths pass greenhouse testing, ready for the wild
20.7.2015 | Press monitoring
A team of researchers at British company Oxitec has developed a genetic approach to controlling diamondback moth caterpillars and report that trials in greenhouse conditions has gone so well that they are ready to conduct tests in the wild. Diamondback moth caterpillars are one of the world's worst insect pests—they eat holes in the leaves of...
Scientists hijack light-loving bacteria to produce fatty acid
17.7.2015 | Press monitoring
Scientists have directed a common bacterium to produce more of a valuable fatty acid, lauric acid, than it typically does. The achievement is noteworthy not simply because of the increased production of fatty acid, which can be a useful component of biofuels. The work opens the door for scientists to manipulate such organisms to produce compounds...
