Press monitoring
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...
Scientist works on taste, texture and color of lab-produced hamburger
15.7.2015 | Press monitoring
Mark J. Post is confident his recipe for his $300,000 cultured hamburger will not only come down in price but someday make it to market. "It's realistic that we can do this," said Post, chair of the department of physiology and professor of vascular physiology and tissue engineering, Maastricht University, The Netherlands, who is refining what...
Assessing quality of flowing waters with DNA analyses
13.7.2015 | Press monitoring
The quality of waters can be assessed using of the organisms occurring therein. This approach often results in errors, because many species look alike. Therefore, new methods focus on DNA analyses instead. Biologists at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have optimised the process so that they are now able to identify many organisms at once in a...
Scientists hack one of the most common bacteria in human intestines
10.7.2015 | Press monitoring
One of the most common bacteria in the human gut, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, can now be engineered with new functions and re-introduced into the intestinal tract of a mouse. The work is a starting point for designing microbes that could eventually deliver drugs or detect long-term changes in the intestines that lead to inflammatory bowel...
