Press monitoring
Promising compound rapidly eliminates malaria parasite
9.12.2014 | Press monitoring
An international research collaborative has determined that a promising anti-malarial compound tricks the immune system to rapidly destroy red blood cells infected with the malaria parasite but leave healthy cells unharmed. The compound, (+)-SJ733, was developed from a molecule identified in a previous St. Jude Children's Research Hospital-led...
Poisonous cure: Toxic fungi may hold secrets to tackling deadly diseases
8.12.2014 | Press monitoring
A team of Michigan State University scientists has discovered an enzyme that is the key to the lethal potency of poisonous mushrooms. The results, published in the current issue of the journal Chemistry and Biology, reveal the enzyme's ability to create the mushroom's molecules that harbor missile-like proficiency in attacking and annihilating...
Gut bacteria from a worm can degrade plastic
5.12.2014 | Press monitoring
Plastic is well-known for sticking around in the environment for years without breaking down, contributing significantly to litter and landfills. But scientists have now discovered that bacteria from the guts of a worm known to munch on food packaging can degrade polyethylene, the most common plastic. Reported in the ACS journal Environmental...
Wireless Electronic Implants Stop Staph, Then Harmlessly Dissolve
4.12.2014 | Press monitoring
Researchers at Tufts University, in collaboration with a team at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, have demonstrated a resorbable electronic implant that eliminated bacterial infection in mice by delivering heat to infected tissue when triggered by a remote wireless signal. The silk and magnesium devices then harmlessly dissolved in...
Nutrition, safety key to consumer acceptance of nanotech, genetic modification in foods
3.12.2014 | Press monitoring
New research from North Carolina State University and the University of Minnesota shows that the majority of consumers will accept the presence of nanotechnology or genetic modification (GM) technology in foods - but only if the technology enhances the nutrition or improves the safety of the food.
Test for horse meat developed
2.12.2014 | Press monitoring
Scientists at the Institute of Food Research on the Norwich Research Park have teamed up with Oxford Instruments to develop a fast, cheap alternative to DNA testing as a means of distinguishing horse meat from beef. Because horses and cattle have different digestive systems, the fat components of the two meats have different fatty acid...
Organovo now selling tiny 3D-printed human livers
1.12.2014 | Press monitoring
When a medication enters the bloodstream, it ends up being concentrated in the liver – after all, one of the organ's main functions is to cleanse the blood. This means that if a drug is going to have an adverse effect on any part of the body, chances are it will be the liver. It would seem to follow, therefore, that if a pharmaceutical company...
Scientists completed the first orchid whole genome sequencing
28.11.2014 | Press monitoring
As one of the most diverse plant family, orchid now has its first genome sequenced and the result is published at Nature Genetics as a cover article. This study is an accomplishment of the Orchid Genome Project, an international collaboration led by Lai-Qiang Huang and Zhong-Jian Liu at Tsinghua University and National Orchid Conservation Center...
Researchers move ultrafast, low-cost DNA sequencing technology a step closer to reality
27.11.2014 | Press monitoring
A team of scientists from Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute and IBM's T.J. Watson Research Center have developed a prototype DNA reader that could make whole genome profiling an everyday practice in medicine. "Our goal is to put cheap, simple and powerful DNA and protein diagnostic devices into every single doctor's office,"...
Model evaluates where bioenergy crops grow best
26.11.2014 | Press monitoring
Researchers at the University of Illinois have published a study identifying yield zones for three major bioenergy crops. "The unique aspect of our study is that it provides detailed information about where these crops can grow, in terms of their location and stability over time, which has not been done in the past," said U. of I. atmospheric...
