Press monitoring
New DNA-editing technology spawns novel strategies for gene therapy
20.3.2014 | Press monitoring
The University of California, Berkeley, and UC San Francisco are launching the Innovative Genomics Initiative (IGI) to lead a revolution in genetic engineering based on a new technology already generating novel strategies for gene therapy and the genetic study of disease. The Li Ka Shing Foundation has provided a $10 million gift to support the...
Research team implants human innate immune cells in mice
19.3.2014 | Press monitoring
Overcoming a major limitation to the study of the origins and progress of human disease, Yale researchers report that they have transplanted human innate immune cells into mouse models, which resulted in human immune responses. This groundbreaking study has reproduced human immune function at a level not seen previously, and could significantly...
Iron Man plants are supercharged by nanotech power
18.3.2014 | Press monitoring
The story of Iron Man, in which a man gains spectacular abilities by infusing his body with technology, is still just fantasy. But the first Iron Plants have been made. A team of biologists and engineers has made bionic plants that have been upgraded with an injection of nanotechnology. The idea is two-fold: to boost plants' ability to...
Relaxing of rules urged for genetically modified crops
17.3.2014 | Press monitoring
It is time to loosen Europe's draconian regulations on genetically modified crops, say a group of biotechnology experts. In a report released today they argue that genetically modified crops have been used safely for decades, so no longer need to be automatically treated as unsafe. They also say that genetically modified crops should be...
Fluorescent mouse can teach us about many diseases, drugs
14.3.2014 | Press monitoring
Scientists from the UK and Australia have created a mouse that expresses a fluorescing 'biosensor' in every cell of its body, allowing diseased cells and drugs to be tracked and evaluated in real time and in three dimensions. This biosensor mimics the action of a target molecule, in this case a protein known as Rac, which drives cell movement...
Japan stem cell scientist calls for retraction of study
13.3.2014 | Press monitoring
A co-author of a Japanese study that promised a revolutionary way to create stem cells has called for the headline-grabbing research to be retracted over claims its data was faulty. The findings, published by Japanese researcher Haruko Obokata and US-based scientists, outlined a simple and low-tech approach in the quest to grow transplant tissue...
Scientists herd cells in new approach to tissue engineering
12.3.2014 | Press monitoring
Sometimes it only takes a quick jolt of electricity to get a swarm of cells moving in the right direction. Researchers at UC Berkeley found that an electrical current can be used to orchestrate the flow of a group of cells, an achievement that could establish the basis for more controlled forms of tissue engineering and for potential applications...
Study of proteins in space could yield new drug development
11.3.2014 | Press monitoring
Innovative methods of drug discovery do not always take place in an academic laboratory. They may start there, but they can also happen in orbit aboard the International Space Station, as protein crystallization research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham is about to demonstrate once again. "The human body contains many proteins known...
New bioinformatics tool to visualize transcriptomes
10.3.2014 | Press monitoring
ZENBU, a new, freely available bioinformatics tool developed at the RIKEN Center for Life Science Technology in Japan, enables researchers to quickly and easily integrate, visualize and compare large amounts of genomic information resulting from large-scale, next-generation sequencing experiments. The integration of data from multiple experiments...
Mouse vaccine could protect humans from Lyme disease
7.3.2014 | Press monitoring
Every year in the US, 300,000 people are diagnosed with the tick-borne illness caused by Borrelia bacteria, which can trigger arthritis and neurological problems. Mouse vaccine could protect humans from Lyme disease. A vaccine was developed in 1998 that triggers immunity to Borrelia burgdorferi, but side effects in humans meant it was pulled from...
