Press monitoring
Discovery in Synthetic Biology Takes Us a Step Closer to New \'Industrial Revolution\'
4.2.2013 | Press monitoring
Scientists report that they have developed a method that cuts down the time it takes to make new 'parts' for microscopic biological factories ...
Vegetarianism Can Reduce Risk of Heart Disease by Up to a Third
1.2.2013 | Press monitoring
The risk of hospitalisation or death from heart disease is 32% lower in vegetarians than people who eat meat and fish, according to a new study from the University of Oxford. The new findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggest that a vegetarian diet could significantly reduce people's risk of heart disease. Most...
New Tool for Mining Bacterial Genome for Novel Drugs
31.1.2013 | Press monitoring
Vanderbilt biochemists have discovered that the process bacteria undergo when they become drug resistant can act as a powerful tool for drug discovery. Researchers looking for new bacterially synthesized drugs have long known that bacterial genomes contain a large number of "silent genes" that contain the instructions for making drug-like...
Developing Microbial Cell Factories by Employing Synthetic Small Regulatory RNAs
29.1.2013 | Press monitoring
Biotechnologists have been working hard to address the climate change and limited fossil resource issues through the development of sustainable processes for the production of chemicals, fuels and materials from renewable non-food biomass. One promising sustainable technology is the use of microbial cell factories for the efficient production of...
Cows Fed Flaxseed Produce More Nutritious Dairy Products
28.1.2013 | Press monitoring
Dairy cows that are fed flaxseed produce more nutritious milk, according to a new study by Oregon State University. Their milk contained more omega-3 fatty acids and less saturated fat, the study found. Diets high in saturated fat can increase cholesterol and cause heart disease, while those rich in omega-3 and other polyunsaturated fatty acids...
GI Tract Bacteria May Protect Against Autoimmune Disease
23.1.2013 | Press monitoring
Early life exposure to normal bacteria of the GI tract (gut microbes) protects against autoimmune disease in mice, according to research published on-line in the January 17 edition of Science. The study may also have uncovered reasons why females are at greater risk of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus...
Designer Bacteria May Lead to Better Vaccines
22.1.2013 | Press monitoring
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a menu of 61 new strains of genetically engineered bacteria that may improve the efficacy of vaccines for diseases such as flu, pertussis, cholera and HPV. The strains of E. coli, which were described in a paper published this month in the journal PNAS, are part of a new class of...
Engineering Alternative Fuel With Cyanobacteria
21.1.2013 | Press monitoring
Sandia National Laboratories Truman Fellow Anne Ruffing has engineered two strains of cyanobacteria to produce free fatty acids, a precursor to liquid fuels, but she has also found that the process cuts the bacteria's production potential. In general, this is how the process works: Eukaryotic algae grow in a pond to the density needed, then...
Research Revisiting the Safety of GM Weevil-Resistant Peas in Mice Contradicts Previous Findings
16.1.2013 | Press monitoring
Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna have conducted feeding trials with mice to investigate the allergenicity of genetically modified (GM) weevil-resistant peas. Development of the peas was discontinued in 2005 when a risk assessment conducted by the CSIRO and Australian National University showed negative reactions in mice to the peas...
Researchers Identify a New Gene With a Key Role in Obesity and Diabetes
15.1.2013 | Press monitoring
Scientists observed that blocking the expression of the gene TRIP-Br2 in mice protects them against obesity and insulin resistance. The study shows that the gene modulates fat storage by regulating energy expenditure and lipolysis, the process which transforms fat into lipids for the body's energy consumption. If the gene expression is blocked,...
