Press monitoring
Genetically engineered nanoparticle delivers dexamethasone directly to inflamed lungs
16.6.2021 | Press monitoring
Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed immune cell-mimicking nanoparticles that target inflammation in the lungs and deliver drugs directly where they're needed. As a proof of concept, the researchers filled the nanoparticles with the drug dexamethasone and administered them to mice with inflamed lung tissue....
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First cells reprogrammed to make synthetic polymers – and virus-resistant drug manufacturers
14.6.2021 | Press monitoring
Scientists have developed the first cells that can construct artificial polymers from building blocks that are not found in nature, by following instructions the researchers encoded in their genes. The study, led by scientists from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology, in Cambridge, UK, also found the synthetic...
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Injectable microspheres to repair failing hearts
11.6.2021 | Press monitoring
Biodegradable microspheres can be used to deliver heart cells generated from stem cells to repair damaged hearts after a heart attack, according to new findings by UCL researchers. This type of cell therapy could one day cure debilitating heart failure, which affects an estimated 920,000 people in the UK and continues to rise as more people are...
Trained viruses wipe out bacterial infections by anticipating evolution
9.6.2021 | Press monitoring
Bacteria have a nasty ability to rapidly evolve, allowing them to evade antibiotics in short order. But now, scientists at UC San Diego have used evolution against them, by “training” bacteria-killing viruses to anticipate their next moves. Bacteria are some of nature’s most prolific evolvers, able to not just pass useful genes down to the next...
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70-year-old coffee-killing fungus brought back to life to fight the disease
7.6.2021 | Press monitoring
Researchers have re-animated specimens of a fungus that causes coffee wilt to discover how the disease evolved and how its spread can be prevented. Coffee Wilt Disease is caused by a fungus that has led to devastating outbreaks since the 1920s in sub-Saharan Africa, and currently affects two of Africa's most popular coffee varieties: Arabica and...
Shark cage implant protects insulin-producing cells in diabetic mice
4.6.2021 | Press monitoring
A few years ago, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis developed a way to replenish beta cells in diabetic mice. First they converted skin cells taken from the animals into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), which can differentiate into a range of other cell types – in this case, beta cells. These were then implanted into the...
Luring bacteria into an evolutionary trap to reduce treatment resistence
2.6.2021 | Press monitoring
Researchers at ETH Zurich and the University of Basel have developed a vaccine that protects animals from Salmonella. These bacteria often escape the effects of vaccination by genetically modifying their protective coat. The researchers have succeeded in manipulating this process to lure the bacteria into an evolutionary trap. In their study, the...
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Human Embryos Can Now Be Developed In The Lab Past 14 Days After Historic Guideline Change
31.5.2021 | Press monitoring
Scientists will now be able to grow human embryos for longer than 14 days after the International Society of Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) has updated their guidelines. The "14-day rule", which has been in place since the late 1900s, was designed to prevent researchers from developing embryos past the point in which a visible line of cells begins...
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Pollen-sized particles give bees immunity to insecticides
28.5.2021 | Press monitoring
The Cornell University scientists developed a microparticle the size of pollen, which can be packed with enzymes that break down and completely detoxify these insecticides before the bee absorbs them. The particles can be mixed into pollen patties or sugar water and fed to the bees, with a protective casing safeguarding the enzymes as they pass...
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Self-organizing human heart organoids in a dish
26.5.2021 | Press monitoring
Biologist Sasha Mendjan at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna and his team have used human pluripotent stem cells to grow sesame-seed-sized heart models, called cardioids, that spontaneously self-organize to develop a hollow chamber without the need of experimental scaffolds. This advance, which allows for the creation of some of the most...
