Press monitoring
Credit: Gunnar Assmy - Fotolia.com
Peptide weakens superbugs to make old antibiotics effective again
27.4.2020 | Press monitoring
Antibiotics were one of the most important medical breakthroughs of the 20th century, but while they helped us win the battle for a while, bacteria may yet win the war. New antibiotics are in development of course, but it’s an expensive and time-consuming process and bacteria will again render the final product ineffective in a matter of years. A...
Credit: Jezper - Fotolia.com
Decoy nanoparticles can block HIV and prevent infection
24.4.2020 | Press monitoring
Flipping the standard viral drug targeting approach on its head, engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a promising new "nanosponge" method for preventing HIV from proliferating in the body: coating polymer nanoparticles with the membranes of T helper cells and turning them into decoys to intercept viral particles and...
CRISPR combines with stem cell therapy to reverse diabetes in mice
22.4.2020 | Press monitoring
For a few years now, scientists at Washington University have been working on techniques to turn stem cells into pancreatic beta cells as a way of addressing insulin shortages in diabetics. After some promising recent strides, the team is now reporting another exciting breakthrough, combining this technique with the CRISPR gene-editing tool to...
Carbon nanotubes embedded in leaves detect chemical signals that are produced when a plant is damaged
20.4.2020 | Press monitoring
MIT engineers have developed a way to closely track how plants respond to stresses such as injury, infection, and light damage, using sensors made of carbon nanotubes. These sensors can be embedded in plant leaves, where they report on hydrogen peroxide signaling waves. Plants use hydrogen peroxide to communicate within their leaves, sending out...
Credit: Brenton W Cooper - Fotolia.com
Engineered proteins calm cytokine storms caused by severe infections
17.4.2020 | Press monitoring
When it’s working properly, the immune system is a powerful ally to keep us healthy – but when it turns against us, the results can be devastating. A “cytokine storm” is a dangerous kind of immune overreaction that can be triggered by infection or other treatments. Now, MIT researchers have engineered proteins that show early promise in mopping up...
Research uncovers microbial life in radioactive waste storage sites
15.4.2020 | Press monitoring
Two new research papers from The University of Manchester, working with colleagues at Sellafield Limited and the National Nuclear Laboratory show that microbes can actively colonize some of the most intensively radioactive waste storage sites in Europe. When nuclear facilities such as Sellafield were designed and built more than 50 years ago, it...
Credit: I.M.Redesiuk - Fotolia.com
Researchers create unique DNA biosensor for early stage disease detection
13.4.2020 | Press monitoring
Disease detection at an early stage is one of the biggest challenges biochemists and materials scientists are trying to meet by combining their expertise at Missouri S&T. The researchers used nanotechnology in biomedical diagnostics – a process called nanodiagnostics – to create a new, ultrasensitive DNA biosensor. The new sensor could...
DARPA program looks to use biotech to prevent jet lag and diarrhea
10.4.2020 | Press monitoring
DARPA is planning to develop a travel adapter for the human body. Called the ADvanced Acclimation and Protection Tool for Environmental Readiness (ADAPTER), the new program aims to produce an implantable or ingestible bioelectronic device to help soldiers handle jet lag and diarrhea. This is bad enough for tourists or business people, but for...
Credit: stokkete - Fotolia.com
Polio, measles, other diseases set to surge as COVID-19 forces suspension of vaccination campaigns
8.4.2020 | Press monitoring
Global Polio Eradication Initiative on 24 March recommended suspending polio vaccination campaigns until the second half of the year. Two days later Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) issued a broader call, recommending that all preventive mass vaccination campaigns for other diseases be postponed. But experts say the...
Credit: auimeesri - Fotolia.com
Sea sponge molecule stops cervical cancer cell growth in the lab
6.4.2020 | Press monitoring
Scientists at the University of South Carolina have been investigating the cancer-fighting potential of sea sponges for some time, uncovering compounds that proved effective in tackling melanomas, prostate and pancreatic cancers. Their latest work centers on cervical cancer, the fourth most common cancer type among women, with 13,800 new...
