Press monitoring
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Novel formulation permits use of toxin from rattlesnake venom to treat chronic pain
2.3.2020 | Press monitoring
Crotoxin, extracted from the venom of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus, has been studied for almost a century for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities and as an even more powerful muscle paralyzer than botulinum toxin. However, the toxicity of crotoxin limits its medicinal use. A new study,...
Identifying the source of water pollution using synthetic DNA sand
28.2.2020 | Press monitoring
Sometimes it's helpful to follow a stream of water to find out where the water is coming from and where it's likely to go. Currently, only a few tracers for tracking fluids exist. But a large and complex network like groundwater requires lots of different tracers. "The main idea of the project is to build DNA based tracers," says Sulalit...
![Mice with diabetes \](./gallery/1842_140x1000.jpg "Mice with diabetes \")
Mice with diabetes \"functionally cured\" using new stem cell therapy
26.2.2020 | Press monitoring
Diabetes is characterized by trouble producing or managing insulin, and one emerging treatment involves converting stem cells into beta cells that secrete the hormone. Now, scientists have developed a more efficient method of doing just that, and found that implanting these cells in diabetic mice functionally cured them of the disease. The study...
AI system discovers powerful new antibiotic to tackle superbugs
24.2.2020 | Press monitoring
Bacteria are evolving resistance to antibiotics much faster than new drugs can be developed, potentially leading us to a dangerous future where infections are more likely to be deadly. Now, an artificial intelligence model has identified a powerful new antibiotic called halicin, which cleared infections of most superbugs in mouse tests. Ever...
Self-propelled, onion-like microvehicle can attract, trap, and destroy biological threats
21.2.2020 | Press monitoring
American scientists describe a synthetic chemical trap that propels itself to its place of action in the body fluid and then lures the bacteria into its interior to poison them. One of the main functionalities of the microdevice is the communication with its target, says the study. The scientists constructed the novel multifunctional weapon to...
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Physically producing computer-generated artificial genomes to understand DNA
19.2.2020 | Press monitoring
In his research, Beat Christen, professor of experimental systems biology, and researchers in the Christen Lab, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, use a digital genome design algorithm in conjunction with large-scale chemical DNA synthesis to physically produce artificial genomes and understand the code of life at the molecular level. The lab also uses...
Ebola virus gene helps hunt down deadly brain cancers
17.2.2020 | Press monitoring
Glioblastomas are highly aggressive brain tumors that are notoriously difficult to treat, with the cancer cells often slipping away from the main growth and into the brain, leading to high rates of recurrence down the track. In search of more effective therapies, scientists are investigating how the cell-destroying abilities of certain viruses can...
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Human organs made transparent reveal their inner secrets
14.2.2020 | Press monitoring
Machine learning helps to expose the molecules and structures within a human kidney, eye and thyroid. To study the body’s inner workings, scientists generally chop up organs and construct 3D images from several thin slices of tissue – a time-consuming and error-prone process. Now, researchers have developed a way to peer inside intact human...
Cheap nanoparticles stimulate immune response to cancer in the lab
12.2.2020 | Press monitoring
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have developed nanoparticles that, in the lab, can activate immune responses to cancer cells. If they are shown to work as well in the body as they do in the lab, the nanoparticles might provide an effective and more affordable way to fight cancer. They are cheaper to produce and easier to engineer than...
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Scientists sequence the genome of basmati rice
10.2.2020 | Press monitoring
Using an innovative genome sequencing technology, researchers assembled the complete genetic blueprint of two basmati rice varieties, including one that is drought-tolerant and resistant to bacterial disease. The findings, published in Genome Biology, also show that basmati rice is a hybrid of two other rice groups. Basmati – derived from the...
