Bioengineers close to brewing opioid painkillers without using opium from poppies
A decade-long effort in genetic engineering is close to re-programming yeast cells to make palliative medicines in stainless steel vats.
Aug 24th, 2014
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Biotechnology News – Latest Headlines
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New grant helps researchers bring cryobiological science to life
Health scientists receive $25.9M to bring life-saving technology from the future to the present.
Aug 22nd, 2014
Read morePeering into plant cells
High-resolution electron microscopy shows in detail how plant cell compartments change with cell growth.
Aug 22nd, 2014
Read moreGenetics used to improve plants for bioenergy
An upcoming genetics investigation into the symbiotic association between soil fungi and feedstock plants for bioenergy production could lead to more efficient uptake of nutrients, which would help limit the need for expensive and polluting fertilizers.
Aug 21st, 2014
Read moreHow lizards regenerate their tails: researchers discover genetic 'recipe'
By understanding the secret of how lizards regenerate their tails, researchers may be able to develop ways to stimulate the regeneration of limbs in humans. Now, a team of researchers is one step closer to solving that mystery.
Aug 20th, 2014
Read moreArtificial cells act like the real thing
Cell-like compartments produce proteins and communicate with one another, similar to natural biological systems.
Aug 18th, 2014
Read moreResearchers block plant hormone
A small molecule inhibits jasmonic acid and helps to explain its effects.
Aug 17th, 2014
Read moreMicrochip reveals how tumor cells transition to invasion
Using a microengineered device that acts as an obstacle course for cells, researchers have shed new light on a cellular metamorphosis thought to play a role in tumor cell invasion throughout the body.
Aug 17th, 2014
Read moreHarnessing the power of bacteria's sophisticated immune system
Scientists now have a clear picture of the bacterial immune system and say its unique shape is likely why bacteria can so quickly recognize and destroy their assailants.
Aug 16th, 2014
Read moreDynamic culture of a thermosensitive collagen hydrogel improves tissue-engineered peripheral nerve
In a new study, a thermosensitive collagen hydrogel remained as a liquid when kept at temperatures below 10C and gelled when the temperature was increased to 37C in an incubator for 30 minutes, which was used as an extracellular matrix and combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to construct tissue-engineered peripheral nerve composites in vitro.
Aug 15th, 2014
Read moreTissue development 'roadmap' created to guide stem cell medicine
In a boon to stem cell research and regenerative medicine, scientists have created a computer algorithm called CellNet as a 'roadmap' for cell and tissue engineering, to ensure that cells engineered in the lab have the same favorable properties as cells in our own bodies.
Aug 14th, 2014
Read moreNew non-invasive technique controls size of molecules penetrating the blood-brain barrier
A new technique has demonstrated for the first time that the size of molecules penetrating the blood-brain barrier can be controlled using acoustic pressure - the pressure of an ultrasound beam - to let specific molecules through.
Aug 14th, 2014
Read moreBypass commands from the brain to legs through a computer
Researchers have successfully made an artificial connection from the brain to the locomotion center in the spinal cord by bypassing with a computer and exercised control over walking.
Aug 14th, 2014
Read moreResearchers identify key mechanism that drives movement in living cells
Scientists discovered that living cell migration is regulated by the engagement of a force transmitter composed of vinculin and talin, two types of cytoskeletal protein. The researchers showed that force-dependent vinculin binding to talin plays a critical role in mechanically connecting the actin cytoskeleton to the extracellular substrate to contribute towards cell migration.
Aug 14th, 2014
Read moreBacterial biosurgery shows promise for reducing the size of inoperable tumors
Deep within most tumors lie areas that remain untouched by chemotherapy and radiation. These troublesome spots lack the blood and oxygen needed for traditional therapies to work, but provide the perfect target for a new cancer treatment using bacteria that thrive in oxygen-poor conditions. Now, researchers have shown that injections of a weakened version of one such anaerobic bacteria can shrink tumors in rats, pet dogs, and a human patient.
Aug 13th, 2014
Read moreComing soon: Genetically edited fruit?
Recent advances that allow the precise editing of genomes now raise the possibility that fruit and other crops might be genetically improved without the need to introduce foreign genes.
Aug 13th, 2014
Read moreHow spiders fix their webs
Spider silk is light and delicate, while incredibly resilient and tear-resistant. Understanding the structure and way of construction of these threads is a challenge taken up by a research team of Kiel University.
Aug 13th, 2014
Read more'Shape-shifting' material could help reconstruct faces
Researchers have developed a 'self-fitting' material that expands with warm salt water to precisely fill bone defects, and also acts as a scaffold for new bone growth.
Aug 13th, 2014
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