Strange behavior: new study exposes living cells to synthetic protein
Researchers have fabricated an artificial protein in the laboratory and examined the surprising ways living cells respond to it.
Dec 27th, 2012
Read more
Biotechnology News – Latest Headlines
Subscribe to our Biotechnology News feed
Research proves bacteria to blame for obesity
Scientists have believed that microscopic organisms in the gut, microbiota, might play a crucial role in gaining weight but were never able to prove it. Groundbreaking research by a Chinese scientist has revealed a precise link.
Dec 27th, 2012
Read moreResearchers coax stem cells to diversify
Growing new blood vessels in the lab is a tough challenge, but a Johns Hopkins engineering team has solved a major stumbling block: how to prod stem cells to become two different types of tissue that are needed to build tiny networks of veins and arteries.
Dec 27th, 2012
Read moreGerman scientists seek to clone perfect Xmas trees
The hunt for the perfect Christmas tree may soon become a lot easier: just pick a nice clone.
Dec 22nd, 2012
Read more'Gold standard' cotton genome sequenced
An international consortium with representatives from most of the world's major cotton-producing countries, led by Regents Professor Andrew Paterson of the University of Georgia and including Candace Haigler, a North Carolina State University professor of crop science and plant biology, has described the first 'gold-standard' genome sequence for cotton.
Dec 21st, 2012
Read moreScientists create new approach to destroy disease-associated RNAs in cells
As proof of principle, team creates molecule that corrects myotonic dystrophy in living cells.
Dec 21st, 2012
Read moreA giant puzzle with billions of pieces
Bielefeld's Center for Biotechnology and the Joint Genome Institute, USA, decipher genetic information of microbes in biogas plants.
Dec 21st, 2012
Read moreHagfish slime as a model for tomorrow's natural fabrics
Nylon, Kevlar and other synthetic fabrics: Step aside. If new scientific research pans out, people may be sporting shirts, blouses and other garments made from fibers modeled after those in the icky, super-strong slime from a creature called the hagfish.
Dec 19th, 2012
Read moreOrdinary heart cells become "biological pacemakers" with injection of a single gene
Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute researchers have reprogrammed ordinary heart cells to become exact replicas of highly specialized pacemaker cells by injecting a single gene (Tbx18) - a major step forward in the decade-long search for a biological therapy to correct erratic and failing heartbeats.
Dec 19th, 2012
Read moreCooperation to create the first 3D design software for bioprinting
The software, which will be used to control Organovo's NovoGen MMX bioprinter, will represent a major step forward in usability and functionality for designing three-dimensional human tissues, and has the potential to open up bioprinting to a broader group of users.
Dec 19th, 2012
Read moreCell biology: Flushing out fats
A protein that contributes to cancer vulnerability also plays a surprising role in cardiovascular health and illuminates a promising target pathway for drug treatments for cardiovascular diseases.
Dec 19th, 2012
Read moreSynthetic biology to get fossil fuels from ice cream and soap
Scientists at The University of Manchester have identified a biocatalyst which could produce chemicals found in ice-cream and household items such as soap and shampoo - possibly leading to the long-term replacement of chemicals derived from fossil fuels.
Dec 18th, 2012
Read moreHybrid tunnel may help guide severed nerves back to health
Building a tunnel made up of both hard and soft materials to guide the reconnection of severed nerve endings may be the first step toward helping patients who have suffered extensive nerve trauma regain feeling and movement, according to a team of biomedical engineers.
Dec 17th, 2012
Read moreDo-it-yourself viruses: How viruses self assemble
A new model of the how the protein coat of viruses assembles shows that the construction of intermediate structures prior to final capsid production (hierarchical assembly) can be more efficient than constructing the capsid protein by protein (direct assembly).
Dec 17th, 2012
Read moreScientists develop first public-access source with 3D information for protein interactions
Researchers have developed a platform that compiles all the atomic data, previously stored in diverse databases, on protein structures and protein interactions for eight organisms of relevance. They apply a singular homology-based modelling procedure.
Dec 17th, 2012
Read moreTissue engineering: Growing new organs, and more
Research could lead to better ways to heal injuries and develop new drugs.
Dec 17th, 2012
Read moreToward a new model of the cell
Everything you always wanted to know about genes.
Dec 16th, 2012
Read moreResearch may offer big benefits for biofuels and battling infections
Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have deciphered the secrets of the production of cellulose, the most common natural polymer on Earth, in a discovery that could have major ramifications for both biofuel production and the battle against bacterial infections.
Dec 15th, 2012
Read more