Biotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Researchers develop technique for rapid detection of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Chronic Wasting Disease

The groundbreaking new diagnostic technique will allow for faster and more accurate disease detection.

May 9, 2023 Read more

A new nondestructive method for assessing bioengineered artificial tissues

Real-time technique noninvasively counts the number of live cells in a 3D artificial scaffold.

May 9, 2023 Read more

Scientists create the first CRISPR-based drug candidate targeting the microbiome

A new drug candidate targeting E. coli in the gut is in phase 1 clinical trials. According to the scientists, it may improve the well-being of blood cancer patients and reduce their mortality rate from E. coli infections.

May 9, 2023 Read more

Scientists develop gene silencing DNA enzyme that can target a single molecule

Researchers have developed a DNA enzyme that can distinguish between two RNA strands inside a cell and cut the disease-associated strand while leaving the healthy strand intact. This breakthrough 'gene silencing' technology could revolutionize the development of DNAzymes for treating cancer, infectious diseases and neurological disorders.

May 9, 2023 Read more

Improving crystal engineering with DNA

Researchers demonstrate that fine-tuning DNA interaction strength can improve colloidal crystal engineering to enhance their use in creating an array of functional nanomaterials.

May 8, 2023 Read more

Tiny microbes could brew big benefits for green biomanufacturing

Scientists find new route in bacteria to decarbonize industry. The discovery could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing of fuels, drugs, and chemicals.

May 8, 2023 Read more

Using nanopore single-molecule sensing to identify glycans

Researchers have developed a glycan identification method based on nanopore single-molecule sensing through a glycan derivatization strategy.

May 8, 2023 Read more

AI could run a million microbial experiments per year

Automation uncovers combinations of amino acids that feed two bacterial species and could tell us much more about the 90% of bacteria that humans have hardly studied.

May 5, 2023 Read more

Alternative fuel for string-shaped motors in cells

Scientists discovered a novel molecular system that uses an alternative chemical energy and employs a novel mechanism to perform mechanical work. By repeatedly contracting and expanding, this molecular motor functions similarly to a classical Stirling engine and helps to distribute cargo to membrane-bound organelles.

May 4, 2023 Read more

DNA data storage within reach thanks to new PCR technique

Storing data in DNA sounds like science fiction, yet it lies in the near future. Data won't be stored as zeros and ones in a hard drive but in the base pairs that make up DNA: AT and CG.

May 4, 2023 Read more

Researchers use generative AI to design novel proteins

Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence system that can create proteins not found in nature using generative diffusion, the same technology behind popular image-creation platforms such as DALL-E and Midjourney.

May 4, 2023 Read more

Engineering molecular interactions with machine learning

By using deep learning-generated 'fingerprints' to characterize millions of protein fragments, researchers have computationally designed novel protein binders that attach seamlessly to key targets, including the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

May 4, 2023 Read more

First of its kind study of single protein paves way to improving understanding of disease

Scientists have developed new technology which has made it possible to isolate and study how a single protein - 10,000 times thinner than a human hair - behaves and changes over time.

May 3, 2023 Read more

New AI algorithm boosts COVID-19 mRNA vaccine antibody response by 128 times

Scientists have developed an AI algorithm, LinearDesign, that boosts COVID-19 mRNA vaccine antibody response by 128-fold. LinearDesign takes a mere 11 minutes to generate the most stable mRNA sequence that encodes Spike protein.

May 2, 2023 Read more

Scientists develop plant-based cell culture scaffold for cheaper, more sustainable cultured meat

A research team has successfully used common plant proteins to 3D-print an edible cell culture scaffold, allowing more affordable and sustainable lab-grown meat to be served on the table.

May 1, 2023 Read more

Improved gene editing method could power the next generation of cell and gene therapies

Technique based on special cell-penetrating peptides promises advantages over current methods for editing the genomes of primary cells, such as patients' T-cells.

April 29, 2023 Read more

Previously unknown intracellular electricity may power biology

Newly discovered electrical activity within cells could change the way researchers think about biological chemistry.

April 29, 2023 Read more

Dynamic 3D structure extraction from HS-AFM images

Allowing the direct observation of biomolecules in dynamic action, high-speed AFM has opened a new avenue to dynamic structural biology. An enormous amount of successful applications within the last 15 years provide unique insights into essential biological processes at the nanoscale - visualizing, for example, how molecular motors execute their specific functions.

April 28, 2023 Read more