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NSF funds UCSB-led Biofoundry to revolutionize biotechnology with unexplored microbes

This week, the National Science Foundation announced the award of a six-year, $22M grant to UC Santa Barbara under its biofoundries program for the establishment of the BioFoundry for Extreme and Exceptional Fungi, Archaea and Bacteria (ExFAB), a collaboration led by UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), together with UC Riverside (UCR), and Cal Poly Pomona (CPP). ExFAB establishes the nation's first biofoundry that focuses on largely untapped and unexplored extreme microbes. UCSB's award is one of only five grants made under NSF's BioFoundry program during this funding cycle, which awarded a total of $75M to the five selected universities.

29 Aug 2024

New insights into AD pathogenesis and treatment

The main text of the study details the experiments conducted to understand the role of IL-24 in AD-like conditions. It describes the methods used, including single-cell RNA sequencing, and the animal models employed to mimic AD. The findings indicate that MRSA infection leads to increased IL-24 in keratinocytes, which in turn heightens type 2 immune responses and worsens AD symptoms.

29 Aug 2024

Novel microscopy technique reveals the mechanics of mitotic chromosome condensation

A team of scientists studying cell division developed a special light microscopy system and used it to analyze the molecular density of cellular environments. Their results provide a novel insight into mitotic chromosome condensation in living human cells.

29 Aug 2024

AI unveils secrets of protein stability

Researchers at the Center for Algorithmic and Robotized Synthesis within the Institute for Basic Science have taken a significant step forward in understanding the stability of proteins by leveraging the power of AI. The research team used AlphaFold2 to explore how mutations affect protein stability-; a crucial factor in ensuring proteins function correctly and do not cause diseases like Alzheimer's.

29 Aug 2024

New system can spot genetic markers of autism in brain images with high accuracy

A multi-university research team co-led by University of Virginia engineering professor Gustavo K. Rohde has developed a system that can spot genetic markers of autism in brain images with 89 to 95% accuracy.

28 Aug 2024

Study reveals how bacteria pass on traits without DNA changes

Bacterial cells can "remember" brief, temporary changes to their bodies and immediate surroundings, a new Northwestern University and University of Texas-Southwestern study has found.

28 Aug 2024

Researchers identify key cellular interactions driving Alzheimer's and aging

An analysis of more than 1.6 million brain cells from older adults has captured the cellular changes that occur in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, potentially revealing new routes for preventing the most common cause of dementia in older individuals.

28 Aug 2024

Early embryos are prone to chromosomal copying errors, new research shows

A new discovery by researchers at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics (BDR) in Japan upends decades of assumptions regarding DNA replication.

28 Aug 2024

New photoacoustic probes could revolutionize brain activity imaging

To understand the brain better, we need new methods to observe its activity.

28 Aug 2024

Study introduces a novel approach to mapping protein-receptor interactions

One in every three FDA-approved drugs targets a single superfamily of receptors dotting the surfaces of human cells.

28 Aug 2024

CDCA7 identified as key player in hemimethylation sensing

DNA methylation is a process in which a methyl group is attached to the cytosine base of the DNA molecule, and a major way that DNA is epigenetically marked.

28 Aug 2024

Innovative berry-based skin spray targets hospital-acquired bacteria

VTT has developed a skin spray, based on nanocellulose and antimicrobial compounds from wild berries, which can be used to treat wounds and eliminate hospital-acquired bacteria such as MRSA before surgery.

28 Aug 2024

Cell therapy commercialization: Streamline your path to cell therapy commercialization

Moving your cell therapy clinical trial beyond Phase I is an exciting time, marking a significant milestone. There are many therapeutic developers working to address critical patient needs in oncology, auto-immune, regenerative medicine, and other spaces.

From Charles Rivers Laboratories Cell and Gene Therapy 28 Aug 2024

SciY and Allchemy announce strategic distribution agreement

SciY is proud to announce a strategic distribution agreement with Allchemy, a pioneer in Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven drug discovery, co-founded by renowned experts Dr. Sara Szymkuć and Prof. Bartosz Grzybowski.

From SciY 28 Aug 2024

AHN myLab® 96 well plate centrifuge

With the age of single-tube PCR reactions fast being eclipsed by microplate-based PCR setups, scientists need tools that are equal to the task. The AHN myLab® PCR plate spinner is designed to offer dependable performance for all PCR plate applications.

From AHN Biotechnologie GmbH 28 Aug 2024

AHN Biotechnologie GmbH – Premium private label manufacturing biotechnology

From our earliest days in the industry, AHN Biotechnologie GmbH has experienced much success with manufacturing equipment and consumables for laboratories around the world.

From AHN Biotechnologie GmbH 28 Aug 2024

Benefits of less intensive stem cell transplants for sickle cell disease

So-called low-intensity blood stem cell transplants, which use milder conditioning agents than standard stem cell transplants, do not appear to damage the lungs and may help improve lung function in some patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), according to a three-year study of adults who underwent the procedure at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

28 Aug 2024

Zbtb18 regulates cKit expression for HSC self renewal

The study addresses the complex regulation of HSCs, highlighting p21's multifunctional nature beyond cell cycle control. Through the use of p21-tdTomato mice, researchers differentiate between p21-tdT+ and p21-tdT− HSCs. Results show that p21-tdT+ HSCs display increased self-renewal and reconstitution abilities. Zbtb18, upregulated in p21-tdT+ HSCs, is crucial for their repopulation capability. p21 interacts with ZBTB18 to suppress cKit, influencing HSC self-renewal.

28 Aug 2024

LncRNA ZNF593-AS offers hope for heart disease treatment

The research presented in the article delves into the regulatory role of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) ZNF593-AS in cardiac hypertrophy and myocardial remodeling, processes that are pivotal in the progression of heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. The study uncovers how ZNF593-AS exerts its inhibitory effects by upregulating the expression of Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2), a protein known for its role in the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics and cellular metabolism.

28 Aug 2024

Artificial intelligence differentiates cancer cells and detects early viral infections

Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) and the Fundación Biofisica Bizkaia (FBB, located in Biofisika Institute) have developed an artificial intelligence which can differentiate cancer cells from normal cells, as well as detect the very early stages of viral infection inside cells.

27 Aug 2024