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UCLA researchers use fluorescent colored proteins to trace origin of heart cells

UCLA researchers used fluorescent colored proteins to trace how cardiomyocytes -- cells in heart muscle that enable it to pump blood -- are produced in mouse embryos. The findings could eventually lead to methods for regenerating heart tissue in human adults.

22 Feb 2018

Research consortium develops first 3D computer model of metabolic processes

An international research consortium developed, with significant involvement of Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine scientists, the first computer model to include 3D in the representation of human metabolic processes.

22 Feb 2018

Scientists decode molecular structure of healthy huntingtin protein

Mutations on a single gene, the huntingtin gene, are the cause of Huntington's disease. They lead to an incorrect form of the correspondent protein.

22 Feb 2018

Study sheds light on how glial cells control the function of nerve cells

Research has uncovered how glial cells could modulate the activity of nerve cells. The study suggests that glial cells modulate neurotransmitter release by increasing the acidity of the immediate extracellular environment.

22 Feb 2018

Postnova AF2000 system offers reliable characterization of trace metal colloid distribution in the environment

Postnova Analytics reports on how the SWAMP ultra-clean research facility at the University of Alberta has been using the AF2000 Flow field flow fractionation system coupled to Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, UV and fluorescence detectors to characterize trace metal colloid distribution in the environment.

From Postnova Analytics 22 Feb 2018

NIGHTSEA and EMS team up to offer KEY Award in fluorescence stereo microscopy

Fluorescence microscopy has become a valuable tool for imaging in research, education, and for trouble-shooting in industry. Its applications have spread across the life, materials, and forensic sciences as well as geology, chemistry, and semiconductors.

From NIGHTSEA 22 Feb 2018

Researchers discover new interaction mechanism of unstructured proteins

Proteins are among the most important biomolecules and are the key mediators of molecular communication between and within cells. For two proteins to be able to bind, specific regions of their three-dimensional structure have to exactly match one another - like a key that fits into a lock.

22 Feb 2018

Reformulating vaccines to prevent relapse

Substance abuse, particularly opioid abuse, is an ongoing issue in the U.S. While treatments such as drug counseling and a handful of medications to combat withdrawal symptoms and cravings exist, the fear and risk of relapsing is real.

21 Feb 2018

Antibiotic-producing bacterium releases more metabolites than assumed

The bacterium Streptomyces chartreusis is an antibiotic-producing bacterium that releases more metabolites into the surrounding medium than scientists assumed based on the analysis of the genome. Many of the substances are likely released to mediate interactions with its environment.

21 Feb 2018

Penn study sheds new light on immune cell identity

Almost all cells in the human body have identical DNA sequences, yet there are 200-plus cell types with different sizes, shapes, and chemical compositions. Determining what parts of the genome are read to make protein and which are silenced is orchestrated by proteins called transcription factors.

21 Feb 2018

Researchers discover five new genetic changes that may increase pancreatic cancer risk

In what is believed to be the largest pancreatic cancer genome-wide association study to date, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute, and collaborators from over 80 other institutions worldwide discovered changes to five new regions in the human genome that may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer.

21 Feb 2018

Researchers identify new nanostructure inside sperm tails

Human sperms are incredibly important for our reproduction. It would therefore be easy to assume that we have detailed knowledge of their appearance. However, an international team of researchers has now identified a completely new nanostructure inside sperm tails, thanks to the use of cryo-electron tomography.

21 Feb 2018

Some genes can drive both metastasis and initial stages of tumor growth

In spite of the difference between the cell functions responsible for giving rise to a tumor and for the metastasis of this same tumor, studies at IRB Barcelona using the fly Drosophila melanogaster reveal that some genes can drive both phenomena.

21 Feb 2018

Izon announce the launch of the qEV2 and qEV10 Exosome Isolation columns

Izon are announce the launch of two new additions to the qEV range, the qEV2 and qEV10 Exosome Isolation columns. The columns are sought after by industry professionals, and are an important feature of the popular qEV range.

From Izon Science 21 Feb 2018

Researchers target abnormal epigenetic mechanisms involved in childhood cancers

Several childhood cancer cell types show features of immature neural cells, and there is evidence suggesting that these tumors may arise from neural crest stem cells that underwent abnormal changes during embryonic development.

20 Feb 2018

Benson Hill Biosystems granted patent for novel genome editing system

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Benson Hill Biosystems Patent No. 9,896,696 related to CRISPR 3.0 Cms1 genome editing nucleases, further expanding the company's suite of genomics tools to accelerate crop performance improvements.

20 Feb 2018

Tiny 'brains on chips' reveal mechanisms underlying brain's wrinkling process

Being born with a "tabula rasa" - a clean slate - in the case of the brain is something of a curse. Our brains are already wrinkled like walnuts by the time we are born. Babies born without these wrinkles - smooth brain syndrome - suffer from severe developmental deficiencies and their life expectancy is markedly reduced.

20 Feb 2018

New computational method helps narrow down genetic targets for autism diagnosis

Autism is a spectrum of closely related symptoms involving behavioral, social and cognitive deficits. Early detection of autism in children is key to producing the best outcomes; however, searching for the genetic causes of autism is complicated by various symptoms found within the spectrum.

20 Feb 2018

AbbVie and Voyager Therapeutics collaborate to develop new treatments for tauopathies

AbbVie, a global biopharmaceutical company, and Voyager Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage gene therapy company, today announced that they have entered into an exclusive strategic collaboration and option agreement to develop and commercialize vectorized antibodies directed against tau for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

20 Feb 2018

Researchers aim to decipher molecular architecture of microtubule-organizing centers

Cell division is an intricately choreographed ballet of proteins and molecules that divide the cell. During mitosis, microtubule-organizing centers assemble the spindle fibers that separate the copying chromosomes of DNA.

20 Feb 2018