Feature Channels: Biotech

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In Biophysics Reviews, researchers identify the most promising advancements and greatest challenges of artificial mitochondria and chloroplasts. The team describes the components required to construct synthetic mitochondria and chloroplasts and identifies proteins as the most important aspects for molecular rotary machinery, proton transport, and ATP production. The authors believe it is important to create artificial cells with biologically realistic energy-generation methods that mimic natural processes; replicating the entire cell could lead to future biomaterials.

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Most of the time, when someone gets a cut, scrape, burn, or other wound, the body takes care of itself and heals on its own. But this is not always the case. Diabetes can interfere with the healing process and create wounds that will not go away and that could become infected and fester.

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An international research team has developed a meta-scale approach to quantifying the human proteome and the massive number of protein variants produced by the human body. Proteomics is a cornerstone of biology and a precursor to understanding how protein dysfunction contributes to disease.

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A team of MIT researchers has come up with a kind of tiny, biodegradable tag that can be applied directly to the seeds themselves, and that provides a unique randomly created code that cannot be duplicated.

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Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridioides difficile, Candida auris, Drug-resistant Shigella. These bacteria not only have difficult names to pronounce, but they are also difficult to fight off. These bacteria may infect humans and animals, and the infections they cause are harder to treat than those caused by non-resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance is an urgent global public health threat.

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The Center for Bioenergy Innovation has been renewed by the Department of Energy as one of four bioenergy research centers across the nation to advance robust, economical production of plant-based fuels and chemicals. CBI, led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is focused on the development of nonfood biomass crops and specialty processes for the production of sustainable jet fuel to help decarbonize the aviation sector.

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Researchers at The Ohio State University have fabricated the first wearable sensor designed to detect and monitor muscle atrophy.

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Keck Medicine of USC has launched a Phase 2 clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of a new outpatient, nonsurgical endoscopic procedure in stabilizing blood glucose levels for patients.

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Scientists at University of Utah Health led research that opens up a whole new world within our cells. Their study uncovers a vast network of interactions that assist cells in adjusting in real time to withstand stresses on our health.

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The paper ‘Weaponising microbes for peace’ by Anand et al, outlines the ways in which microbes and microbial technologies can be used to tackle global and local challenges that could otherwise lead to conflict, but warns that these resources have been severely underexploited to date.

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Scientists previously believed that microorganisms could not use pyrite to grow in oxygen-free conditions. New research shows that certain single-celled microorganisms can dissolve pyrite in the absence of oxygen. These microorganisms mine iron and sulfur from the pyrite to build biocatalysts needed for growth. The results have potential applications in biotechnology.

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Registration is now open for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) summer science education programs. Summer programming includes opportunities for both teachers and students.

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Cameras that can scan an entire body in a fraction of a second can give spinal surgeons an accurate assessment of how much range of motion youth with scoliosis have in their torso – a critical piece of information for guiding management of people with the condition, researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City have found.

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The Regenerative Medicine Hub continues to grow and attract top talent with the addition of Ron Hann, PhD, a former senior level official with the Department of Defense.

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Dr. Sang Kyung Kim (Director) and Dr. Seungwon Jung’s research team at the Center for Augmented Safety System with Intelligence, Sensing of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President: Seok Jin Yoon) announced that they had developed an ultrafast PCR technology.

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The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (President Park Sang-jin, hereinafter referred to as KIMM), an institution under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and ICT, has succeeded in developing a smart, customizable prosthetic socket that automatically fills the socket with air upon detecting the empty space inside of the socket in real time based on artificial intelligence.

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A research team led by Dr. Ho Sang Jung of the Surface & Nano Materials Divison of the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT, conducted joint research with Professor Junsuk Rho of POSTECH and Professor Samjin Choi of Kyung Hee University Medical School to find metabolites in urine. They succeeded in developing a strip-type urine sensor that can amplify the light signal of metabolites in urine and in diagnosing cancer in the field.

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Scientists at the University of Sussex have successfully trialed new biodegradable health sensors that could change the way we experience personal healthcare and fitness monitoring technology.

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The discovery of a strain of bacteria shown to reduce inflammation in the intestine caused by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) could bring relief to millions of sufferers after being turned into an innovative natural food supplement by University of Bristol biotech spin-out Ferryx.

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The time has come to create a new kind of computer, say researchers from John Hopkins University together with Dr Brett Kagan, chief scientist at Cortical Labs in Melbourne, who recently led development of the DishBrain project, in which human cells in a petri dish learnt to play Pong.

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UC San Diego’s new Astrobiotechnology Hub brings together leaders in academia, biotechnology and aerospace industries under a united mission to advance stem cell science and commercialization in space.

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In APL Bioengineering, researchers describe how gut-on-a-chip devices can bridge lab models and human biology. Modeling the microbiome is particularly difficult because of its unique environmental conditions, but through creative design, gut-on-a-chip devices can simulate many of these properties, such as the gut’s anaerobic atmosphere, fluid flow, and pulses of contraction/relaxation. Growing intestinal cells in this environment means that they more closely resemble human biology compared to standard laboratory cell cultures.

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Researchers from the Organoid group (former Clevers group, Hubrecht Institute) together with researchers from the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology established novel human organoid models of fatty liver disease.

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Northwestern University researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind small, flexible, stretchable bandage that accelerates healing by delivering electrotherapy directly to the wound site.

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Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) has completed an exclusive license agreement with Atlanta-based RORA Biologics Inc. (RORA-Bio) for intellectual property to develop new therapies to treat HIV and certain kinds of cancer.

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Below are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Chemistry news channel on Newswise.

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ROCKVILLE, MD – Our current solar panels aren’t very efficient; they are only able to convert up to about 20 percent of the sun’s energy into electricity. As a result, to generate a lot of electricity, the panels require a lot of space—sometimes leading forests to be cut down or farms to be replaced by solar.

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Betalains are a class of plant pigments that are responsible for the characteristic red-violet (betacyanin) or yellow (betaxanthin) color of certain fruits and vegetables.

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People afflicted with autoimmune diseases may someday receive help through treatments now under development by a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) licensee and its’ collaborations with two major pharmaceutical companies.

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Turning to plants as an energy source is something we take for granted. Every day, we power our bodies and feed our livestock with plants. Ongoing climate change poses a threat to this energy source as some of our most-used crops are facing stressors like never before.But a promising new candidate, sorghum, is changing the game.

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Analysis of biometric data of 2020 Olympic archers provides empirical support for something sports fans have long suspected: When athletes feel the pressure, their performance suffers.

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Researchers reporting in ACS Infectious Diseases have developed a procedure that could help researchers catch up to microbes which can rapidly mutate and evade detection and treatment. Their “AutoPLP” technique designs nucleic acid probes to detect new variants quickly, accurately and easily.