Feature Channels: Biotech

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A new method developed by University of Michigan researchers creates images that are worth many gigabytes of data, which could revolutionize the way biologists study gene expression.

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The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) is pleased to announce the selection of David Deamer, Ph.D., Research Professor of Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz as the next recipient of the ABRF Award, which recognizes Outstanding Contributions to Biomolecular Technologies. Over his scientific career, Deamer has focused on biological and synthetic membranes. In 1989, Deamer proposed that it may be possible to sequence a DNA molecule by passing it through a nanoscopic pore embedded in a lipid bilayer membrane.

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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy joined Rutgers and community leaders on Oct. 30 at the Child Health Institute in New Brunswick to celebrate a $47.5 million federal grant for the Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science that will improve health and well-being for New Jersey residents over the next seven years.

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A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health sheds light on how the blood-borne parasite that causes African sleeping sickness in humans and related diseases in cattle and other animals establishes long-term infections in hosts. Using a mouse model, the researchers showed thatTrypanosoma brucei essentially plays a game of hide-and-seek by setting up shop in its hosts’ tissues, allowing it to constantly change its protective surface coat and evade antibodies.

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A new analysis led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has revealed detailed 3D maps of the internal structures of multiple tumor types. These cancer atlases reveal how different tumor cells — and the cells of a tumor’s surrounding environment — are organized, in 3D, and how that organization changes when a tumor spreads to other organs. The detailed findings offer scientists valuable blueprints of tumors that could lead to new approaches to therapy and spark a new era in the field of cancer biology, according to the researchers.

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Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have discovered a way that ovarian cancer tumors manipulate their environment to resist immunotherapy and identified a drug target that could overcome that resistance. The study, published in the October 30 online issue of Cell used a cutting-edge spatial genomics technology and preclinical animal models, with tumor specimens from ovarian cancer patients further validating the findings. They found that ovarian cancer cells produce a molecule called Interleukin-4 (IL-4), which is typically associated with asthma and the skin condition eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis. The study went on to find that the cancer cells used IL-4 to create a protective environment that kept away killer immune cells, making the tumors resistant to immunotherapy. A drug, dupilumab, which blocks IL-4’s activity, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is already used to treat asthma and eczema. This new study suggests dupi

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A research team has established a Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) system in taro, enabling researchers to rapidly verify gene functions in this underutilized crop.

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In a significant advance against the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, , researchers have identified a novel class of antimicrobial agents known as encrypted peptides, which may expand the immune system’s arsenal of tools to fight infection.

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The Danforth Technology Company (DTC) today announced the launch of Metablify, a startup that has developed a breakthrough technology platform that enables the detection and quantification of previously undetectable metabolites and chemicals in large numbers of biological samples processed using LC/MS data processing algorithms.