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Researchers solve longstanding mystery about peculiar hybrid structures found in bacteria

Peculiar hybrid structures called retrons that are half RNA, half single-strand DNA are found in many species of bacteria.

5 Nov 2020

Super-resolution images of functioning and pathologically altered nerve cells

Three experts for super-resolution microscopy jointly want to obtain better images of functioning and pathologically altered nerve cells. The European Research Council ERC is funding them with eleven million euros.

5 Nov 2020

Study describes the effects of a DPP3-knockout on the renin-angiotensin system

The role of the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase 3 in the blood pressure-regulating renin-angiotensin system was investigated in the inter-university cooperation project BioTechMed-Graz. The results could pave the way for new therapies for cardio-renal diseases.

5 Nov 2020

An analysis of genetic diversity of D614G mutation in SARS-CoV-2

A new study published in the preprint server bioRxiv in November 2020 reports that the effect of the mutation is minimal, in terms of pathogenicity or altered response to neutralizing antibodies elicited against the native virus strain.

4 Nov 2020

Researchers investigate the effect of palm oil extract on mice liver cells

Palm oil contains abundant quantities of vitamin E compounds, which include tocopherols and tocotrienols.These compounds have anti-oxidant effects, which protect cells from damage from toxic chemical produced by metabolic processes.

4 Nov 2020

UIC enrolls people into phase 3 monoclonal antibody clinical trial

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are now enrolling people into a phase 3 clinical trial that will test if a monoclonal antibody treatment -- administered as a series of four shots -- will help protect uninfected individuals from acquiring or getting sick from COVID-19 after someone in the household tests positive for COVID-19.

30 Oct 2020

APS technique shows how SARS-CoV-2 virus camouflages itself inside the human body

Scientists using the Advanced Photon Source have discovered new insights into the ways the SARS-CoV-2 virus camouflages itself inside the human body.

30 Oct 2020

Study: Toxins produced by tube-dwelling anemones have pharmacological potential

Researchers based in Brazil and the United States have completed the first-ever mapping exercise to profile the toxins produced by tube-dwelling anemones, or cerianthids, a family of marine animals belonging to the same phylum (Cnidaria) as sea anemones, jellyfish and corals.

30 Oct 2020

Medicinal plant stops the growth of breast cancer cells, shows research

A plant which had previously been dismissed as not being medically useful, could prove to be a hero in disguise, after scientists discovered it not only stops the growth of breast cancer cells but does not affect normal cells - a potential first for future cancer chemotherapy treatment.

30 Oct 2020

SMART researchers develop novel microcarrier for large-scale cell production

Researchers from Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, have developed a novel microcarrier for large-scale cell production and expansion that offers higher yield and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional methods, and reduces steps required in the cell retrieval process.

29 Oct 2020

Toxin-carrying virus implicated in the emergence of new Salmonella strain in pigs

Researchers at the Quadram Institute have implicated a toxin-carrying virus in the emergence of a new strain of Salmonella in pigs.

29 Oct 2020

Severe ulcerative colitis linked to a newly-discovered strain of oral bacteria

Bacteria from the mouth could hold clues to understanding – and potentially treating – severe ulcerative colitis, a painful bowel disease.

29 Oct 2020

New method could help increase effectiveness of vaccines against coronavirus

A University at Buffalo-led research team has discovered a technique that could help increase the effectiveness of vaccines against the novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19.

29 Oct 2020

Research program aims to thwart prion-like spread of tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease

Tangles of misfolded tau proteins in the brain are closely associated with memory loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease. In order for this tau pathology to spread, the protein must interact with heparan sulfate, a sugar molecule found on the surface of neurons.

28 Oct 2020

CN Bio announces launch of drug metabolism and safety toxicity testing services

CN Bio, a leading 3D cell culture company, that has developed single and multi-organ microphysiological systems to improve the accuracy and efficiency of drug discovery, today announced the commercial launch of its Drug Metabolism and Safety Toxicity Testing Services.

28 Oct 2020

Scientists use experimental approach to identify genes and interactions

A phage is a virus that invades a bacterial cell. While harmless to human cells, phages are potentially deadly to bacteria since many phages enter a cell in order to hijack its machinery in order to reproduce itself, thus destroying the cell.

28 Oct 2020

Scientists design 3D map to understand the behavior of novel coronavirus

To better understand how the novel coronavirus behaves and how it can be stopped, scientists have completed a three-dimensional map that reveals the location of every atom in an enzyme molecule critical to SARS-CoV-2 reproduction.

28 Oct 2020

DNase coated melanin-like nanospheres for sepsis treatment in severe COVID

As the treatment of severe COVID-19 is very difficult, the researchers from the Korea Research Institute of Biosciences and Biotechnology (KRIBB) suggested that DNase-1 can be utilized to dissolve the neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), hence halting the further progression of COVID-19.

27 Oct 2020

New technique can detect TDP-43 protein in patients with ALS and frontotemporal dementia

A test to diagnose two very serious diseases such as ALS and FTD when the pathologies have not yet appeared, thereby providing doctors and patients with essential information tools to tackle them early and develop new treatments.

27 Oct 2020