Microscopy News and Research

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Researchers develop improved process for large-scale electron microscopy to visualize small structures

How are networks of neurons connected to make functional circuits? This has been a long-standing question in neuroscience. To answer this fundamental question, researchers from Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School developed a new way to study these circuits and in the process learn more about the connections between them.

12 Jan 2021

Researchers identify a new link between seizures and connexin 36 deficiency

For the brain to learn, retain memories, process sensory information, and coordinate body movements, its groups of nerve cells must generate coordinated electrical signals. Disorder in synchronous firing can impair these processes and, in extreme cases, lead to seizures and epilepsy.

12 Jan 2021

Researchers demonstrate SARS-CoV-2 infection in human lung bronchioalveolar tissue model

Development of an in vitro human-derived tissue model for studying virus infection and disease progression in the alveolar cells of the lungs responsible for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange with the blood might enable the study of possible therapies for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) triggered by SARS-CoV-2.

11 Jan 2021

Vimentin could be a major co-factor that aids SARS-CoV-2 infection

A recent study has found that extracellular vimentin can bind to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in vitro, and antibodies against vimentin can decrease virus infectivity by up to 80%. This suggests vimentin could aid the virus’s binding to host cells and help in infection.

11 Jan 2021

New type of flour improved the glycemic response of people eating white bread

Researchers from the Quadram Institute and King's College London have shown that replacing wheat flour with a new ingredient derived from chickpeas improved the glycemic response of people eating white bread.

11 Jan 2021

Tetherin downregulation by SARS-CoV-2 enhances viral spread

A new preprint research paper published on the bioRxiv server describes the role of a host protein called tetherin in the spread of the novel coronavirus.

10 Jan 2021

Naturally selected mutations of SARS-CoV-2 easily duplicated in vitro

In a recent and timely paper, currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server, researchers from Israel and France demonstrated how in vitro evolution of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor-binding domain (RBD) follows contagious mutation spread – but can also generate an efficient infection inhibitor.

10 Jan 2021

Researchers unravel the process that makes viruses infectious

Researchers have for the first time identified the way viruses like the poliovirus and the common cold virus 'package up' their genetic code, allowing them to infect cells.

8 Jan 2021

Single-dose nanoparticle vaccine for SARS-CoV-2

Before the pandemic, the lab of Stanford University biochemist Peter S. Kim focused on developing vaccines for HIV, Ebola and pandemic influenza.

8 Jan 2021

Researchers aim to improve cognitive performance, mobilize the brain's reserve mechanisms

Which neurobiological principles prevent us as humans from fully utilizing our own cognitive abilities and what are the performance limits of our brains?

8 Jan 2021

Glycylation essential to keep sperm swimming in a straight line, shows study

One essential component of each eukaryotic cell is the cytoskeleton. Microtubules, tiny tubes consisting of a protein called tubulin, are part of this skeleton of cells.

7 Jan 2021

Study shows durable specific humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 after mild or asymptomatic infection

As a part of the COMMUNITY (COVID-19 Immunity) study, researchers from Sweden reveal long-lasting IgG neutralizing antibody response against spike glycoprotein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the vast majority of convalescent individuals – even after asymptomatic or mild infection. Their results are currently available on medRxiv* preprint server.

6 Jan 2021

Are SARS-CoV-2 antibodies associated with disease enhancement?

As SARS-CoV-2 continues to wreak its havoc, antibodies that neutralize the virus and protect against infection have become an important focus of research. However, there is a concern as to whether these antibodies can actually enhance the disease.

6 Jan 2021

Comprehensive review details the evolution of surgical microscopes

A clear view of anatomical structures is vital for the success of surgery--especially in microsurgery where narrow anatomical cavities or proximity to vulnerable organs and tissues can pose significant risks to patient health.

5 Jan 2021

Inhibition of blood clotting factor reduces the formation of brain metastases in mice

Brain metastases can only develop if cancer cells first exit the fine blood vessels and enter into the brain tissue.

5 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 infected alveolar type-II lung cells show senescence

Using monoclonal antibodies against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein and senescent markers, researchers provide evidence that virus-infected lung cells acquire characteristics of cellular senescence, which also leads to expression of proinflammatory cytokines.

5 Jan 2021

Novel imaging method reveals in vivo localization of antibiotics in infected lung tissues

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and the University of Western Australia have developed a new imaging method to see where antibiotics have reached bacteria within tissues.

5 Jan 2021

Self-learning algorithms can help analyze biological image data

Imaging techniques enable a detailed look inside an organism. But interpreting the data is time-consuming and requires a great deal of experience.

28 Dec 2020

Animal study suggests palmitoylation inhibitor reduces virulence of SARS-CoV-2

A new study preprint on the bioRxiv* server demonstrates the ability of a fatty acid synthase inhibitor to improve the survival of mice infected with murine hepatitis virus. In so doing, it adds to the sum of knowledge about the relationship of SARS-CoV-2 with cholesterol metabolism in the host cell.

24 Dec 2020