Living Cells News and Research

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Supercoiling and looping can transmit mechanical stress along the DNA backbone, research shows

When people think of DNA, they visualize a string-like double helix structure. In reality, the DNA double helix in cells is supercoiled and constrained into loops. This supercoiling and looping are known to influence every aspect of DNA activity, but how this happens has not been clear.

28 Sep 2021

Researchers create an integrated pipeline for performing genetic screening studies

Today's genetic engineers have a plethora of resources at their disposal: an ever-increasing number of massive datasets available online, highly precise gene editing tools like CRISPR, and cheap gene sequencing methods. But the proliferation of new technologies has not come with a clear roadmap to help researchers figure out which genes to target, which tools to use, and how to interpret their results. So, a team of scientists and engineers at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard Medical School (HMS), and the MIT Media Lab decided to make one.

28 Sep 2021

Bubble and droplet formation theory inspires a framework for engineering living cells

The heady math that describes how bubbles form in a glass of Champagne has inspired a framework for engineering living cells.

23 Sep 2021

Researchers create a living bioengineered nerve circuit to tackle opioid overdose crisis

In 2019, nearly 50,000 people in the United States died from opioid overdoses, bringing the total of number of deaths from the opioid crisis to half a million over the past 10 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

21 Sep 2021

Scientists develop a new way to grow tiny replicas of the pancreas

MIT engineers, in collaboration with scientists at Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, have developed a new way to grow tiny replicas of the pancreas, using either healthy or cancerous pancreatic cells.

13 Sep 2021

Cryopreservation Excipient for Cell Therapies

AMSBIO has launched STEM-CELLBANKER® EX - a next generation cryopreservation product that eliminates the need for the traditional washing steps required in cell therapy product development.

From AMS Biotechnology 10 Sep 2021

Researchers develop artificial inorganic cell-like structures to recreate functions of living cells

Researchers have developed artificial cell-like structures using inorganic matter that autonomously ingest, process, and push out material-; recreating an essential function of living cells.

9 Sep 2021

Temperature variations could have driven the division of protocells

A simple mechanism could underlie the growth and self-replication of protocells-;putative ancestors of modern living cells-;suggests a study publishing September 3 in Biophysical Journal.

4 Sep 2021

New model shows how dysfunction in the air sacs initiates fibrotic cascade

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common and severe form of lung disease characterized by relentless scarring leading to death within an average of four years from the time of diagnosis.

31 Aug 2021

Stiffening of heart’s blood vessels associated with lack of enzyme that fosters cell ‘chatter’

In a study in mice, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have found that the smooth muscle cells lining the walls of blood vessels can lose their elasticity and lead to vascular stiffening, a condition that can precede heart disease and stroke.

26 Aug 2021

Rice University awarded $4 million CPRIT grant to establish Genetic Design and Engineering Center

Rice University faculty members led by bioengineer Gang Bao have been awarded a $4 million grant by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to establish the Genetic Design and Engineering Center.

20 Aug 2021

Durable highly protective T cell response to AAV-spike vaccine against COVID-19 pneumonia in mice

New research, available as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, has focused on the role played by T cell immunity, particularly CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, on preventing lethal infection with SARS-CoV-2 in mice infused with peptide-loaded antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs).

19 Aug 2021

Researchers develop silica nanostructure for selective synthesis of enantiomers in cells

As COVID-19 vaccinations are well underway, people await a return to normal life. However, fears also grow due to unforeseen side effects like rare thrombosis. In the body, life is maintained by the movement of substances or energy.

13 Aug 2021

Researchers uncover new mitochondrial recycling pathway that may be linked to Parkinson’s disease

Scientists have long known that living cells are master recyclers, constantly breaking down old parts and building them back up into new molecular machines.

6 Aug 2021

Bacteria use a 'sense of touch' mechanism to navigate on surfaces

Many disease-causing bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa crawl on surfaces through a walk-like motility known as "twitching". Nanometers-wide filaments called type IV pili are known to power twitching, but scientists ignore which sensory signals coordinate the microbes' movements.

23 Jul 2021

Study brings scientists one step closer to solving the mystery of aging

The human body is essentially made up of trillions of living cells. It ages as its cells age, which happens when those cells eventually stop replicating and dividing.

23 Jul 2021

Novel technique allows to individually select droplets for contact in droplet-array sandwiching

Miniaturization is rapidly reshaping the field of biochemistry, with emerging technologies such as microfluidics and "lab-on-a-chip" devices taking the world by storm. Chemical reactions that were normally conducted in flasks and tubes can now be carried out within tiny water droplets not larger than a few millionths of a liter.

8 Jul 2021

First synthetic circuit consists of entirely fast, reversible protein-protein interactions

Synthetic biology offers a way to engineer cells to perform novel functions, such as glowing with fluorescent light when they detect a certain chemical. Usually, this is done by altering cells so they express genes that can be triggered by a certain input.

7 Jul 2021

Researchers introduce novel type of click reaction for living cells and organisms

Increasing our understanding of cellular processes requires information about the types of biomolecules involved, their locations, and their interactions.

2 Jul 2021

The technology behind face masks that can diagnose COVID-19

Researchers have recently incorporated technology into standard face masks to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2.

29 Jun 2021