Microscopy News and Research

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WITec begins expansion of its headquarters facility

WITec GmbH, the technology leader in correlative Raman microscopy, is expanding its headquarters building in Ulm.

12 Jun 2020

Study shows how a nervous system coordinates distinct behavioral outputs

For a nematode worm, a big lawn of the bacteria that it eats is a great place for it to disperse its eggs so that each hatchling can emerge into a nutritive environment.

11 Jun 2020

Developing lymphatic vessels in zebrafish

When an embryo develops, a wide variety of proteins and enzymes trigger a series of biochemical reactions. The development of the lymphatic vasculature is crucially dependent on one specific protein - the growth factor VEGF-C.

11 Jun 2020

Study reveals novel mechanism that triggers a cell-mediated immune response

Viruses and other disease-causing microbes influence the type of immune response their hosts will develop against them. In some cases, the predominant response involves antibodies, proteins made by the immune system that specifically recognize parts of the invading microbe and mediate its destruction.

11 Jun 2020

UCD spin-out awarded €4.5 million funding to help combat coronavirus pandemic

SiriusXT (https://siriusxt.com/), a University College Dublin (UCD) spin-out company, has been awarded just over €4.5 million in blended (grant and equity) funding from the European Innovation Council Accelerator Pilot programme which is part of Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation programme.

11 Jun 2020

Protein design can solve the puzzle of Parkinson's disease

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in everything from higher cognitive functions to motor control, motivation, arousal, reinforcement, and sexual gratification, the receptors it acts on have been a longstanding target for treating disorders like Parkinson's disease, which is caused by the degeneration of dopamine-using neurons that control movement.

11 Jun 2020

Non-invasive ultrasound method prevents aberrations of ultrasound wavefronts

In conventional ultrasounds, variations in soft tissue structure distort ultrasound wavefronts. They blur the image and can hence prove detrimental to medical diagnosis.

11 Jun 2020

Examining dopamine receptors in their natural environment

Dopamine, a chemical that sends messages between different parts of the brain and body, plays a key role in a variety of diseases and behaviors by interacting with receptors on cells.

11 Jun 2020

A lead compound can significantly reduce or eliminate toxoplasmosis and malaria

Toxoplasma gondii infection is one of the most frequent parasitic infections of humans. This parasite is present in the brain of an estimated two billion people--about 40 percent of all humans on earth. It is endemic throughout the world, causing water and food-borne epidemics that result in toxoplasmosis.

10 Jun 2020

Phenothiazine derivatives show high potential for use in photodynamic therapy

A group on organic compounds under Professor Ivan Stoikov's guidance has been working on phenothiazine derivatives at Kazan Federal University since 2016.

9 Jun 2020

Study unravels role of a protein in osteoclast generation

Bone-dissolving cells called osteoclasts are derived from a type of immune cells called macrophages. They are necessary for the maintenance and renewal of bones.

9 Jun 2020

Cellular mechanophenotyping may provide more comprehensive view of the tumor

Our ability to predict who will get cancer, how a patient will respond to treatment, or if a patient will relapse is still quite limited. Despite advances in the detection of genetic mutations and the establishment of risk factors, such as age and genetic variants, it remains a great scientific and medical challenge.

9 Jun 2020

Study sheds new light on memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease

Neurons that are responsible for new experiences interfere with the signals of neurons that contain memories and thereby disturb the recall of memories - at least in mice.

9 Jun 2020

Anti-RBD antibodies shown to neutralize active SARS-CoV-2

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 reports the discovery of multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in samples from healthy donors, collected before the pandemic. These antibodies are capable of inhibiting the binding of the spike protein of the virus to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) molecule and can neutralize active infection of cells in culture.

9 Jun 2020

Researchers identify enzyme essential for intestinal epithelial differentiation

The intestinal epithelium is the inner layer of the intestinal wall, which separates host tissue from the intestinal microbiota.

8 Jun 2020

Discovery of new killing mechanism could help design improved teixobactin-based drugs

Scientists at the University of Liverpool and University of Utrecht have taken another step forward on their quest to develop a viable drug based on teixobactin - a new class of potent natural antibiotic capable of killing superbugs.

5 Jun 2020

Alpaca-derived antiviral agent neutralizes SARS-CoV-2

Researchers at Karolinska University Hospital and the University of Cape Town have identified an antibody fragment that targets the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein and potently neutralizes the virus.

4 Jun 2020

New studies provide insights into DNA crossovers in egg and sperm cells

In the famous words of movie character Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get."

4 Jun 2020

Using advanced microscopy techniques to see single molecules of telomerase in living cells

Canadian scientists have achieved a first in the study of telomerase, an essential enzyme implicated in aging and cancer.

3 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 can adversely affect cardiac cells and heart function

A research group from Germany demonstrated a direct toxic effect of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on cardiac cells in their paper published on the bioRxiv* preprint server. The finding warrants an in-depth analysis of cardiac tissue in certain coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, as well as close monitoring for any direct cardiomyocyte injury.

2 Jun 2020