Petri Dish News and Research

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Researchers provide new insights into vertebrae formation

Like a string of pearls, the spine is made of a series of similar vertebrae. A so-called segmentation clock creates this repetitive arrangement in developing embryos: Each time the clock ticks, a vertebra starts to form.

27 Sep 2017

Pharmaceutical compound from leaves of coralberry may help combat asthma

The coralberry could offer new hope for asthmatics: researchers at the University of Bonn have extracted a new kind of active pharmaceutical ingredient from its leaves to combat this widespread respiratory disease. In mice, it almost completely inhibits the characteristic contraction of the airways.

14 Sep 2017

Fatty acid-derived bioactive molecule helps improve heart function after heart attack in mice

Heart attacks provoke an acute immune response. Leukocytes rush to the heart muscle to remove dead cells and begin building scar tissue. This is followed by a second immune response, the resolving phase that allows healing.

7 Sep 2017

Research provides new insights into secret life of bacteria

Bacterial infections are the number one cause of death in hospital patients in the United States, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria are on the rise, causing tens of thousands of deaths every year.

6 Sep 2017

Antibiotics may kill bacteria differently in vitro vs in vivo

Understanding exactly how antibiotics work (or don’t work) is crucial for developing alternative treatment strategies, not only to target new “superbugs,” but also to make existing drugs more effective against their targets.

5 Sep 2017

Scientists identify novel role for retrotransposons in shaping embryonic chromatin landscape

Retrotransposons are repetitive elements that form almost half of the mammalian genome. Even though they are so common, they have previously been considered to be fairly insignificant.

30 Aug 2017

New research aims to generate in vitro vascularized pancreatic islets from hPSCs

Tiny packets of cells called islets throughout the pancreas allow the organ to produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes -- also known as juvenile diabetes - tricks the immune system into destroying these islets.

23 Aug 2017

Scientists use magnetic nanoparticles to trigger activity deep inside the brain

Scientists have used magnetism to activate tiny groups of cells in the brain, inducing bodily movements that include running, rotating and losing control of the extremities -- an achievement that could lead to advances in studying and treating neurological disease.

17 Aug 2017

Multi-drug resistant fungi found in UK hospitals - alarms health officials

Latest reports have confirmed that over 200 patients in England have been infected with a drug-resistant fungus called Candida auris that was first detected in Japan. High alerts have been put in place to look out for further infections and prevent spread.

15 Aug 2017

New compound takes positive step toward creating drug for melanoma

While past attempts to treat melanoma failed to meet expectations, an international team of researchers are hopeful that a compound they tested on both mice and on human cells in a petri dish takes a positive step toward creating a drug that can kill melanoma cancer cells without harming nearby healthy cells.

26 Jul 2017

Researcher models heart attack in petri dishes to gain insights into cardiac diseases

In petri dishes in her campus laboratory at New Jersey Institute of Technology, Alice Lee is developing colonies of cardiac cells, formed into chambers, that pump and contract like a human heart.

18 Jul 2017

High-throughput screening technique reveals new brain cancer drug targets

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and The Cleveland Clinic designed a way to screen brain tumor cells and identify potential drug targets missed by other methods.

5 Jul 2017

New diagnostic system enables rapid, accurate customization of antibiotic treatments

A diagnostic system developed at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology enables rapid and accurate customization of the antibiotic to the patient.

29 Jun 2017

Grape-based compounds could pave way for new treatments to prevent colon cancer

Compounds from grapes may kill colon cancer stem cells both in a petri dish and in mice, according to a team of researchers.

19 Jun 2017

Researchers bioengineer human liver tissues that mimic natural development

An international team of researchers bioengineering human liver tissues uncovered previously unknown networks of genetic-molecular crosstalk that control the organ's developmental processes – greatly advancing efforts to generate healthy and usable human liver tissue from human pluripotent stem cells.

15 Jun 2017

Researchers find molecule that darkens skin without UV exposure and may protect against skin cancer

A study published in the journal Cell on June 13 has found that a class of small molecules can successfully penetrate and darken human skin samples. The drug developed in the laboratory by researchers in Boston also generates protective tans in red-haired mice.

14 Jun 2017

New discovery could have major impact on therapies to prevent spread of cancer

A research study led by University of Minnesota engineers gives new insight into how cancer cells move based on their ability to sense their environment. The discovery could have a major impact on therapies to prevent the spread of cancer.

6 Jun 2017

Microbiologist explores new methods for analyzing fecal pollution in water

In a project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, the microbiologist Andreas Farnleitner is looking at new methods for analyzing faecal pollution in water. Using DNA analytics, the scientist aims to develop comprehensive and simple methods to determine the extent and origin of faecal pollution.

2 Jun 2017

Researchers discover size-sensing protein that controls glucose uptake and storage in fat cells

Researchers at the University of Iowa have discovered that a molecule which can sense the swelling of fat cells also controls a signaling pathway that allows fat cells to take up and store excess glucose.

25 May 2017

Systec showcases comprehensive laboratory product range at Biotechnica/Labvolution 2017

Once again, Systec GmbH, the leading manufacturer of autoclaves, including laboratory autoclaves, media preparators, and plate pourers for liquid media and microbiological culture media, will be presenting the highlights of its comprehensive product range at this year’s Biotechnica/Labvolution.

From Systec GmbH 5 May 2017