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Gene that could affect the progress of ALS discovered

Researchers from the Zuckerman Institute at Columbia University have successfully found a gene that could work towards accelerating the progression of ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The study titled, "The loss of TBK1 kinase activity in motor neurons or in all cell types differentially impacts ALS disease progression in SOD1 mice," was published in the latest issue of the journal Neuron.

29 Mar 2020

Research sheds new light on the phage therapy history

In the current situation when the fear of virus infections in the public is common, it is good to remember that some viruses can be extremely beneficial for mankind, even save lives. Such viruses, phages, infect bacteria.

27 Mar 2020

Scientists discover a completely new antibiotic resistance gene

Aminoglycoside antibiotics are critically important for treating several types of infections with multi-resistant bacteria.

27 Mar 2020

Physicians fear for their families as they battle coronavirus with too little armor

Dr. Jessica Kiss' twin girls cry most mornings when she goes to work. They're 9, old enough to know she could catch the coronavirus from her patients and get so sick she could die.

27 Mar 2020

SLAC structural biologist discovers a strange cavity in key tuberculosis protein

Researchers from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have discovered a strange new feature of a protein that’s thought to be important in the development of tuberculosis: The protein contains a “huge” interior pocket, the likes of which has never before been seen, that appears capable of passing a wide range of other molecules into the bacterial cell.

27 Mar 2020

Telemedicine surges, fueled by coronavirus fears and shift in payment rules

Lukas Kopacki, home from college after the coronavirus pandemic closed his campus, was feeling lousy for days with headaches, sore throat and difficulty breathing through his nose. But he worried that a trip to a doctor's office might make him sicker.

27 Mar 2020

Microbiome could help identify pre-cancer risk in women with HPV

A new study published in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens in March 2020 reports the possible use of the bacteria Gardnerella found in the cervix and vagina of women with Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, as a marker of precancerous change. The findings could help to find new methods of treatment that involve inducing changes in the microbiome to arrest the course of the disease.

26 Mar 2020

Outcomes of mothers giving birth during COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers from Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China have looked at the outcomes of pregnant mothers with COVID-19 and their newborns. Their study titled, “Clinical features and obstetric and neonatal outcomes of pregnant patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective, single-center, descriptive study” was published in the latest issue of the journal The Lancet, Infectious Diseases.

26 Mar 2020

Lipid aids healing of scratches on the cornea

A species of a lipid that naturally helps skin injuries heal appears to also aid repair of common corneal injuries, even when other conditions, like diabetes, make healing difficult, scientists report.

26 Mar 2020

Could FeNO breath testing provide an early indicator of Covid-19?

As of Tuesday 24th March, the number of global Coronavirus cases rose to 398,834 with 6,650 confirmed cases in the UK alone.

From Bedfont® Scientific Ltd 26 Mar 2020

Finding new treatments for muscular dystrophy with CRISPR-Cas9

A new study out of Boston's Children's Hospital has used the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to explore the fatal genetic condition called facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD, one of the family of muscular dystrophies), and to test out the potential utility of various genes involved in this disorder. The research is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

25 Mar 2020

Researchers aim to find the genetic basis of severe coronavirus infection in young people

Hundreds of clinicians worldwide are banding together in an effort to study some types of severe cases of the new coronavirus disease.

25 Mar 2020

A genetic toolkit to produce multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles

Magnetic bacteria might soon be used for the production of novel biomaterials. A team of microbiologists at the University of Bayreuth led by Prof. Dr. Dirk Schüler developed a modular system for the genetic reprogramming of bacteria, thereby turning the organisms into cell factories for multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles that combine various useful functions and properties.

25 Mar 2020

Excessive salt intake weakens the immune system

A high-salt diet is not only bad for one's blood pressure, but also for the immune system. This is the conclusion of a current study under the leadership of the University Hospital Bonn.

25 Mar 2020

A high salt intake impairs immune response, study suggests

A study has shown that a high salt intake inhibits the immune system’s ability to combat bacteria.

25 Mar 2020

Municipal solid waste treatment systems could be a reservoir of antibiotic-resistance genes

Municipal solid waste is trash -- such as plastic, food scraps and lawn clippings -- that goes into garbage bins and doesn't get recycled.

25 Mar 2020

Presence of certain gut bacterium in mothers could protect babies from food allergies

Researchers have found that bacteria in a mother’s gut during pregnancy can protect the baby from developing food allergies.

25 Mar 2020

New recommendations to tackle tuberculosis amid coronavirus crisis

The World Health Organization has today issued new recommendations to tackle tuberculosis, a respiratory disease, in the wake of coronavirus spreading across continents.

25 Mar 2020

Scientists discover tuberculosis bacterium channels vitamins into the cell

A new study published in the journal Nature in March 2020 reports a unique transport protein found within the tubercle bacillus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This huge membrane-spanning vesicular protein is different from other transport proteins and is instrumental in carrying hydrophilic molecules, notably vitamin B12 or cobalamin, across the cell membrane.

24 Mar 2020

Humans are not the first to exploit benefits of CRISPR technique, research shows

In recent years, the development of CRISPR technologies and gene-editing scissors in particular have taken the world by storm. Indeed, scientists have learned how to harness these clever natural systems in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, among other areas.

24 Mar 2020