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Using a smartphone-based microscope for detecting single molecules and diagnosing diseases

Biomarkers play a central role in the diagnosis of disease and assessment of its course. Among the markers now in use are genes, proteins, hormones, lipids and other classes of molecules.

13 Feb 2021

The Future of Environmental and Food Monitoring

NewsMed interviews Professor Antje Baeumner about the future of food and environmental monitoring, the subject of her 2021 Pittcon presentation.

From Pittcon 12 Feb 2021

New research yields potential drug target against HIV

Humans possess a formidable multi-layered defense system that protects us against viral infections. Better understanding of these defenses and the tricks that viruses use to evade them could open novel avenues for treating viral infections and possibly other diseases.

11 Feb 2021

COVID-19 pandemic and nanotechnology

Writing in the International Journal of Nanomedicine, Professor Dongki Yang, from the Department of Physiology, Gachon University, South Korea, has reviewed the available knowledge on the coronaviruses, current approaches to tackle the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the innovative application of nanotechnology in the COVID-19 pandemic.

8 Feb 2021

Paternal early life stress linked to child's brain development

The FinnBrain research of the University of Turku has demonstrated for the first time that the stress the father has experienced in his childhood is connected to the development of the white matter tracts in the child's brain.

4 Feb 2021

Latest clinical trial supports UK’s decision to delay second COVID vaccine dose

Researchers in the UK, South Africa and Brazil have reported the latest efficacy results from phase III trials of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine currently being rolled out in the UK to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

3 Feb 2021

Rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test improved with silver amplification

A new preprint posted to the medRxiv server describes the use of silver amplification technology to develop a sensitive, rapid antigen test for COVID-19.

2 Feb 2021

Study describes a safe potential therapeutic tool for liver regeneration

A new study led by researchers at the Center for Regenerative Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) now describes a safe new potential therapeutic tool for the recovery of liver function in chronic and acute liver diseases.

27 Jan 2021

What do we know about the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines so far?

A new study surveys what we know so far about SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates from advanced clinical trials.

27 Jan 2021

New, highly accurate 20-minute COVID-19 test is trialed across the University of Surrey

A new, highly accurate COVID-19 test, Virus Hunter 6 (VH6), which delivers results in under 20 minutes is being trialed across the University of Surrey, this week.

25 Jan 2021

Researchers immunoengineer nanobead system for circulating tumor cell detection

A team of researchers has immunoengineered a nanobead system for the isolation and detection of circulating tumor cells.

21 Jan 2021

Researchers develop ultra-small nanomedicines to target intractable cancers

Ultra-small nanomedicines of approximately 18 nm were fabricated by dynamic ion-pairing between Y-shaped block copolymers and nucleic acid drugs, such as siRNA and antisense drugs.

19 Jan 2021

FAU researchers develop simplified, rapid SARS-CoV-2 detection protocol

To properly monitor and help curb the spread of COVID-19, several millions of diagnostic tests are required daily in just the United States alone.

13 Jan 2021

Researchers develop saliva testing method for SARS-CoV-2 using robotic RNA extraction

Researchers have developed an automated method of RNA extraction from saliva samples to allow faster processing times and high test sensitivity. Saliva testing could be used as an alternative to swab testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveillance.

12 Jan 2021

Modeling study sheds light on SARS-CoV-2 genome packaging

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have conducted a study exploring how the spatial patterning of certain genomic RNA regions in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) promotes compaction, packaging, and cyclization of the viral genome.

10 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 develop a low-cost, saliva-optimized RT-LAMP assay for faster detection of SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the shortcomings in emergency response globally and has driven a massive demand for in vitro diagnostic testing technologies. In order to address these issues, researchers from the US recently used the new pH dye LAMPShade Violet (LSV) in RT-LAMP. LSV has better visual contrast between high and low pH and a stronger inflection point, both of which enable easy interpretation of results and reduces ambiguity.

8 Jan 2021

Replacing the RNA strand with DNA may enhance efficacy of ASO-based drugs

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) hold great promise for pharmacotherapy. Now, researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, advancing their earlier work on a heteroduplex oligonucleotide (HDO) model, have demonstrated augmentation of ASO-based drugs by replacing the RNA strand with DNA.

5 Jan 2021

Could engineered red blood cells be an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2?

In a new study, released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, a team of researchers explores the antiviral potential of red blood cells against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of COVID-19.

24 Dec 2020

Gene-regulating snippet of RNA may contribute to breast cancer metastasis

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientists have discovered a gene-regulating snippet of RNA that may contribute to the spread of many breast cancers.

22 Dec 2020