Bioengineering News and Research

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New technology to control specific protein functions in living cells by using lights

Researchers at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in South Korea have succeeded in developing the world's first technology to control specific protein functions in living cells by using lights, which may be useful in future cancer cell research.

18 Jun 2014

Researchers map risk of H7N9 bird flu infection in markets across Asia

Led by Marius Gilbert - Interfaculty School of Bioengineering, Université libre de Bruxelles - an international researcher team maps the risk of H7N9 bird flu infection in markets across Asia. The identification of high risk areas should helping to restrict the spread of this new disease.

18 Jun 2014

Researchers identify new mechanism by which normal cells turn malignant in mammary epithelial tissues

A team of researchers led by David J. Mooney, Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, have identified a possible mechanism by which normal cells turn malignant in mammary epithelial tissues, the tissues frequently involved in breast cancer.

17 Jun 2014

Computer programming language automates "laboratory-on-a-chip", may reduce healthcare cost

A research team at the University of California, Riverside has created a computer programming language that will automate "laboratory-on-a-chip" technologies used in DNA sequencing, drug discovery, virus detection and other biomedical applications.

17 Jun 2014

Researchers identify tremendous genetic diversity

In the most comprehensive genetic study of the Mexican population to date, researchers from UC San Francisco and Stanford University, along with Mexico's National Institute of Genomic Medicine (INMEGEN), have identified tremendous genetic diversity, reflecting thousands of years of separation among local populations and shedding light on a range of confounding aspects of Latino health.

13 Jun 2014

Study presents oxytocin as latest treatment target for age-related muscle wasting

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered that oxytocin -- a hormone associated with maternal nurturing, social attachments, childbirth and sex -- is indispensable for healthy muscle maintenance and repair, and that in mice, it declines with age.

11 Jun 2014

Combination of novel molecular imaging techniques can help predict spread of cancer, patient survival

A simple noninvasive blood test matched with state-of-the-art molecular imaging of individual cells could help oncologists understand their patients' chances of survival, say researchers at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's 2014 Annual Meeting.

10 Jun 2014

Researchers take step toward restoring natural, high-fidelity vision to blind people

In laboratory tests, researchers have used electrical stimulation of retinal cells to produce the same patterns of activity that occur when the retina sees a moving object. Although more work remains, this is a step toward restoring natural, high-fidelity vision to blind people, the researchers say.

6 Jun 2014

Ocugen's OCU100 gets FDA orphan drug designation for treatment of retinitis pigmentosa

Ocugen, Inc. and the University of Colorado today announced exclusive license agreements that allow for Ocugen to continue developing two drug candidates for the treatment for ophthalmology indications, and that one of the assets, OCU100, recombinant lens epithelium derived growth factor 1-326 (LEDGF1-326), received orphan-drug status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a rare eye disease.

6 Jun 2014

Penn and Mayo Clinic researchers launch Seizure Detection Challenge

Researchers from Mayo Clinic and the University of Pennsylvania announce the launch of the Seizure Detection Challenge, an international competition inviting the best minds in "machine learning" to improve devices to track and treat epilepsy.

3 Jun 2014

Noninvasive laser therapy triggers stem cells to repair enamel of teeth

A Harvard-led team is the first to demonstrate the ability to use low-power light to trigger stem cells inside the body to regenerate tissue, an advance they reported in Science Translational Medicine.

29 May 2014

Researcher receives $1.5M grant from NIH to find clues into causes of Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disease that affects older adults, slowly destroys their memories and may cause dementia. According to estimates from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the disease may affect as many as 5.1 million Americans.

22 May 2014

Nanogel heals burn wounds faster

Researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have developed a nanogel that can accelerate the healing of burn wounds to minimize the risk of infection and scarring. The technology is based on IBN’s proprietary self-assembling ultrashort peptide technology, which are short sequences of amino acids.

16 May 2014

Navy asks Rice synthetic biologist to tweak gut bacteria for mood, weight control

The motto "no guts, no glory" may need rewriting if Rice University synthetic biologist Jeff Tabor succeeds in his quest to help the Navy create an edible probiotic bacterium that can help protect sailors and marines from obesity and depression.

13 May 2014

New drug approach for safer clean-up of deformed blood vessels in eye

A new drug approach has been developed for safer clean-up of deformed blood vessels in the eye by a research team at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

12 May 2014

New hydrogel instantly turns from liquid to semisolid at close to body temperature

Rice University bioengineers have created a hydrogel that instantly turns from liquid to semisolid at close to body temperature - and then degrades at precisely the right pace.

8 May 2014

Study reveals how ovarian cancer metabolism changes between early, late stages

A Rice University-led analysis of the metabolic profiles of hundreds of ovarian tumors has revealed a new test to determine whether ovarian cancer cells have the potential to metastasize, or spread to other parts of the body. The study also suggests how ovarian cancer treatments can be tailored based on the metabolic profile of a particular tumor.

6 May 2014

Scientists develop bone marrow-on-a-chip to test effects of new drugs, toxic agents on bone marrow

The latest organ-on-a-chip from Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering reproduces the structure, functions and cellular make-up of bone marrow, a complex tissue that until now could only be studied intact in living animals, Institute researchers report in the May 4, 2014, online issue of Nature Methods.

6 May 2014

Biotech to the rescue

MIT professor Ram Sasisekharan's three biotech companies — Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Cerulean Pharma, and Visterra — share a similar goal.

1 May 2014

Researchers create tiny, biodegradable nanoparticles that carry DNA to brain cancer cells

Working together, Johns Hopkins biomedical engineers and neurosurgeons report that they have created tiny, biodegradable “nanoparticles” able to carry DNA to brain cancer cells in mice.

30 Apr 2014