Genetic Engineering News and Research

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New tool to track interactions among brain cells in action

It's a neuroscientist's dream: being able to track the millions of interactions among brain cells in animals that move about freely, behaving as they would under natural circumstances. New technology developed at The Rockefeller University represents a big step toward realizing that goal.

7 May 2018

Study shows advantages of using decellularized muscle to promote tissue regeneration

A new comparative study showed the advantages of using donor decellularized muscle to promote functional tissue regeneration at the site of bulk skeletal muscle loss due to trauma or surgery.

4 May 2018

Researchers discover how a light touch can lead to unbearable itching

For some people, particularly those who are elderly, even a light touch of the skin or contact with clothing can lead to unbearable itching.

4 May 2018

Stem cells cultured in vitro self-assemble into embryo

An embryo has been created in vitro from mouse stem cells cultured with a 3D scaffold. The resulting structure was remarkably similar to a natural mouse embryo.

3 May 2018

Researchers evaluate predictive value of stress testing and cardiac biomarkers in older women

Mayo Clinic researchers, reporting results of the SMART study, have shown that abnormal results on a stress electrocardiogram are an independent predictor of cardiovascular events such as heart attack, heart failure, hospitalization for chest pain, and death in perimenopausal or menopausal women.

2 May 2018

System designed to enable the control of animal cells using light

Scientists have developed a system of design principles for controlling cells, tissues or entire limbs using silicon-based photostimulation.

2 May 2018

Gene therapy offers potential cure for patients with lipoprotein lipase deficiency

During the first 18 months after treatment with ali-pogene tiparvovec, a gene therapy recently approved in Europe to treat lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPLD), the first patient to receive the treatment had no abdominal pain or episodes of pancreatitis, following a history of 37 pancreatitis attacks.

2 May 2018

Researchers use CRISPR/Cas9 technique to turn off gene that regulates cholesterol levels in adult mice

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have used a CRISPR/Cas9 genetic engineering technique to turn off a gene that regulates cholesterol levels in adult mice, leading to reduced blood cholesterol levels and gene repression lasting for six months after a single treatment.

27 Apr 2018

Scientists work on erasable MRI contrast agents that can blink off on command

Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, is a widely used medical tool for taking pictures of the insides of our body.

26 Apr 2018

Hippo pathway plays essential role in embryonic development of the mouse heart

Using a technology that provides a 'high-resolution view' of the status of individual cells, a team of researchers has gained new insights into the embryonic development of the mouse heart.

24 Apr 2018

Scientists develop tissue-engineered models to better understand cancer metastases

Cancer that has spread, or metastasized, from its original site to other tissues and organs in the body is a leading cause of cancer death.

24 Apr 2018

Studies offer leads for new approaches to treat neurological problems

Technological advances have ushered in a new era of discovery in neuroscience. The Experimental Biology 2018 meeting will feature an array of research findings on the brain and nervous system.

23 Apr 2018

New microscope reveals how cells behave in 3D and real time inside living organisms

Astronomers developed a "guide star" adaptive optics technique to obtain the most crystal-clear and precise telescopic images of distant galaxies, stars and planets. Now a team of scientists, led by Nobel laureate Eric Betzig, PhD, are borrowing the very same trick.

20 Apr 2018

Researchers find crucial links between dopamine and avoidance behavior

Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have for the first time found direct causal links between the neurotransmitter dopamine and avoidance – behavior related to pain and fear.

20 Apr 2018

Concussion recovery and symptom severity found to vary between men and women

A new study comparing male and female athletes examined whether there are clear sex-related differences in post-concussion symptom severity and length of recovery. In addition to a finding of significant differences between the male and female college varsity athletes, differences among the women depending on hormonal contraceptive use were reported in the study published in Journal of Neurotrauma, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

20 Apr 2018

Male fruit flies like sex and alcohol

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel have found that male fruit flies (Drosophilia melanogaster) enjoy ejaculation and sex and are also keen on alcohol consumption. The results of this novel study that shows that sexual gratification is preserved across species was published in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology this week.

19 Apr 2018

Researchers use optogenetics to treat chronic pain

The finger prick from a thorn generates an immediate sensory response. In that instant, neurons at the injury site fire an electrical signal along a nerve fiber to the central nervous system. Our brain notes to avoid further encounters with thorns and the painful insult subsides.

18 Apr 2018