Life Science News

RSS

Scientists identify endogenous activator of sigma-1 receptors in human cells

Cells communicate through complex mechanisms that typically involve receptors and ligands that bind to them. Endogenous ligands, produced by the body, have been identified for the vast majority of cellular receptors, helping explain receptor existence and function. But in the case of sigma-1 receptors, which interact with a diverse array of psychoactive drugs, an endogenous ligand has remained elusive.

14 Jan 2019

Molecular hallmarks of tumor hypoxia across 19 cancer types discovered

Unlike healthy tissues, tumors thrive in low-oxygen environments, often acquiring the ability to resist treatment and spread to other sites in the body. Despite being a well-known cause of therapy resistance and metastasis, the impact of low oxygen, known as hypoxia, on tumor cells is poorly understood.

14 Jan 2019

UCR researchers uncover how plants sense temperature

When it gets hot outside, humans and animals have the luxury of seeking shelter in the shade or cool, air-conditioned buildings. But plants are stuck.

14 Jan 2019

Turning breast cancer cells into fat cells prevents the formation of metastases

An innovative combination therapy can force malignant breast cancer cells to turn into fat cells. This can be used to prevent the formation of metastases in mice, as researchers at the University of Basel's Department of Biomedicine recently reported in the journal Cancer Cell.

14 Jan 2019

Identifying genetic factors that lead to squamous cell carcinoma

Skin cancer is on the rise in the United States. Squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of cancer in the U.S., has the highest mortality rate of all non-melanoma skin cancers. In roughly two to five percent of patients, the disease will metastasize and spread throughout the body, making it difficult to treat.

14 Jan 2019

Genetic variants linked with risk tolerance and risky behaviors

As part of an international research project, a group of scientists from the University of Zurich found genetic variants associated with risk tolerance and risky behaviors. It is one of the first studies to link genetic variants with behavioral outcomes, which are relevant to social science research.

14 Jan 2019

Plan your Pittcon 2019 with the mobile app

The Pittcon marketing department is excited to announce the release of its official conference and exposition mobile app, Pittcon 2019.

From Pittcon 14 Jan 2019

Scientists discover mutational signatures of tumor hypoxia

Researchers have discovered mutational signatures of tumor hypoxia in 19 cancer types that could be used to identify patients who need higher treatment doses.

14 Jan 2019

New discovery casts doubt on plasma membrane models

Like planets, the body's cell surfaces look smooth from a distance but hilly closer up. An article published in Communications Biology describes implications, unknown to date, of the way data from cell surfaces are normally interpreted; i.e. as if they lacked topographic features.

14 Jan 2019

Conducting ChIP-Seq with Low Cell Numbers

An interview with Dr. Kathyrn Cunningham at SfN 2018, providing advice on carrying out Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Sequencing (ChIP-seq) with low cell numbers.

From Active Motif 14 Jan 2019

Researchers repurpose gene-editing tool CRISPR to develop better antibiotics

A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher and his collaborators at the University of California, San Francisco have repurposed the gene-editing tool CRISPR to study which genes are targeted by particular antibiotics, providing clues on how to improve existing antibiotics or develop new ones.

11 Jan 2019

Novel microfluidic device for real-time detection of cholesterol in liver-on-chip cultures

In a paper to be published in the September/December 2019 issue of TECHNOLOGY, a team of researchers from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago has developed a novel microfluidic device for measuring in real-time the cholesterol secreted from liver tissue-chip containing human hepatocytes.

11 Jan 2019

Fluorescence Microscopy: Choosing the Right lllumination System

In this interview from SfN 2018, Michelle Gal explains the fluorescence illumination systems for fluorescence microscopy, offered by Excelitas technologies.

From Excelitas Technologies 11 Jan 2019

Bio-Rad publishes new paper on generation, characterization of complex-specific antibodies

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a global leader of life science research and clinical diagnostic products, has published new findings on the generation and characterization of drug-target complex-specific antibodies for pharmacokinetic analysis of biotherapeutics.

From Bio-Rad Laboratories 11 Jan 2019

CRISPR-Cas9 circular permutants can sense and respond to viral proteases

Using a technique called circular permutation, researchers at the University of California Berkeley have created a new suite of Cas9 variants called Cas9-CPs, which will simplify design of Cas9-fusion proteins for diverse applications beyond simple DNA cutting, such as base editing and epigenetic modifications.

11 Jan 2019