"Sticky" stem cells make for better transplants
Enhancement of adhesion molecules improves the ability of blood-forming stem cells to take root in transplant recipients......»»
New technique to diagnose cancer metastasis uses origami nanoprobes
Johns Hopkins engineers have created a new optical tool that could improve cancer imaging. Their approach, called SPECTRA, uses tiny nanoprobes that light up when they attach to aggressive cancer cells, helping clinicians distinguish between localize.....»»
Gene silencing tool has a need for speed: Research provides deeper insight into RNAi tool design
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process that many organisms, including humans, use to decrease the activity of target RNAs in cells by triggering their degradation or slicing them in half. If the target is a messenger RNA, the intermediary between gene.....»»
Study identifies RNA molecule that regulates cellular aging
A team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has discovered a new way that cells regulate senescence, an irreversible end to cell division. The findings, published in Cell, could one day lead to new interventions for a variety of conditio.....»»
Enzyme-powered "snot bots" help deliver drugs in sticky situations
Snot might not be the first place you'd expect nanobots to be swimming around. But this slimy secretion exists in more places than just your nose and piles of dirty tissues—it also lines and helps protect the lungs, stomach, intestines and eyes. An.....»»
Influenza viruses can use a second entry pathway to infect cells, study shows
Most influenza viruses enter human or animal cells through specific pathways on the cells' surface. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now discovered that certain human flu viruses and avian flu viruses can also use a second entry pathway,.....»»
Modular design: New insights into protein factories in human mitochondria
The "power plants" of living cells, the mitochondria, probably evolved through endosymbiosis: A bacterium migrated into a primordial cell and eventually developed into an organelle that provides the cell with energy, among other things. Mitochondria.....»»
Small steps for electrons—big steps for the future? Ultrafast microscope reveals electron pathways in solar cells
In the search for more efficient and sustainable energy generation methods, a class of materials called metal halide perovskites have shown great promise. In the few years since their discovery, novel solar cells based on these materials have already.....»»
Genome recording makes living cells their own historians
Genomes can now be entrusted to store information about a variety of transient biological events inside of living cells, as they happen, like a flight recorder collecting data from an aircraft......»»
Lab-Grown Meat for Pets Was Just Approved in the UK
UK regulators have issued the first approval for a company to use chicken cells grown in the lab as an ingredient in pet food......»»
Interdisciplinary approach provides new insights into molecular mechanisms of cholera infection
Cholera infections caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria can be life-threatening and the trigger is the cholera toxin produced by the bacteria. It binds to the surface of intestinal cells—more precisely, to certain "sugar lipids" (GM1 gangliosides, GM.....»»
Researchers develop library for RNA-based therapeutic approaches with polymer nanoparticles
RNA therapy with polymer nanoparticles is considered a promising approach for the treatment of various illnesses. It involves the use of polymers as "nanocarriers" to transport RNA drugs precisely to the correct target cells. Manufacturing such polym.....»»
Genetic cloaking of healthy cells opens door to universal blood cancer therapy
Blood stem cells are being engineered to protect them from lethal therapies. Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson) Know your enemy, know yourself. It's a centuries-old strategy. But even in the present-day war against cancer,.....»»
Unlocking secrets of stomatal regulation: Phosphoactivation of SLAC1 in plant guard cells
In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have provided mechanistic insights into how SLAC1, a key anion chan.....»»
Novel gene writing technology enables all-RNA-mediated targeted gene integration in human cells
In a recent study published in Cell, a research team led by Li Wei and Zhou Qi from the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed an innovative gene-writing technology based on retrotransposons. This achievement enables al.....»»
A stealth fungus has decimated North American bats, but scientists may be a step closer to treating white-nose syndrome
An invasive fungus that colonizes the skin of hibernating bats with deadly consequences is a stealthy invader that uses multiple strategies to slip into the small mammals' skin cells and quietly manipulate them to aid its own survival. The fungus, wh.....»»
Scientists create comprehensive map of sea worm neural circuits
Researchers have created a detailed map of the circuits and more than 9,000 cells that make up the entire body and nervous system of a three-day-old larva of the sea worm Platynereis dumerilii......»»
A Retracted Stem Cell Study Reveals Science’s Shortcomings
The withdrawal after 22 years of a controversial stem cell paper highlights how perverse incentives can distort scientific progress.....»»
Phage-derived enzyme targets E. faecalis biofilms to mitigate acute graft-versus-host disease
Allogenic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) involves transferring healthy donor stem cells to recipients with conditions such as blood cancer, bone marrow failure, or certain genetic blood disorders. Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD.....»»
AI-powered atlas reveals how proteins behave inside cells
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed an atlas of proteins describing how the proteins behave inside human cells. This tool could be used to search for the origins of diseases related to proteins misbehaving, such as dementia and m.....»»
Team develops new one-step method to make multiple edits to a cell"s genome
Genome editing has become a widely adopted technology to modify DNA in cells, allowing scientists to study diseases in the lab and develop therapies that repair disease-causing mutations. However, with current approaches, it's only possible to edit c.....»»