Cells use concentration gradients as a compass
Biophysicists at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munch have developed a new theory, which accounts for the observation that cells can perceive their own shapes, and use this information to direct the distribution of proteins inside the cell......»»
"GPS nanoparticle" platform precisely delivers therapeutic payload to cancer cells
A newly developed "GPS nanoparticle" injected intravenously can home in on cancer cells to deliver a genetic punch to the protein implicated in tumor growth and spread, according to researchers from Penn State. They tested their approach in human cel.....»»
Study shows inverting fusion plasmas improves performance
To become commercially viable, fusion power plants must create and sustain the plasma conditions necessary for fusion reactions. However, at high temperatures and densities, plasmas often develop gradients in those temperatures and densities. These g.....»»
Chimeric nanobody research looks to improve chemotherapy drug delivery
Finding the best method to deliver chemotherapeutic drugs to tumor cells can be tricky. Ideally, the treatments target tumor cells while leaving healthy cells alone......»»
Iron restriction keeps blood stem cells young, researchers find
As we age, our hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells (HSCs) become less able to produce new red and white blood cells and other vital blood components—contributing to chronic inflammation and accelerating the onset of blood cancers and degenerat.....»»
How cells manage their mRNA stockpile and its output
In a typical cell, genes encoded in DNA are used to make messenger RNA (mRNA), which is used to make proteins, and this process of gene expression keeps the cell running. Gene expression is regulated in each cell such that specific genes are turned o.....»»
How cells in developing embryos change the way they use enhancers to regulate gene expression
If you look at a nerve cell, a muscle cell, or a skin cell under the microscope, they appear strikingly different. However, every cell in our body has the same DNA and has descended from a common ancestor—the fertilized egg cell. The diversity we o.....»»
Research team develops new technique to release and study individual proteins in cells
A research team led by biochemist Professor Helge Ewers from Freie Universität Berlin has developed a new technique for the light-mediated release and investigation of proteins in live cells. The technique makes use of a laser pulse to control the r.....»»
What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: Using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells
Batteries are usually studied via electrical properties like voltage and current, but new research suggests that observing how heat flows in conjunction with electricity can give important insights into battery chemistry......»»
Harnessing the mechanisms of fungal bioluminescence to confer autonomous luminescence in plant and animal cells
In a striking new study published in Science Advances, a team of synthetic biologists led by Karen Sarkisyan at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, have reported the discovery of multiple plant enzymes—hispidin synthases—that can perform the.....»»
How does a bacterium know it"s time to split apart?
Bacterial cells do not wake up one morning and decide to become parents. But there is a point in their cell cycle—after growing sufficiently and replicating their genomes—when they split in two, creating new cells that then repeat the process. Wh.....»»
Uncovering the role of FOXO1 in vascular development and transcriptional dynamics in endothelial cells
FOXO1, a key transcription factor in cellular processes, governs metabolism, apoptosis, and aging. Despite its significance, the comprehensive regulation of FOXO1 in endothelial cells (EC) remains unexplored......»»
Vitamin A may play a central role in stem cell biology and wound repair
When a child falls off her bike and scrapes her knee, skin stem cells rush to the rescue, growing new epidermis to cover the wound. But only some of the stem cells that will ultimately patch her up are normally dedicated to replenishing the epidermis.....»»
Novel method improves Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy detection of ultra-low concentration trace substances
Recently, a research team led by Prof. Gao Minguang and Associate Prof. Li Xiangxian from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has developed a spectral resolution enhancement method based on linear predictio.....»»
Concentration-independent pressure sensing method developed for high-temperature combustion diagnostics
Recently, a research group led by Prof. Gao Xiaoming and Prof. Liu Kun from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), developed a concentration-independent pressure sensing method based on two-color laser absorp.....»»
Bioengineering company creates induced pluripotent stem cells from elephant skin cells
A team of bioengineers at de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences has announced that they created induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from elephant skin cells. In speaking with the press, officials with the team reported that they are still in t.....»»
Scientists Are Inching Closer to Bringing Back the Woolly Mammoth
De-extinction startup Colossal Biosciences claims it has found a way to reprogram elephant cells, a technical breakthrough that could lead to the return of the long-lost mammals......»»
Company that plans to bring back the mammoth takes a key step
Making elephant stem cells required an elaborate process, lots of failures. Enlarge / Elephant stem cells turned out to be a hassle to generate. (credit: Colossal.) A company called Colossal plans on pioneering the de-ex.....»»
Researchers develop first heat map for individual red blood cells
Entropy is often associated with disorder and chaos, but in biology it is related to energy efficiency and is closely linked to metabolism, the set of chemical reactions that sustain life......»»
Exploring the inner workings of stem cells: When location changes the message
Stem cells are the body's wellspring of renewal. They can turn into any kind of cell the body needs, from liver to skin to bone. But the well would run dry if all the stem cells transformed......»»
Researchers demonstrate control of living cells with electronics
E. coli bacteria and an electronic device might seem to have little in common, but in a recent experiment, University of Maryland researchers linked them into the first closed-loop system able to communicate across the technological–biological divi.....»»