"This opens up a completely new frontier where we can explore the interface between electronic structures and biology.
but no one has addressed this issue-the electronics/cellular interface-at the level at which biology works."
"The idea of merging the biological with the electronic is not a new one for Lieber.
a process common to delivery of many species in biology and medicine-you could go to the doctor
"The ability to precisely control droplets using fluidic computation could have a number of applications in high-throughput biology and chemistry,
Dmitry Fedyanin and Yury Stebunov, have developed an ultracompact highly sensitive nanomechanical sensor for analyzing the chemical composition of substances and detecting biological objects,
researchers make it react with specific substances or even biological objects. If you place antibodies to certain viruses on the cantilever,
and its mission is to seek nanotechnology solutions to challenges in the fields of biology, energy or technology.
Researchers in Sykes'lab are now assessing precisely how the low energy electrons travel through biological fluids.
biotechnology and nanobiotechnology for applications including targeted drug delivery. Chirality of an object is its property that allows it to be non-superimposable with its mirror image.
The human body is composed of chiral biomolecules. Many other biological objects are composed also of these chiral biomolecules.
In these compounds, the'left'form may be significantly different from the'right'form. Among these forms, usually one form is beneficial,
"said Dr. Carmen Gomes, Agrilife Research engineer with the Texas A&m University department of biological and agricultural engineering, College Station.
"I do the biological and polymer engineering; he does the electrochemistry and nanostructures, "she said.
As for the biological component, Gomes said she is using"nanobrushes"specially designed to grab particular bacteria.
"To predators, the bioluminescence is very similar to the light coming from the moon and stars at night,
A report on the work, published online in the journal Biomaterials, builds on recent research by the same team that previously identified a fat-and-sugar molecule called GSL as the chief culprit behind a range of biological glitches that affect the body's ability to properly use, transport
and purge itself of vessel-clogging cholesterol. That earlier study showed that animals feasting on high-fat foods remained free of heart disease if pretreated with a man-made compound
and drug resistance is caused by mutations that cripple these transporters. Jose Garcia-Salcedo, from the Instituto de Investigacion Biosanitaria in Granada, Spain,
most importantly, circumvents drug resistance in a cell line that is resistant as a result of mutations in the transporter that mediates drug uptake.
and circumventing resistance mechanisms caused by mutations in surface transporters.""The implication of this proof-of-concept study of a novel technology for reversing transporter-related drug resistance,
which also has an area of`Biotechnology and Drug Research of Biomedical engineering, Diagnosis and Treatment Equipment.
Earlier this month, MIT spinout Microchips Biotech partnered with a pharmaceutical giant to commercialize its wirelessly controlled, implantable,
Invented by Microchips Biotech cofounders Michael Cima, the David H. Koch Professor of Engineering, and Robert Langer, the David H. Koch Institute Professor, the microchips consist of hundreds of pinhead-sized reservoirs,
and osteoporosis. Now Microchips Biotech will begin co-developing microchips with Teva Pharmaceutical, the world largest producer of generic drugs,
Apart from providing convenience, Microchips Biotech says these microchips could also improve medication-prescription adherence a surprisingly costly issue in the United states. A 2012 report published in the Annals of Internal medicine estimated that Americans who don stick to prescriptions rack up $100 billion
Microchips Biotech will continue work on its flagship product, a birth-control microchip, backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,
Cima, who now serves on the Microchips Biotech board of directors with Langer, sees this hormone-releasing microchip as one of the first implantable rtificial organsbecause it acts as a gland. lot of the therapies are trying to chemically trick the endocrine systems Cima says. e are doing that with this artificial organ we created.
For years, the technology underwent rigorous research and development at Microchips Biotech. But in 2011, Langer and Cima,
MEMS innovations Microchips Biotech made several innovations in the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) manufacturing process to ensure the microchips could be commercialized.
To do so, Microchips Biotech modified a cold-welding ongue and grooveprocess. This meant depositing a soft,
or'CRYO EM'-imaging samples frozen to-180oc-to show the proteasome complex in such extraordinary detail that they could view a prototype drug bound to its active sites.
The research could help other scientists to use CRYO EM in structure-based drug design studies-in which researchers build the best possible drugs starting from a molecule which already binds to the active site of a target protein.
CRYO EM offers the opportunity to study protein complexes in conditions closer to those in the human body.
Because of their essential role in our immune response, they are useful clinical biomarkers for detecting prostate cancer and other diseases.
"Biomarkers such as glycoproteins are essential in diagnostics as they do not rely on symptoms perceived by the patient,
However, the changes in the biomarkers can be incredibly small and specific and so we need technology that can discriminate between these subtle differences-where antibodies are not able to."
The finding was made by a team led by Dr Stephen Royle, associate professor and senior Cancer Research UK Fellow at the division of biomedical cell biology at Warwick Medical school.
s a cell biologist you dream of finding a new structure in cells but it so unlikely.
when they divide each new cell has a complete genome. Mitotic spindles are made of microtubules
A cell needs to share chromosomes accurately when it divides otherwise the two new cells can end up with the wrong number of chromosomes.
This is called aneuploidy and this has been linked to a range of tumours in different body organs.
The mitotic spindle is responsible for sharing the chromosomes and the researchers at the University believe that the mesh is needed to give structural support.
and cells had trouble sharing chromosomes during division. Dr Emma Smith, senior science communications officer at Cancer Research UK, said:
roblems in cell division are common in cancer cells frequently end up with the wrong number of chromosomes.
This early research provides the first glimpse of a structure that helps share out a cell chromosomes correctly
award-winning scientists and pioneering professionals. arwick Medical school division of biomedical cell biology carries out fundamental molecular and cellular research into biomedical problems.
Without a molecular understanding of the underlying cell biology, intelligent directed therapeutic intervention is impossible. The division research focuses on fundamental cell biology processes such as cell division and intracellular communication.
Source: http://www2. warwick. ac. uk m
#Scientists Discover New Chemical reaction Pathway on Titanium dioxide The reaction mechanism, reported in ACS Nano, involves the application of an electric field that narrows the width of the reaction barrier,
along with other researchers developed nanoscale particles that introduce silver antimicrobial potency to a biocompatible lignin core.
Upon disposal, the rest of the particles also degrade easily due to their biocompatible lignin core.
Velev, INVISTA Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular engineering at NC State. The nanoparticles infused with silver ions were utilized to attack Pseudomonas aeruginosa, disease-causing bacteria;
Staphylococcus epidermis, bacteria that form toxic biofilms on plastics such as catheters in the human body; and Ralstonia, a genus of bacteria that contains various soil-borne pathogens.
All these bacteria were destroyed by the newly developed nanoparticles. Using this latest technique, researchers can easily modify the nanoparticle recipe to target certain microbes.
which was led by which Louis Bouchard, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Dimitrios Koumoulis, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar,
Co-authors of the PNAS research were Danny King, formerly a UCLA graduate student in chemistry and biochemistry;
#New Multispectral Microscope for Studying Impact of Experimental Drugs on Biological Samples This is the largest such microscopic image ever created.
This level of multicolor detail is essential for studying the impact of experimental drugs on biological samples
are present at each point in a single biological sample. harmaceutical research is awash with cutting-edge equipment that tries to image
and chemical processes that are taking place within a biological sample. This is essential for pharmaceutical research particularly cancer research--to observe how cells
and observe and study the biological and medical significance of RNA misregulation. Details will be published the week of July 20 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS.
"Mirkin is the George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and professor of medicine, chemical and biological engineering, biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering.
Nanoflares have been very useful for researchers that operate in the arena of quantifying gene expression. Aurasense, Inc.,a biotechnology company that licensed the Nanoflare technology from Northwestern University,
and EMD-Millipore, another biotech company, have commercialized Nanoflares. There are now more than 1, 700 commercial forms of Nanoflares sold under the Smartflare?
name in more than 230 countries. The Sticky-flare is designed to address limitations of Smartflares? most notably their inability to track RNA location and enter the nucleus. The Northwestern team believes Sticky-flares are poised to become a valuable tool for researchers who desire to understand the function of RNA in live cells l
#Nanolock Signs Agreement to License Patents and Related Anti-Biofilm Nanoparticles to Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance Nanolock,
which transforms regular implantable and non-implantable devices to biofilm-resistant platforms. These anti-biofilm properties reduce
or eliminate device or implant-associated infection, improve clinical outcomes and increase device longevity. The nano-polymer additive's unique features are that they are activated only upon contact,
the device's anti-biofilm properties are preserved indefinitely. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered to be the most urgent and important challenge of all medical fields.
More than 60%of microbial infections proceed with involvement of biofilms.""Prof. Ervin Weiss inventor and one of the developers of the nano-polymer additive technology adds,
In particular, materials that mimic biological adsorbents like coral have potentially huge applications.""The researchers tested the coral-like nanoplates on removing mercury from water.
"We hope our work provides inspiration for more research into the development of materials that mimic biological organisms
said Younan Xia, a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.
and Biochemistry and the School of Chemical and Biomolecular engineering at Georgia Tech. e have made hollow nanocages of platinum with walls as thin as a few atomic layers
but the researchers expect expenses to drop over time (as has been the case with genome sequencing).
#Taiwan Biophotonic Releases DOE Reflective Sensor for Fingerless Wrist-Worn Pulse Oximeters Vast amounts of biometric information such as pulse rate blood oxygen
biotechnology and instrumentation expertise to develop a portable, autonomous device that analyzes trace elements. The highly miniaturized microbial analysis machine,
and quantify nucleic acid sequences. Source: http://www. asu. edu
#Researcher Integrates"Motherboard"in Textiles for Determining Sleep Cycles The specialist in infrared physics found a way for the technology to reach the majority of the population,
The future potential of the device is highlighted by co-senior author Zhen Gu, Phd, a professor in the Joint UNC/NC State department of Biomedical engineering:"
and is made from nontoxic, biocompatible materials.""Affecting more than 387 million people worldwide, diabetes is maintained currently with frequent finger prick tests
which will allow sensors to be incorporated into electronic apparel for measuring biological data, including heart rate and muscle contraction.
environmental monitoring, and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) detection. For more information, go to FLIR web site at www. FLIR. com o
#Novel Synthetic Biosensor Glows in Response to Conditions that Mimic TB Infection Robert Abramovitch, an MSU microbiologist,
The findings, published in Nature Chemical Biology, raise promise for medicine but also concerns about"home-brewed"illegal drugs.
Dr John Dueber, a bioengineer at the university, said:""What you really want to do from a fermentation perspective is to be feed able to the yeast glucose,
Prof Paul Freemont, one of the directors of the Centre for Synthetic biology and Innovation at Imperial College London, said:"
"Researchers have been working out the genetic sequence-the blueprint-of all human viruses for many years. The team used this information to generate a pool of bacteriophage-viruses that grow easily in the laboratory-with each bacteriophage expressing a tiny fragment of this human-virus blueprint on its surface.
#L'oreal to start 3d printing skin French cosmetics firm L'oreal is teaming up with bioengineering start-up Organovo to 3d-print human skin.
a bioengineering research scientist at Heriot Watt university. Printing skin could be a different proposition,
Chuyang Cheng, a fourth-year graduate student in Stoddart's laboratory and first author of the paper, has spent his Ph d. studies researching molecules that mimic nature's biochemical machinery.
A team of chemists and biologists at the Institute of Transformative Biomolecules (ITBM), Nagoya University have succeeded in finding new molecules that change the circadian rhythm in mammals by applying synthetic chemistry methods,
Disruption of the circadian rhythm by genetic mutations and environmental factors such as jet lag, may lead to sleep disorders,
The mechanism of the circadian clock works by circadian clock proteins CLOCK and BMAL1 heterodimers binding to a genetic sequence called E-box (CACGTG),
and worked closely with the biologists at ITBM to synthesize molecules for studying structure-activity relationships (SARS)."Through SAR studies on the molecular derivatives of KL001,
"says Takashi Yoshimura, an animal biologist and professor at ITBM, who also led this research from a biological perspective."
"It was found that the carbazole moiety was critical for rhythm-changing activity and that the substituents on the heteroaromatic ring are responsible for tuning the rhythm lengthening/shortening activities,
This is my first research outcome from the center's interdisciplinary collaboration between chemists and biologists,
and animal/plant biologists from different research groups work in the same lab space.""We hope we can make further use of synthetic chemistry to make bioactive molecules that can control the circadian rhythm of animals and gain further insight into the circadian clock mechanism,
#Complex, large-scale genome analysis made easier The mset algorithm by Oliver Stegle at EMBL-EBI makes large-scale,
complex genome analyses easier. Researchers at EMBL-EBI have developed a new approach to studying the effect of multiple genetic variations on different traits.
The new algorithm, published in Nature Methods, makes it possible to perform genetic analysis of up to 500,000 individuals-and many traits-at the same time.
The relationship between genes and specific traits is complicated more than simple one-to-one relationships between genes and diseases.
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) show that many genetic factors are at play for any given trait
but scientists are just beginning to explore how, specifically, genetic variations affect health and disease. Two major statistical challenges to finding these connections involve analysing associations between many different genetic variants and multiple traits,
and can explain a larger proportion of these traits in terms of the genetics that drive them."
These methods will help researchers determine which specific aspects of our biology are inherited, and uncover new insights into the genetics behind our countless biological processes."
"Source: European Molecular biology Laborator r
#A microtubule'roadway'in the retina helps provide energy for vision Fluorescently labeled microtubules extend from the tips of the dendrites (top) into the axon and down into the giant synaptic terminal (bottom) of a single isolated goldfish retinal
Peter Facchini, professor in biological sciences, Jill Hagel, research associate, and Scott Farrow, Phd student. Many people who live in developing countries do not have access to the pain relief that comes from morphine or other analgesics.
"The findings were published July 1 in Nature Chemical Biology, and detail the missing step to morphine biosynthesis. Next steps Facchini says the isolation of this gene,
among many other things, is a key step toward the reassembly of the pathway to morphine in microorganisms such as yeast."
codeine and oxycodone,"says Facchini, professor of biological sciences in the Faculty of science and an internationally recognized expert on the opium poppy."
#New cell division mechanism discovered Canadian and British researchers have discovered that chromosomes play an active role in animal cell division.
It was observed by a team of researchers including Gilles Hickson, an assistant professor at the University of Montreal's Department of Pathology and Cell biology and researcher at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, his assistant Silvana Jananji, in collaboration with Nelio
and Sergey Lekomtsev, a postdoc, working in the group led by Buzz Baum of the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell biology at University college London.
and it was unknown until now that chromosomes could play an active role at this step in cytokinesis.
the separation of chromosomes followed by splitting of the cell into two new daughter cells by cytokinesis."
called microtubules, were involved in pulling chromosomes to opposite poles of the cell during the division process."
"At this time, microtubules physically separate the chromosomes via their central kinetochores while other microtubules signal to the cortex of the cell where its equator is, i e.,
Furthermore until now, it was believed that the chromosomes only played a passive role: that they were pulled by the microtubules
Chromosomes'active role Initially working with the cells of fruit flies using powerful genetic tools and sophisticated microscopy,
the research team discovered that chromosomes emit signals that influence the cortex of the cell to reinforce microtubule action.
This is what makes fruit flies such a powerful system for helping us to understand human biology.""When chromosomes are segregated,
they approach the membrane at the poles of the cell, and thanks to this enzyme's actions, this contributes to the softening of the polar membrane,
who has devoted the last 15 years of his research life to cell biology. In fact, all cancers are unchecked characterised by cell division,
the researchers used biochemical and biophysical cues to prompt stem cells to differentiate and self-organize into micron-scale cardiac tissue,
"said Kevin Healy, a UC Berkeley professor of bioengineering, who is co-senior author of the study with Dr. Bruce Conklin, a senior investigator at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular disease and a professor of medical genetics and cellular and molecular pharmacology at UC San francisco."
"This technology could help us quickly screen for drugs likely to generate cardiac birth defects, and guide decisions about
"This spatial differentiation happens in biology naturally, but we demonstrated this process in vitro, "said study lead author Zhen Ma, a UC Berkeley postdoctoral researcher in bioengineering."
"The confined geometric pattern provided biochemical and biophysical cues that directed cardiac differentiation and the formation of a beating microchamber."
"Could eventually replace animal models Modeling early heart development is difficult to achieve in a petri dish and tissue culture plates,
Dean of the University of Leeds'Faculty of Biological sciences and Professor of Mechanistic Biology, said:"
"There has been huge investment in sequencing the human genome with the idea that if we get all the relevant genetic information we can predict
whether you have a predisposition to cancer and, ultimately, use a precision medicine-based approach to develop a therapeutic approach.
A conventional approach to diagnosing this cancer would be to look for genetic modification of the receptor
and found that the"Akt pathway"could be activated without genetic modifications. Two proteins; Plc? 1 (pronounced"plc-gamma-1")and Grb2 (pronounced"grab-2),
Dr Zahra Timsah, University Academic Fellow at the University of Leeds'School of Molecular and Cellular biology,,
Measuring the levels of the proteins in patient tissues followed by database analysis of clinical information from The Cancer Genome Atlas
"From the patient's point of view, the key findings are that these proteins are biomarkers. They could offer information to clinicians on who is going to benefit from therapy and,
"Previous research findings have emphasised the roots of cancer in genetic mutation. Some studies have pointed to cancers that occur without genetic causes,
such as through epigenetic modifications of proteins, however the present study reveals that signalling though cell wall-based receptors can occur without receptor activation
scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Alexander Grass Center for Bioengineering report that they produced large amounts of functional liver cells from human embryonic and genetic engineered stem cells."
"The implications for liver biology and drug discovery are said quite staggering Prof. Oren Shibolet, Head of the Liver Unit at the Tel-aviv Sourasky Medical center, who was involved not in this study."
CRISPR/Cas9 enables the human genome to be altered with extreme precision by'cutting'both strands of the DNA in the double helix
and deleting defective genetic material. Gene-editing techniques could be used to edit almost any gene and treat genetic conditions,
Dr Marcy Darnovsky, director of the Center for Genetics and Society in Berkeley, California has criticised the Asilomar conference model.
the cells'biomarker profiles were consistently similar to that of adult NPCS and did not express biomarkers for pluripotency.
The cells were also robust, surviving in vitro for several months. The team then demonstrated that the cells could be manipulated to give rise to multiple neural cell types including glial cells, dopaminergic cells of the central nervous system and nociceptive (pain) neurons of the peripheral nervous system.
the first author of the study published in Nature Genetics.''This could potentially benefit those who are at danger from lack of pain perception and help in the development of new treatments for pain relief.'
but they also found ten new mutations in PRDM12 gene. The gene was known already to be involved in the modification of histones,
which are able to switch other genes on and off-an epigenetic effect. By studying mouse and frog embryos as well as human stem cells
Epigenetic effects have been linked to pain sensitivity (see Bionews 741) and possibilities for using these mechanisms as a basis for treatments of pain are already being investigated.
Blood samples were analysed using a technique called'massively parallel sequencing'to look for an excess of genetic material from chromosome 21
The researchers, who presented their findings at the European Society of Human genetics conference in Glasgow,
#Study paves way for genetics-first approach to brain cancer treatment Two US studies have identified specific genetic mutations in gliomas
Using previous studies into tumour biology, three mutations were identified in patients with gliomas. Tumours taken from glioma patients were scored as positive or negative for these mutations,
which led to the creation of five categories of mutation combinations. The genetic profiles of the tumours were associated then with patient age, prognosis and the response of the tumour type to different treatments.
For example tumours with one genetic profile were shown to grow slowly, and respond well to drug treatment,
therefore patients with this tumour type are good candidates for treatment by chemotherapy only. A second tumour type was shown to respond poorly to chemotherapy only,
'Both studies can justifiably claim that molecular classification captures the biologic features of glioma variants better than does histopathological evaluation,
Previous studies have looked at the genomes of those with autism to identify the genes that might be responsible,
'Instead of starting from genetics, we've started with the biology of the disorder itself to try to get a window into the genome,
who runs the project out of Oxford Institute of Biomedical engineering. The professor told in-Pharmatechnologist. com the method can be used to help small and large molecule medicines hone in on their targets. ith all therapies that are used currently particularly cancer the major problem is very little of the drug makes it to the target site.
According to a recent review in Nature Materials making one billion human pluripotent stem cells with a polymeric substrate is ten to 15 times cheaper than using a biological equivalent like Synthemax,
According to a recent review in Nature Materials making one billion human pluripotent stem cells with a polymeric substrate is ten to 15 times cheaper than using a biological equivalent like Synthemax
Lead researcher Aydogan Ozcan, Howard Hughes Medical Institute chancellor professor at UCLA, sat down with Bioscience Technology to talk about this advancement and its implications for resource-poor labs,
-and Nanophotonics Laboratory at UCLA Electrical engineering and Bioengineering Departments, said. To scan the DNA researchers developed a computational interface
and potentially decide on a drug choice based on some of the genetic testing copy number variations of certain genes that you would find in the sample taken from the patient. he technology also removes barriers to testing that cities
Besant and his team, including his supervisor Professor Shana Kelley of the Institute for Biomaterials & Biomedical engineering and the Faculties of Pharmacy and Medicine,
and biomedical engineering to design a chip that concentrates bacteria in a miniscule spaceust two nanolitres in volumen order to increase the effective concentration of the starting sample.
#Building a Better Microscope to See at the Atomic Level One of the more famous images in biology is known as"Photo 51,
One of the more famous images in biology is known as"Photo 51, "an image of DNA that chemist Rosalind Franklin and Raymond Gosling created in 1952 by shooting X-rays through fibers of DNA
Yet biologists are interested particularly in these membrane proteins because the membrane is the cell dock, its security checkpoint, its mailbox.
biologists need to zoom in to the atomic level. The proteinsresistance to crystallization, therefore, left scientists in a bind.
or CRYO EM, the technique had largely been written off as useless for determining the structure of very small proteins.
and other institutions have made CRYO EM a key tool in structural biology. ryo-EM has made this marked jump in the last three or four years in terms of resolution,
Julius collaborated with Yifan Cheng, Ph d.,associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics, to use CRYO EM to visualize the structure of the body receptors that sense the spiciness of chili peppers and, in work reported last month, wasabi.
These receptors are involved also in how the body signals pain and the findings are already being used to test new pain drugs that bind to these receptors. y being able to really determine a molecule atomic structure,
you can make connections between the biology and chemistry, and it also provides capability for drug discovery
and design, said David Agard, Ph d.,professor of biophysics and biochemistry and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator,
who worked with Cheng to create better cameras and software for CRYO EM. o it really a huge change in what possible. etter Camera, Better Picture Yet for a long time,
scientists didn believe electron microscopy would be useful for imaging proteins and other biological samples at all.
The problem was that electron microscopes work by shooting electrons at the speed of light through a biological sample suspended in a vacuum;
this process often destroyed the raw biological samples researchers were trying to see. Then in the 1970s and 1980s, researchers at Heidelberg European Molecular biology Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory developed a way to protect samples
they rapidly freeze the purified biological samples in a very thin layer of liquid. Yet even when frozen at around-300°F,
Another challenge was that earlier digital cameras used in CRYO EM detected light not electrons. So when the electron passed through the sample the signal had to be translated into light signals,
CRYO EM had previously been used to examine larger structures, like ribosomes and viruses, but this was the first membrane protein to
who does CRYO EM research at HHMI Janelia Research Campus, In virginia. Earlier this year, Cheng and Julius determined the structure of another key protein receptor,
for sure, said Cheng. his opens up tremendous opportunities for the field to tackle many challenging problems in structural biology.
The resolution of CRYO EM as used by Cheng and Agard is currently about 3 ångströms;
Cheng plans to use CRYO EM to examine the same molecule that Watson, Crick, and Franklin probed over 60 years ago DNA and, more specifically, chromatin, the term for DNA in complex with its associated proteins."
and I anticipate that CRYO EM will also play a significant role in this area.""Source: University of California San Francisc r
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