Biology
News
29 Jan 2025
Japanese collaborators detected all five nucleobases — building blocks of DNA and RNA — in samples returned from asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.
27 Jan 2025
Gel-based sample pre-fractionation leads to detailed proteoform analysis with mass spectrometry
23 Jan 2025
Latest findings on the significance and interaction between cell death and cellular senescence in cancer
22 Jan 2025
Researchers from Osaka University have developed a groundbreaking method to expand the palette of bioluminescent protein colors for cell labeling. By creating 20 distinct colors, they have enabled the simultaneous detection of multiple labeled cells using a standard camera. This innovative approach simplifies the tracking of individual cells within a population and holds significant potential for applications such as monitoring cell fate or identifying rare cells with unique responses to drugs.
22 Jan 2025
Juvenile dolphins were found to have specialized receptors for fatty acids on their tongues, offering new insights into their growth and feeding habits.
20 Jan 2025
Using internet memes to teach science can significantly improve learning outcomes for senior high school students.
15 Jan 2025
At Duke-NUS Medical School scientists are pioneering breakthroughs in precision medicine and regenerative therapies, targeting everything from muscle loss to dramatically extending our years of health.
15 Jan 2025
A research team proposes a method to assess cancer patients for their likelihood to either respond to treatment or relapse.
15 Jan 2025
Tsuyoshi Watanabe uses corals to understand the environment of the past and what it can tell us about people living then.
14 Jan 2025
A new study has lifted the lid on five species of root-lesion nematodes living in maize crops across New Zealand - and suggested the existence of a hitherto-unsuspected cryptic species.
14 Jan 2025
Zebrafish arrestins take turns inactivating key protein depending on intensity of light
13 Jan 2025
A new treatment with iron nanoparticles and nitric oxide gas shows promise in destroying oral cancer cells.
13 Jan 2025
A newly designed model system simulates how viruses exit cells, offering potential advancements in targeted drug delivery and biotechnology.
13 Jan 2025
Crossing the uncanny valley, Batteries that don’t explode, Tiny climate change fighters, Liver-friendly mushroom & Foetal defence. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.
08 Jan 2025
Ateneo researchers are looking to turn milkfish skin, a common waste byproduct of the Philippine fishing industry, into an invaluable medical resource.
23 Dec 2024
Intimate insights into relationship between cost of gamete production and sexual selection
18 Dec 2024
Researchers have found that adding sugar or artificial sweetener to drinks with caffeine gives a significant boost to the sleep-wake period in mice
16 Dec 2024
This bioengineering breakthrough has found a way to make neurons grown in a dish react just like the real thing.
16 Dec 2024
- DGIST Professor Kim Kyuhyung's research team uncovers the role of Piezo channels that sense pressure in the digestive tract and regulate swallowing behavior
- The research opens new opportunities for developing treatments for digestive and eating disorders
16 Dec 2024
Near-gap-free and near-error-free genomes of a susceptible bed bug strain and a superstrain with around 20,000-fold insecticide resistance offer the broadest look yet at the full scope of mutations driving their resilience.
13 Dec 2024
The distribution of traditional wild food sources in the Republic of Sakha could change significantly, affecting the diets and incomes of Indigenous rural communities who depend on them.

13 Dec 2024
Researchers at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, have discovered how a protein called lamin A helps repair the protective barrier around a cell's DNA. The findings reveal lamin A's unique role and its potential for treating Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, a rare disorder that causes premature aging.
12 Dec 2024
Scientists unearth a clue to the molecular mechanisms involved in N2O reduction by deep-sea hydrothermal vent bacteria.
12 Dec 2024
Cell wall proteins exhibit emulsifying action, offer possible alternative to emulsifiers derived from milk, other known allergens

12 Dec 2024
In a study recently published in the journal Nano Letters, published by American Chemical Society, researchers from Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan, used frequency-modulated atomic force microscopy to reveal the submolecular structure of microtubule (MT) inner surface and visualize structural defects in the MT lattice, providing valuable insights into the complex dynamic processes that regulate microtubule function.
11 Dec 2024
Amino acid serine inhibits Clostridium perfringens spore formation
06 Dec 2024
Duke-NUS researchers have discovered that foetuses can manage their own immune responses to combat diseases and infections like Zika
06 Dec 2024
Venice of the Pacific, Membrane transformers, Diverse meals, Nano dots and spirals & Extinct swimmers. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.
05 Dec 2024
- Revealing how astrocytes interact with nerve cells to generate a stress response
- Suggesting a new direction in the development of treatments for stress-related mental disorders
Events
24 Jul 2024 to 28 Jul 2024
Asia’s largest bioindustry-focused gathering, BIO Asia–Taiwan 2024,
will be held July 24th to 28th, 2024, in Taipei, Taiwan.
26 Jul 2023 to 30 Jul 2023
BIO Asia–Taiwan is Asia's largest biotech networking event, and is jointly organized by the global Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and the Taiwan Bio Industry Organization (Taiwan BIO).
07 Nov 2022 to 09 Nov 2022
FCS2022 is jointly organized by eight major research institutes in Singapore and includes a line-up of internationally renowned cancer experts. The conference converges the latest cancer discoveries around the world and promises ground-breaking and innovative insights into cancer research.
30 Jul 2021
The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB), the Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB) and the College of Biochemists of Sri Lanka (CBSL), will conduct the 1st Virtual Education Symposium themed “The ‘New Normal’ Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education”, on the 30thof July 2021.

01 Jun 2021 to 30 Jun 2021
The Ocean Celebration event runs 1-30 June 2021 and is organized by the Borneo Marine Research Institute of Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
19 Mar 2020 to 20 Mar 2020
Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology(ASHBi) holds the annual symposium with twenty-one speakers who are leading human biology including human development, genetics, and evolution.
14 Jan 2020 to 17 Jan 2020
Organised by the National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore, the Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS) brings together distinguished scientists, post-graduates and academics for four days of learning and mentoring from 14 to 17 January 2020.
28 Aug 2019
The 2019 Genome Expo is scheduled to be held at UNIST from August 28 to 29, 2019.
Researchers
I am an efficient Professor able to Develop courses with IT skills & sound teaching skills in a manner attractive to students. I have vast experience in supervising postgraduate research & Contribute in a well manner to the ongoing academic development of the School’s postgraduate courses and research.
Prof Jun Suzuki is a biochemist and the deputy director at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University, Japan.
Dr Sarkar is a senior research fellow at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia. She is
actively engaged in collaborating with academic and industry stakeholders and leads multiple projects for the development of novel therapeutics/vaccines to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Sarfraz Ahmed is working as a Scientist at Harvard Medical School's Mass General Hospital. His research interests include Diseases and Therapeutics especially focus on Cancer and Therapeutics, Cancer Immunology, Photomedicine, Photo compounds and Photodevices for Cancer, Cancer and Natural agents, Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology for Cancer, Drugs resistance, Microbiology (Bacteriology & Virology) and Drugs resistance
Dr Fabien Grasset is a Research Director at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and currently serving as Director of Research for Rennes Institute of Chemical Sciences (ISCR). His areas of expertise include materials chemistry, solid-state chemistry, nanotechnology, nanoparticles, optical coatings and thin films.
Dr. Eisuke Hasegawa is an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, where he heads the Animal Ecology Laboratory. His research interests include animal ecology; evolutionary biology; natural selection; sociality; and ethology.
Dr. Yukio Yasui is an Associate Professor at Kagawa University. He has dedicated his research work to ecology, ethology and evolutionary biology studies, with his more recent work on the evolution of sex.
Dr. Wong Sin Yeng is an associate professor and Deputy Director at the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), whose work has led to identifying hundreds of new plant species in Southeast Asia.
Dr Ashfaq Ahmad Shah 'اشفاک ' born on 6 June 1992, from south Kashmir, Doderkoot ددیرکوٹ Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India is the infection immunity doctoral researcher at the Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun, UK, India. Dr Shah is pursuing novel dimensions of infection immunity pertaining to the correlation and impact of phyto-immune components termed phytoalexins and phytoanticipins on the benign immune system of human beings. This parameter of immunology is termed phytoalexin-immunomodulation scrutiny. His area of interest lies in Preclinical and clinical studies, i.e. vaccine adjuvant development, development of anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial compounds, evaluation of antibiotic resistance, study of Immuno-modulatory activities, disease model studies, protease isolation against specific protein antigens, and the discipline of Kalology including tyrosinase inhibition, PPO inhibition, skin whitening agents, kerato-peeling etc. Dr Ashfaq is a Doctoral Researcher, Reviewer and Editorial member of several journals and books. He is having several publications in journals of national and international repute. So far he has published more than thirty scopus infection/immunology/pharmacology scientific papers, including Fifteen international book chapters and two international books. Mr Shah received the Young scientist award in August 2023 for his groundbreaking academic performance in the field of infection immunity. Mr Shah has also been an editor of Wikipedia pages in medical science since 2015 with more than 1000 edits in medical topics available to medical literature worldwide.
Dr. Zong-Hong Lin is a Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University and at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University.
Dr. Cheng-Siang Tan is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). He is an expert in infectious and emerging diseases and biosafety and biorisk management.
Dr. Crumlish has researched aquatic microbial diseases, specifically ones that have economic impact in global aquaculture, and potential solutions to such infectious diseases. Her current project seeks to develop vaccines against antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture.
Dr. Tay has researched antibodies and diseases like malaria and SARS-CoV-2 at A*STAR. His focus is on discovering methods for developing antibodies that can be used in therapies against multidrug-resistant pathogens.
Nguyen Huu Nghia is the Director of the Center for Environment and Disease Monitoring in Aquaculture (CEDMA) at the Research Institute for Aquaculture No.1 (RIA1) under Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. He has co-managed various research efforts in Vietnam aquaculture as well as published recent research into the use of nanobubbles.
Dr. Ikhsan is an associate professor at the Department of Aquaculture, University Putra Malaysia. She specializes in the field of Aquatic Microbial Ecology particularly in the development of innovative and sustainable microbial management strategies through understanding of the host-microbe interaction for enhanced microbial stability.
Dr. Oehlers leads the Bacterial Pathogenesis Laboratory at A*STAR ID Labs, where he and his colleagues focus on identifying molecular bases of mycobacterial disease and, thus, deploy therapies that address antibiotic resistance in mycobacterial infections.
Dr. Yue Wang is senior principal investigator at the Antifungal Resistance Laboratory of A*STAR ID Labs, where his body of work focuses on virulence mechanisms of the fungal human pathogen Candida albicans.
Dr. Singhal serves as senior principal investigator at the Bacterial Immunopathology Lab at A*STAR ID Labs in Singapore. His work at A*STAR ID Labs revolves around three main pathogens: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Gram-negative bacteria and Dengue virus.
Dr. Bifani is a principal investigator at A*STAR ID Labs at their Antimicrobial Resistance Lab. He has extensively researched antimicrobial resistance in tuberculosis and malaria. He is also an associate professor and research director at the Yong Yoo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
Dr. Yan is an assistant professor at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong (CityU). His current research focuses on developing genomic tools to dissect lncRNA function and mechanism in diseases and to identify genetic variations that contribute to disease pathogenesis.
Dr. Deng is a biomedical scientist with a special interest in bacterial virulence, including gene regulation, signaling pathways, and RNA epigenetics. He has worked on virulence regulation in pathogens to discover new therapies against bacterial infections.
Dr. So Iwata is a Professor at the Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University and the Group Director of the SACLA Science Research Group, RIKEN SPring-8 Center. He has investigated how specialized membrane channels remove antimicrobial drugs from inside bacterial cells.
Dr. Mitchell is a professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). His primary research interest is the study of bacterial strains that attack and prey on other bacteria, including antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.
Dr. Soojin Jang heads the Antibacterial Resistance Research Laboratory at Institut Pasteur Korea, where her team focuses on discovering new antibacterial agents for “superbugs” or bacteria resistant to most antibiotics.
Assistant Professor Izumi Fukunaga grew up in Japan and Malaysia and went to London to study neuroscience. Her research focuses on how sensory circuits in the brain function.
Professor Gail Tripp is a neurobiologist who established the OIST Children’s Research Center to undertake research on the nature, etiology and management of ADHD with English and Japanese speaking children and families.
Assistant Professsor Lauren Sallan is a fish paleobiologist who uses big data — the fossil record — to study how some species win and others lose. Her multiple TED Talks on the evolution of fishes, mass extinction and paleontology have received over 3 million views.
Dr Owen Rackham is an expert in the development of computational approaches for cell reprogramming and disease-gene association.
Dr. Sonia Chotani is a computational biologist working in the area of small open reading frames and RNA translation in human diseases.
Giants in history
Japanese biochemist Akira Endo (1933 – 2024) discovered the first statin, called mevastatin, which lowered cholesterol levels in the blood by inhibiting a key enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. His work laid the foundation for the development of statins to help patients lower their blood cholesterol levels and reduce their risk of heart disease or stroke.
Chinese biochemist Chi Che Wang (1894 - 1979), one of the first Chinese women to study abroad, advanced to prominent research positions at American institutions including the University of Chicago and the Northwestern University Medical School.
Pakistani botanist Azra Quraishi (22 September 1945 – 22 November 2002) is recognised for developing virus-free seed potatoes that increased potato production in Pakistan by an estimated five per cent.
Flora Zaibun Majid ( 1939–2018) was an accomplished Bangladeshi researcher in botany and nutrition science and the first female chairperson of the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali (12 November 1896 – 20 June 1987), commonly referred to as the Birdman of India, was the first person to conduct systematic surveys of birds from across India.
Indian botanist Shipra Guha-Mukherjee (13 July 1938 – 15 September 2007) made a breakthrough discovery that enabled the genetic study of plants and, by extension, the development of improved varieties of rice, wheat, potatoes, and other crops.
During her short life, Fahire Battalgil (1902 - 1948) achieved renown as the first zoologist from Turkey to make strides in the field of freshwater fish biodiversity.
Michiaki Takahashi (17 February 1928 – 16 December 2013) was a Japanese virologist who developed the first chickenpox vaccine.
Irene Ayako Uchida’s (8 April 1917 – 30 July 2013) strides to understand genetic diseases such as Down syndrome paved the way for early screening of chromosomal abnormalities in foetuses.
Baron Kitasato Shibasaburo (29 January 1856 – 13 June 1931) was a Japanese physician and bacteriologist whose work led to a new understanding of preventing and treating tetanus, diphtheria and anthrax.
By isolating soil microorganisms and studying the compounds they produce, Satoshi Omura (born 1935) discovered almost 500 organic compounds with unique properties that were produced by these microorganisms, including many new antibiotics.
Chinese-American virologist and molecular biologist Flossie Wong-Staal (27 August 1946 – 8 July 2020) was the first scientist to clone HIV and determine the function of its genes.
Maharani Chakravorty (1937 – 2015) was one of India’s earliest molecular biologists whose research paved the way for advances in the treatment of bacterial and viral infections.
Archana Sharma (16 February 1932 - 14 January 2008) conducted research into plant and human genetics that expanded the understanding of both botany and human health. In relation to botany, she uncovered the means by which asexually-reproducing plants evolve into new species.
Hwang Hye-seong (5 July 1920 – 14 December 2006) was an expert on Korean royal court cuisine, the knowledge of which she dedicated her career to keeping alive. Formerly an assistant professor of nutritional science, Hwang met the last kitchen court lady in the Joseon Dynasty Han Hui-sun and, from her, learned about the culinary traditions of the royal court.
In 1915, pathologist Katsusaburo Yamagiwa and his research assistant Koichi Ichikawa became the first to prove that chronic exposure to chemicals can cause cancer.
Reiji Okazaki (8 October 1930 – 1 August 1975) and Tsuneko (7 June 1933) were a Japanese couple who discovered Okazaki fragments – short sequences of DNA that are synthesized during DNA replication and linked together to form a continuous strand.
Tsuneko (7 June 1933) and Reiji Okazaki (8 October 1930 – 1 August 1975) were a Japanese couple who discovered Okazaki fragments – short sequences of DNA that are synthesized during DNA replication and linked together to form a continuous strand.
Husband and wife team, Kimishige (3 December 1925 – 6 July 2018) and Teruko Ishizaka (28 September 1926 – 4 June 2019) discovered the antibody class Immunoglobulin E (IgE) that triggers allergic reactions. They also discovered that IgE antibodies attach to white blood cells, known as mast cells, releasing histamine, which causes allergic reactions.
Husband and wife team, Kimishige (3 December 1925 – 6 July 2018) and Teruko Ishizaka (28 September 1926 – 4 June 2019) discovered the antibody class Immunoglobulin E (IgE) that triggers allergic reactions. They also discovered that IgE antibodies attach to white blood cells, known as mast cells, releasing histamine, which causes allergic reactions.
Lim Boo Liat (21 August 1926 – 11 July 2020), a leading authority in the conservation of Malaysia’s biological diversity, had his initial interest in the outdoors piqued by nature lessons in school. Lim, who helped found the National Zoo of Malaysia and re-establish the Malaysian Nature Society, had a particular interest in researching zoonotic diseases associated with small animals.
A pioneer of bio-organic chemistry, Darshan Ranganathan (4 June 1941 – 4 June 2001) is remembered for developing a protocol for synthesising imidazole, a compound used to make antifungal drugs and antibiotics. Widely considered India’s most prolific researcher in chemistry, she also published dozens of papers in renowned journals on protein folding, molecular design, chemical simulation of key biological processes, and the synthesis of functional hybrid peptides and nanotubes.
In his over 30 year career in rice research, Munshi Siddique Ahmad (1924 – 19 October 2011) developed more than 30 varieties of high-yielding rice, including the BRRI Shail strain, which was responsible for increasing the rice production of Bangladesh from 8 million tonnes in 1965 to 20 million tonnes in 1975.
Ground-breaking cancer researcher Kamal Jayasing Ranadive (8 November 1917 – 11 April 2001) advanced the understanding of the causes of leukaemia, breast cancer and oesophageal cancer through the use of animal models. She was also among the first to recognise how susceptibility to cancer is linked to tumour-causing interactions between hormones and viruses.
Birbal Sahni (14 November 1891 – 10 April 1949), a pioneer of Indian palaeobotanical research, and founder of what is now the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences in Lucknow, made multiple contributions to the study of prehistoric plants. These include the discovery of a new group of fossil gymnosperms (named Pentoxylae), reconstruction of the extinct Williamsonia sewardiana plant, and description of a new type of petrified wood from the Jurassic age.
Thai physician and conservationist Boonsong Lekagul (1907 – 1992) made major contributions to the preservation of his country’s wildlife.
Filipina chemist María Orosa (29 November 1892–13 February 1945) fought malnutrition and food insecurity in the Philippines by devising over 700 culinary creations including Soyalac, a nutrient rich drink made from soybeans, and Darak, rice cookies packed with Vitamin B1, which could prevent beriberi disease caused by Vitamin B1 deficiency. She was also a partisan of the guerrilla movement resisting Japanese occupation during World War II, and died after being struck by shrapnel while working in her laboratory during the Battle of Manila.
Eminent Filipina scientist and educator Clara Lim-Sylianco (18 August 1925 – 23 July 2013) is remembered for her extensive research on mutagens – often-carcinogenic agents that permanently alter genetic materials such as DNA – antimutagens and bioorganic mechanisms.
Chinese biochemist Cao Tianqin (5 December 1920 – 8 January 1995) discovered the myosin light chain, a subunit of myosin, a protein crucial for muscle contraction.
Research by Filipino plant scientist Benito Vergara (23 June 1934 – 24 October 2015) on the physiology of rice led to the development of deep-water and cold-tolerant rice varieties. Vergara also made several contributions to expanding public awareness of rice science.