Biology Biotechnology

Researchers at Kanazawa University and University of California, San Francisco report in Science that arbitrary proteins, when combined with anchoring and receptor proteins, can work as a signaling protein “morphogen” capable of engineered spatial patterning.

Osaka City University unravels the atomic architecture of the “Nap” protein complex found on Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications the mechanism making some lung-cancer patients resistant to the drug osimertinib. In addition, they suggest a combined drug treatment resolving osimertinib resistance in the case of cancer cells expressing low amounts of AXL, a protein belonging to the class of receptor tyrosine kinases.

Scientists are learning about species adaptation by comparing their stem cell-related genes.

While scientists still don’t fully understand the diverse nature of RNA molecules, it is believed that the proteins binding to them, called RNA-binding proteins, are associated with many disease formation. A research led by biomedical scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has developed a novel detection method, called CARPID, to identify binding proteins of specific RNAs in the living cells. It is expected the innovation can be applied in various cell research, from identifying biomarkers of cancer diagnosis to detecting potential drug targets for treating viral diseases.

Scientists demonstrate that the information about host bacteria–bacteriophage (phage) associations derived from world’s first metagenome analysis is useful for the development of phage therapies against intestinal pathobionts.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Biomaterials a high-speed atomic-force microscopy study of protein filaments in the nuclear pore complex. The visualization in real-time of the filaments’ dynamics is an important step in our understanding of molecular transport mechanisms between a cell nucleus and its surrounding medium.

A method that involves infecting liver cells with mosquito-bred parasites could improve the study of malaria in India.

Hiroshima University scientists will work on a low-cost sex selection system for bovines using their new technology to help grow dairy herds and boost the incomes of India’s smallholder farmers.

Novel system for simultaneously measuring brain electrical signals from multiple zebrafish opens up path to cheaper and faster drug screening for neurological disorders

A transparent container made by Nagoya University researchers allows easy and quick grafting of very young plants, with benefits for agriculture and plant research.

The newly developed rapid testing kit detects COVID-19 antibodies, requiring only micro-liter volume of serum and 15 minutes of time for achieving results.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology a promising novel approach for a combined treatment of the most common type of lung cancer and associated secondary cancers in the central nervous system. The approach lies in combining two cancer drugs, with one compensating for a resistance side effect of the other.

The way research in bioprinting will be taken forward has been laid out in this roadmap for the field.

Researchers at Tohoku University have developed a new type of smart contact lenses that can prevent dry eyes. The self-moisturising system, which is described in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies, maintains a layer of fluid between the contact lens and the eye using a novel mechanism.

Using tissue engineering techniques, researchers are developing living heart valves that can grow after implantation in the human heart.

Malaria parasites transform healthy red blood cells into rigid versions of themselves that clump together, hindering the transportation of oxygen. The infectious disease affects more than 200 million people across the world and causes nearly half a million deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization’s 2018 report on malaria. Until now, however, researchers did not have a strong understanding of how the parasite so effectively infiltrated a system’s red blood cells.

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.

A team of researchers from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and Karolinska Institutet has recently developed a new protein which can help increase the targeting accuracy in the genome editing process. It is believed that it would be useful for future gene therapies in human which require high precision.

Development of novel agonist antibodies to treat cancer by collaboration between academia and industry

Professor Eun-Kyoung Kim’s team in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences discovered the mechanism underlying the regulation of energy metabolism by hypothalamic tanycyte. Proposed a new research direction to develop an enhanced obesity treatment.

Advanced Materials publishes a special issue, highlighting some of the outstanding works of South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST).

Successfully identified the existence of two types of 'gastric isthmus stem cells' with different roles and characteristics using a multi-color identification technology. Expects to clarify and treat causes of gastric diseases such as cancer.

A recent study, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has successfully modeled network channels similar to our blood capillaries in the simplest way containing one or two loops.

A new high-resolution approach using portable DNA sequencers provides a more complete genomic picture of antibiotic resistance in gut bacteria.

Chronic stress induces autophagic death of adult hippocampal neural stem cells (NSCs). Expected to offer new opportunities for development of early treatment options for stress-associated brain diseases.

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Direct electrolysis has mixed results for extracting fuel sources from microalgae.

Faizatul Lela Jafar, Scientific Officer and Biosafety Officer from Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya has been named as one of the two recipients for IFBA’s 2017 Biosafety Heroes for her significant contribution to help others in biosafety and biosecurity.

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