Phys.org June 8, 2021 Researchers in the UK have developed the concept of the evotype to help biological engineers both harness, design, and capture the evolutionary potential of a biosystem. The evotype can be broken into three key parts: Variation, Function, and Selection, with each of these offering a tuning knob for bioengineers to control the possible paths available to evolution. Many of the tools already available to bioengineers fitted nicely into their framework when considered from an evolutionary perspective. Their concept of the evotype not only provides a means for developing biotechnologies that can harness evolution in new ways, […]
Category Archives: Biotechnology
COVID-19 testing method gives results within one second
Phys.org May 18, 2021 An international team of researchers (USA – University of Florida, Taiwan) has developed a sensor system which amplifies the binding signal for a target biomarker using a disposable and biofunctionalized strips, which can be connected externally to a reusable printed circuit board for signal amplification with an embedded MOSFET. The sensor was externally connected to the gate electrode of the MOSFET, and synchronous pulses were applied to both the sensing strip and the drain contact of the MOSFET. The resulting changes in the dynamics of drain waveforms were converted into analog voltages and digital readouts, which […]
Rapid COVID-19 diagnostic test delivers results within 4 minutes with 90 percent accuracy
Science Daily May 13, 2021 The test called RAPID developed by an international team of researchers (USA- U Penn, Brazil) uses electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), which transforms the binding event between the SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein and its receptor in the human body into an electrical signal that clinicians and technicians can detect. The signal allows the test to discriminate between infected and healthy human samples. The signal can be read through a desktop instrument or a smartphone. In tests it has proved to be quick and reliable. The technology is affordable and scalable, electrodes used in the test can […]
Inspired by nature, the research to develop a new load-bearing material
Phys.org April 22, 2021 Researchers in the UK developed a method to fabricate interconnected macro-porous elastomers based on sintering poly(methyl methacrylate) beads. The porous elastomer imparted structural support and resilience to its composite with an infused-grafted hydrogel. The composite exhibited a load-bearing behavior that was 14–19 times greater than that of pristine hydrogel and approximately 3 times greater than that of the porous elastomer. The equilibrium elastic modulus of the composite was close to the values reported for the modulus of cartilage tested with similar experimental parameters defined in this study. The composite immediately recovers its load-bearing properties with the […]
New biomaterial regrows blood vessels and bone, RCSI research
EurekAlert April 20, 2021 Researchers in Ireland used mechanobiology-informed approach to design a functionalized scaffold for the dose-controlled delivery of PGF which is capable of promoting regeneration of critically sized bone defects. Alginate microparticles and collagen/hydroxyapatite scaffolds were shown to be effective PGF-delivery platforms. Although this PGF-functionalized scaffold demonstrated only a modest increase in osteogenic capacity in vitro, robust bone regeneration was observed after implantation into rat calvarial defects, indicating that the dose-dependent effect of PGF can be harnessed as an alternative to multi-drug systems for the delivery of both pro-angiogenic and pro-osteogenic cues. The research provides a framework for […]
Superbug killer: New nanotechnology destroys bacteria and fungal cells
Nanowerk April 13, 2021 Researchers in Australia developed nano thin coating of black phosphoros. As BP breaks down, it oxidizes the surface of bacteria and fungal cells (process called cellular oxidization) ultimately works to rip them apart. They tested the effectiveness of nano thin layers of BP against five common bacteria strains, including E. coli and drug-resistant MRSA, as well as five types of fungus, including Candida auris. In just two hours, up to 99% of bacterial and fungal cells were destroyed. Importantly, the BP also began to self-degrade and was entirely disintegrated within 24 hours – an important feature […]
Automated next generation sequencing platform can accurately screen thousands for COVID-19
EurekAlert March 3, 2021 Researchers in Canada have developed a multiplexed, scalable, readily automated platform “Systematic Parallel Analysis of RNA coupled to Sequencing for Covid-19 screening” (C19-SPAR-Seq), for SARS-CoV-2 detection that can analyze tens of thousands of patient samples in a single run. To address strict requirements for control of assay parameters and output demanded by clinical diagnostics, they employed a control-based Precision-Recall and Receiver Operator Characteristics (coPR) analysis to assign run-specific quality control metrics. C19-SPAR-Seq coupled to coPR on a trial cohort of several hundred patients performed with a specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 91% on samples with […]
Research creates hydrogen-producing living droplets, paving way for alternative future energy source
Phys.org November 25, 2020 Normally, algal cells fix carbon dioxide and produce oxygen by photosynthesis. An international team of researchers used sugary droplets packed with living algal cells to generate hydrogen, rather than oxygen, by photosynthesis. They trapped ten thousand or so algal cells in each droplet, which were then crammed together by osmotic compression. By burying the cells deep inside the droplets, oxygen levels fell to a level that switched on special enzymes called hydrogenases that hijacked the normal photosynthetic pathway to produce hydrogen. In this way, around a quarter of a million microbial factories, typically only one-tenth of […]
Bacteria fed on a customized diet produce biodegradable polymers for alternative packaging in the cosmetics industry
Fraunhofer Research October 1, 2020 To create biologically based, biodegradable polymers as a replacement for plastic packaging in the cosmetics industry researchers in Germany are cultivating bacteria fed on a variety of waste materials, ranging from wood waste and oil and sugar residues to glycerol from biodiesel production. They cause the bacteria to produce specific intracellular storage granules, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). The PHA is sent in the form of a white powder is turned into granules and then into a polymer film. Initial testing on small sheets of the polymer material for characteristics such as thermal stability, plasticity, and various barrier […]
Stanford engineers reprogram yeast cells to become microscopic drug factories
EurekAlert September 2, 2020 A team of researchers in the US (Stanford University, industry) engineered baker’s yeast to produce the medicinal alkaloids hyoscyamine and scopolamine, starting from simple sugars and amino acids. They combined functional genomics to identify a missing pathway enzyme, protein engineering to enable the functional expression of an acyltransferase via trafficking to the vacuole, heterologous transporters to facilitate intracellular routing, and strain optimization to improve titres. Their integrated system positions more than twenty proteins adapted from yeast, bacteria, plants, and animals across six sub-cellular locations to recapitulate the spatial organization of tropane alkaloid biosynthesis in plants. Once […]