Science Daily August 29, 2018 Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) have huge potential in biotechnology. However, a key obstacle to their utilisation is the difficulty of targeting new pathways and processes into the BMC in a controllable fashion. Researchers in the UK redesigned a key surface component of the BMC that enables them to not only internalise proteins within the BMC but also display them on the surface of the organelle. This breakthrough could open the possibility of utilising these organelles for a wide variety of applications, including the generation of biofuels, as well as for drug delivery and vaccine development and […]
Category Archives: Biotechnology
Enzyme can convert any blood into universally donated type O
Next Big Future August 22, 2018 Researchers in Canada have identified a new, more powerful group of enzymes found in the human gut that can turn any type of blood into the universally usable type O—expanding the pool of potential blood donors and making blood matching safer and easier. Removing antigens from blood effectively transforms it into type O. Scientists hope that one day we can eventually render any type of donated blood, tissues or organs, safe for use by anyone regardless of their native blood type…read more.
Researchers invent tiny, resealable packets to deliver materials on cue
Phys.org May 10, 2018 Tiny capsules deliver signaling molecules from place to place in the body. Using this concept, a team of researchers in the US (UMass Amherst, University of Chicago) designed a hollow synthetic packet made of a double layer of two polymers: The outer rind is water-soluble, while the inner layer is a glassy material that forms a rigid wall. The two polymers are linked by a single molecule that responds to light by changing its shape. When you shine light on the packet, the linking molecules change shape, softening the glassy material that sits below and allowing […]
UChicago researchers lay out how to control biology with light — without genetics
Eurekalert April 30, 2018 A team of researchers in the US (University of Chicago, Northwestern University) laid out a system of design principles for working with silicon to control biology at three levels–from individual organelles inside cells to tissues to entire limbs. They demonstrated each in cells or mice models, including the first time anyone has used light to control behavior without genetic modification. They tested the concept in mice and found they could stimulate limb movements by shining light on brain implants. They developed a map that lays out best methods to craft silicon devices depending on both the […]
Far-red fluorescent silk can kill harmful bacteria as biomedical and environmental remedy
Nanowerk April 19, 2018 To combine the benefits of silk and green light, an international team of researchers (USA – Purdue University, South Korea) inserted the gene for “mKate2,” a far-red fluorescent protein, into a silk host. Shining a green light on the resulting hybrid generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are effective radicals for breaking down organic contaminants and attacking the membrane and DNA of pathogens. When E. coli on the fluorescent silk were illuminated by a weak green light for 60 minutes, the bacteria’s survival rate dropped to 45 percent. The hybrid could be processed into a solution, film, […]
Genetically engineered E. coli can make industrial chemicals from feedstock
RIKEN Research April 6, 2018 Researchers in Japan genetically modified Escherichia coli and used the bacterium and glucose harvested from feedstock to produce maleate, a salt or ester of maleic acid. The process requires much less energy, and process works under ordinary temperatures and pressures. The research opens the door to more environmentally friendly industrial-scale production of maleate which is a key adhesion promoter for materials like galvanized steel and nylon, as well a drug stabilizer…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Researchers develop injectable bandage
Eurekalert April 2, 2018 Researchers at Texas A&M used thickening agent known as kappa-carrageenan, obtained from seaweed, to design injectable hydrogels simulating the structure of human tissues. When kappa-carrageenan is mixed with clay-based nanoparticles, injectable gelatin is obtained. The charged characteristics of clay-based nanoparticles provide hemostatic ability to the hydrogels. Specifically, plasma protein and platelets form blood adsorption on the gel surface and trigger a blood clotting cascade. These bandages can show a prolonged release of therapeutics that can be used to heal the wound…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Sugar-coated nanosheets developed to selectively target pathogens
Science Daily March 29, 2018 A team of researchers in the US (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, New York University) created the synthesized nanosheets out of self-assembling, bio-inspired polymers called peptoids. The sheets were designed to present simple sugars in a patterned way along their surfaces. Picking the right sugars to bind to the peptoid nanosheets, in the right distributions, can determine which pathogens will be drawn to them. They confirmed that the bindings with the targeted proteins were successful. The peptoid platform is rugged and stable, it can be deployed into the field for tests of bioagents by military personnel […]
Modified biomaterials self-assemble on temperature cues
Phys.org March 19, 2018 Post-translational modification of proteins is a strategy widely used in biological systems which has remained largely untapped for the synthesis of biomaterials. As a proof of concept of this technique, an international team of researchers (USA – Duke University, Germany) reports the generation of a family of three stimulus-responsive hybrid materials—fatty-acid-modified elastin-like polypeptides—using a one-pot recombinant expression and post-translational lipidation methodology. The hybrid approach allows researchers to control self-assembly more precisely, which may prove useful for a variety of biomedical applications from drug delivery to wound healing… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Researchers create a protein ‘mat’ that can soak up pollution
Physorg March 15, 2018 An international team of researchers (USA – UC Berkeley, Northwestern University, ARL, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, France) designed four-monomer random heteropolymers to mimic intrinsically disordered proteins for protein solubilization and stabilization in non-native environments. With optimized composition and statistical monomer distribution, they enable cell-free synthesis of membrane proteins with proper protein folding for transport and enzyme-containing plastics for toxin bioremediation. The research affords a new strategy to interface with biological systems for protein-based biomaterials and enable on-demand biochemical reactions where they were once not feasible… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE