The discovery of red blood cells acting as micro-electrodes opens new doors in medical research

Phys.org  October 8, 2021 Through intricate experiments with red blood cells an international team of researchers (UK, France) has shown that the voltage appears outside the cell as well. This means that cells effectively act as tiny transmitters, electrically changing the environment around them. Similar results in other types of biological cells could play a significant role in determining new types of medical treatment. They demonstrated that the electrical characteristics of red blood cells exhibit circadian rhythms with peaks coinciding with the time of day when most cardiovascular disease events occur, such as heart attacks and strokes, presenting an important […]

Researchers discover unique ‘spider web’ mechanism that traps, kills viruses

Phys.org  June 29, 2021 Injectable vaccines are designed to bolster antibodies in the blood, but those antibodies are not as prevalent at the sites where infection begins. Researchers in Canada found that neutrophils, the most abundant white blood cells in the human body, explode when they bind to pathogens coated in antibodies and release DNA outside of the cell, creating a sticky tangle which acts as a trap. Mechanisms that can stop the infection at the site where it enters our body can prevent the spread and serious complications. According to the researchers we should be thinking carefully about next […]

Has the Summit Supercomputer Cracked COVID’s Code?

IEEE Spectrum  August 2, 2020 According to a team of researchers in the US (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University Tennessee, University of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky, Yale University, medical schools) lung fluid samples from COVID-19 patients consistently revealed over-expression of genes that produce bradykinin, while also under-expressing genes that would inhibit or break down bradykinin. This is the core mechanism that explains a lot of the symptoms. They arrived at this conclusion by crunching data sets representing some 17,000 genetic samples while comparing each of these samples to some 40,000 genes. They highlight ten possible therapies developed for other conditions […]

Chemistry breakthrough with nanodroplets could speed up drug development

Nanowerk  May 8, 2020 Researchers in the UK have developed a new method called Encapsulated Nanodroplet Crystallisation (ENaCt), that can set up hundreds of crystallisation experiments within a few minutes. Each experiment involves a few micrograms of molecular analyte dissolved in a few nanolitres of organic solvent. The process is automated allowing for rapid set up of hundreds of unique experiments. Concentration of these nanodroplet experiments results in the growth of the desired high quality single crystals that are suitable for modern X-ray diffraction analysis. Tthe ability to do so with such small quantities of analyte is ground-breaking. The technique has […]

Bacteria-shredding tech to fight drug-resistant superbugs

Science Daily  January 13, 2020 An international team of researchers (Australia, USA – North Carolina State University) has shown that when gallium-based liquid metal (LM) droplets are exposed to a low-intensity rotating magnetic field, the LM droplets become physically actuated and transform their shape, developing sharp edges. When placed in contact with a bacterial biofilm, the movement of the particles resulting from the magnetic field physically ruptures the bacterial cells and the dense biofilm matrix is broken down. They tested the efficacy of the magnetically activated LM particles against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial biofilms. After 90 min over 99% […]

Next generation wound gel treats and prevents infections

Science Daily  January 8, 2020 An international team of researchers (Sweden, Denmark) has developed a hydrogel based on the body’s natural peptide defense. It has been shown to prevent and treat infections in wounds and reduce inflammation. The formulation kills multi-resistant bacteria and prevents as well as treats wound infections. They are looking into the possibility of developing new peptide-based drugs for eye infections and infections in other internal organs. It could become a new way of treating both infection and inflammation without using antibiotics…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE 

Biological ‘rosetta stone’ brings scientists closer to deciphering how the body is built

Science News  August 29, 2019 Every animal, from an ant to a human, contains in their genome pieces of DNA called Hox genes which dictate how embryos grow into adults, including where a developing animal puts its head, legs and other body parts. An international team of researchers (Spain, Columbia University) stumbled upon a small piece of regulatory DNA, called vvI1+2, that appeared to be regulated by all the fruit fly’s eight Hox genes. Their analyses provided a precise road map of Hox binding sites in vvI1+2, which could be applied to a living fruit fly. By employing a combination […]

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, […]

Research team creates hydrogel adhesives to seal wounds

Physorg  March 9, 2018 Researchers at Harvard University have developed a hydrogel which is a hybrid of two different polymers: a seaweed extract called alginate and polyacrylamide. When these become entangled with each other, they create a molecular network that demonstrates unprecedented toughness and resilience for a hydrogel material—on par with the body’s natural cartilage. When combined with an adhesive layer containing positively charged polymer molecules, the resulting hybrid material can bind to tissues, stretch up to 20 times its initial length, and attach to wet tissue surfaces undergoing dynamic movement… read more.