Feature Channels: Biotech

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When reproductive biologist Alex Travis began investigating how sperm cells swim more than two decades ago, he had no idea the research would lead to a new way to diagnose stroke and other diseases. Now, Travis and his colleague Roy Cohen have co-founded a company, TETDiagnostics, to transform what they learned from sperm into a bio-inspired diagnostic technology.

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Research conducted at the Advanced Photon Source contributed to a groundbreaking new molecular therapy to treat paralysis. These new "dancing molecules" signaled cells to repair damaged spinal cord tissue, curing paralyzed mice.

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Columbia Engineering researchers report that they have developed a “cloaking” system that temporarily hides therapeutic bacteria from immune systems, enabling them to more effectively deliver drugs to tumors and kill cancer cells in mice. By manipulating the microbes’ DNA, they programmed gene circuits that control the bacteria surface, building a molecular “cloak'' that encapsulates the bacteria.

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Argonne researchers have used a separations technique called capacitive deionization for battery recycling and to separate out fuels for sustainable aviation.

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When used as biocatalysts, enzymes accelerate many chemical reactions. At Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), researchers have now embedded enzymes in metal-organic cages (MOFs). For the first time, they then demonstrated that stabilization by these frameworks is sufficient for use of the enzymes in a continuous reactor. Moreover, the enzymes embedded in the MOFs cannot only be used in aqueous, but also in organic solvents. The researchers report in the journal Angewandte Chemie (DOI: 10.1002/anie.202117144).

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Dr. Sudkate Chaiyo from the Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Chulalongkorn University (IBGE-CU) has won the 2021 Young Scientist Award with his simple and innovative biosensors for food quality, agricultural safety, clinical diagnosis, and COVID-19 immunity detection.

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In a demonstration of research excellence and entrepreneurial vision, faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have secured two of the five 2022 XSeed Awards, which provide $100,000 in funding for each winning team to advance promising basic science findings that have startup potential. The theme of this year’s competition was neurodegeneration, with proposals offering novel approaches to address key questions about the pathogenesis, progression, diagnosis, or treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

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NIBIB-funded researchers are developing a robotic pill that, after swallowing, can deliver biologic drugs into the stomach, which could provide an alternative method for self-injection for a wide range of therapies.

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ROCKVILLE, MD – The Biophysical Society is pleased to announce that Anđela Šarić, of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), was honored as the winner of the Biophysical Journal Paper of the Year Award for 2021. This award recognizes the work of outstanding young investigators in biophysics. The winning paper is titled “Modelling Fibrillogenesis of Collagen-Mimetic Molecules.

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Researchers in the University New Hampshire’s Surface Enhanced Electrochemical Diagnostic Sensors (SEEDS) Lab have received an EPSCoR grant from the National Science Foundation for close to $6 million to lead a team in developing sensors to promote quality control in biomanufacturing—the production of important biomaterials used in medicine, food and even engineered human organs—a field that is becoming an important sector of the economy.

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InSphero AG, the pioneer in 3D cell-based assay and organ-on-chip technology, today announced the strengthening of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) with the appointment of Professor Nikolai Naoumov, MD PhD.

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Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a new test for COVID-19 that combines the speed of over-the-counter antigen tests with the accuracy of PCR tests that are processed in medical labs and hospitals.

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Scientists at the University of Bristol have developed new biological parts that are able to shape the flow of cellular processes along DNA.

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Many pharmaceutically relevant marine sponges are found only in trace amounts within the source sponge, and it is neither economically nor ecologically feasible to harvest enough wild sponge biomass to supply the necessary quantities for clinical drug development and manufacture. Researchers have come up with a viable solution – develop sponge cell lines for rapid division and successfully culture them in 3D to scale-up production.

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A patented biomaterial developed by South Dakota State University associate professor Gudiseva Chandrasekher has the potential to repair corneal damage and to create corneal implants.