Feature Channels: Biotech

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If watching animals feast on human blood for 30-plus hours isn’t your idea of fun, don’t worry. The robot can do it.

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The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) and the Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF) have announced the 20th edition of World Stem Cell Summit will be held in conjunction with the 10th annual Regenerative Medicine Essentials Course, uniquely formatted this year for both in person and virtual attendance from June 5-9, 2023.

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Arizona State University has officially begun a new chapter in X-ray science with a newly commissioned, first-of-its-kind instrument that will help scientists see deeper into matter and living things. The device, called the compact X-ray light source (CXLS), marked a major milestone in its operations as ASU scientists generated its first X-rays on the night of Feb. 2.

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Since 2017, the lab of Rahima Benhabbour, PhD, MSc, associate professor in the UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been working with a research team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others at UNC to develop an injectable implant that can release HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medications into the body for a long period of time. Their latest research, published in Nature Communications, shows that the team’s latest formulation can provide up to six months of full protection.

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A synthetic biosensor that mimics properties found in cell membranes and provides an electronic readout of activity could lead to a better understanding of cell biology, development of new drugs, and the creation of sensory organs on a chip capable of detecting chemicals, similar to how noses and tongues work.

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A team of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute led by Helen Zha, assistant professor in the Isermann Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, has been awarded a $745,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to explore sustainable alternatives to the synthetic textiles used in “fast fashion.”The fashion industry is responsible for immense amounts of waste.

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Scientists investigating the causes of lymphoedema have made a major discovery, revealing that lymphatic vessels can produce red and white blood cells.

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St. Jude scientists added a small physical structure called an anchor domain to the CAR molecule. The anchor domain connects the CAR to the internal infrastructure of the immune cell. It augments and helps organize the immune synapse

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A new antimicrobial suture material that glows in medical imaging could provide a promising alternative for mesh implants and internal stitches.

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Rockville, Md.—The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) congratulates Tasneem Khatib DM, FRCOphth—recipient of the 2022 Point of View Award. Established by the Point of View Foundation (Fundació Punt de Vista), the award provides a $20,000 cash prize in recognition of an outstanding scholarly article related to efforts to restore vision through regenerative ophthalmology, biotechnology, whole eye transplantation or other approaches.

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A new biomaterial that can be injected intravenously, reduces inflammation in tissue and promotes cell and tissue repair. The biomaterial was tested and proven effective in treating tissue damage caused by heart attacks in both rodent and large animal models. Researchers also provided proof of concept in a rodent model that the biomaterial could be beneficial to patients with traumatic brain injury and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

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Engineering professor Jamey Young at Vanderbilt University is developing new strategies for engineering the metabolism of cyanobacteria. He is working to create “green cell factories” for producing renewable fuel compounds.

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As a component of moors, mosses are important for climate conservation. They are also gaining increasing significance in biotechnology and the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals.

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A University of Queensland-led study has shown that expanding global seaweed farming could go a long way to addressing the planet’s food security, biodiversity loss and climate change challenges.

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UC San Diego and its collaborating partners have been awarded $10 million from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to leverage the biomedical promise of viruses known as bacteriophages as new therapeutic agents in the fight against the rising crisis of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

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The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative awarded a two-year grant for Advancing Imaging Through Collaborative Projects to Kirk Czymmek, PhD, director of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center’s Advanced Bioimaging Laboratory, Michele Darrow of Rosalind Franklin Institute, and Paul Verkade of the University of Bristol, along with an international team of eight additional scientists.

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In new research published by Biophysical Reports, researchers from Florida State University and Cleveland State University lay out a mathematical model that explains how bacteria communicate within a larger ecosystem. By understanding how this process works, researchers can predict what actions might elicit certain environmental responses from a bacterial community.

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NIBIB has established the Center for Biomedical Engineering Technology Acceleration—BETA Center, a new intramural research program to solve a range of medicine’s most pressing problems. The BETA Center will serve the wider NIH intramural research program as a biotechnology resource and catalyst for NIH research discoveries.

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Engineers and physicians have developed a wearable ultrasound device that can assess both the structure and function of the human heart. The portable device, which is roughly the size of a postage stamp, can be worn for up to 24 hours and works even during strenuous exercise.

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In a new study using a rat model of Crohn’s disease, a biodegradable hydrogel composite loaded with stem cells, developed by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers, in a collaborative effort with the Whiting School of Engineering, has shown significant success in treating perianal fistulas (PAF) — one of the many complications of Crohn’s disease.

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Scientists have taken the first step at estimating the best large-scale uses for food processing waste, first analyzing its contents and, based on those findings, proposing production opportunities ranging from sustainable fuels, biogas and electricity to useful chemicals and organic fertilizer.

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Adjuvants are added to vaccines to improve protection, extend the duration of protection and reduce the dose or number of boosters required.

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The flexible copper sensor is made from ordinary materials: conductive copper adhesive tape, sheet of transparency film, paper label, nail varnish, circuit fabrication solution, and acetone.

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Methanogens are microorganisms that produce methane when little or no oxygen is present in their surroundings.

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Researchers have designed the first ‘living medicine’ to treat lung infections.

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Research on fungi underway at the University of Kansas has helped transform tough-to-recycle plastic waste from the Pacific Ocean into key components for making pharmaceuticals.

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Human cells are often a mixture of both abnormal and normal DNA – a mosaic, so to speak, and like the art form, this complex montage is difficult to understand. Neuroscience researchers are training computers to unveil new methods for DNA mosaic recognition.

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A smart intraocular lens that can be inserted into the eye to diagnose Alzheimer's has been developed for the first time in Korea.

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GenVault, one of the nation’s most secure, comprehensive commercial facilities for bioinventory storage and transport, recently received three significant certifications, augmenting its already robust list of certifications, registrations, and compliance.

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Lignin, the complex polymer that gives plants their structural integrity, makes them difficult to break down and creates challenges for the creation of biochemicals and bioproducts. Building blocks that are present in small amounts in the lignin of the bioenergy crop poplar are valuable platform chemicals that are easy to “clip-off” during plant deconstruction. Scientists engineered a new type of poplar to have more of a specific building block in its lignin and less lignin overall. This results in wood that is easier to deconstruct and more valuable as a bioproduct raw material.

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A durable copper-based coating developed by Dartmouth College researchers can be precisely integrated into fabric to create responsive and reusable materials such as protective equipment, environmental sensors, and smart filters, according to a recent study.

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Despite some hesitation about gene-edited foods, taste trumps everything, according to a Washington State University-led survey of U.S. consumers.