Biotechnology

Microorganisms, particularly bacteria, are skilled chemists who are capable of producing an impressive variety of natural products, which are chemical compounds. The microbes greatly benefit from the evolutionary advantages provided by these metabolites, which enable them to interact with one another or their environment and aid in defense against various threats. Many bacterial natural products have been utilized in medical treatments like antibiotics and drugs that fight cancer due to their numerous functions. The microbial species alive today address just a small part of the huge variety of microorganisms that have possessed Earth over the past 3 billion years. There

Although the fundamental components of this technology are already in place, engineering organs to replace damaged hearts or kidneys in the human body may appear like something out of a futuristic film. In the expanding field of tissue design, live cells fill fake platforms to frame natural tissue. However, researchers require a reliable technique for monitoring the cells as they move and multiply in order to assess the degree to which the cells mature into tissue. A noninvasive method for counting live cells in a three-dimensional (3D) scaffold has now been developed by researchers from the National Institute of Standards

In drug development and screening, the capability of isolating and controlling the biodynamics of individual cells is crucial. However, in order to accurately predict drug-single cell interactions and performance, pre-existing experimental reports in single-cell drug screening must still include multiple-dose gradient studies. Shaofei Shen and a group of Chinese researchers in medicine and life sciences developed a multi-concentration gradient generator to solve this issue, which they describe in a new paper published in Microsystems and Nanoengineering. In order to comprehend the single-cell effects of single or combined doses of 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin anticancer drugs on human hepatoma and breast cancer

An irrigation optimization tool developed by Stanford researchers has the potential to assist farmers in reducing water consumption. The "evapotranspiration" process, which involves the evaporation of water into the atmosphere and the uptake of water by plants, is quickly estimated by the tool. The new Stanford modeling tool is 100 times faster than the most recent methods for estimating such evapotranspiration while maintaining high levels of accuracy. In practice, the tool may significantly shorten the amount of time required to create strategic, effective irrigation schedules that position watering and sensing equipment in the most effective locations across entire farms. The

Using layers of hydrogels arranged into a cube-like structure, a team led by Masaya Hagiwara at the RIKEN National Science Institute in Japan has created an ingenious device that enables scientists to create intricate 3D organoids without the need for complex procedures. The team has also recently shown that they can use the tool to create organoids that accurately mimic the asymmetric genetic expression that distinguishes the actual development of organisms. The apparatus has the potential to transform drug testing as well as reveal details about how tissues grow and improve methods for growing artificial organs. In an effort to

Researchers have successfully mass-produced fat tissue in the lab that resembles the texture and composition of naturally occurring animal fats. The findings, which were detailed in a study published today in eLife, could be used to produce cultured meat made entirely from cells, giving it a more authentic texture and flavor. According to startup companies around the world, the development of cell-grown chicken, beef, pork, and fish has made headlines recently. These products are typically still in the early stages of development and are not yet authorized for commercial sale, nor are they ready for large-scale production, with a few

According to a recent study from Bentley University's Center for Integration of Science and Industry, the financial terms of biotechnology licenses from academic institutions are significantly less favorable than those of comparable licenses between commercial firms. The research, which was published in the journal PLOS ONE, demonstrates that for comparable licenses and products at the same stages of development, academic institutions receive significantly lower royalties and payments than do commercial firms. The first article to explicitly compare academic and commercial licenses is titled "Comparing the economic terms of biotechnology licenses from academic institutions with those between commercial firms.". The transfer

Researchers from the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience have created a ground-breaking method that offers a new method for rapidly gathering and organizing extremely detailed information about organic tissues. Future applications could include the quick processing of tissue biopsies for cancer treatment or the detection of bacteria in food processing facilities. While detectable, the intrinsic fields that tissues emit are very weak and difficult to distinguish. The method makes use of a sophisticated mathematical algorithm to enhance the signal quality before separating it, as described in two papers that were published in Nature Methods and Cell Reports Methods. According

Scientists have been fascinated by the remarkable capacity of a jawless fish known as the lamprey to recover from spinal cord injuries for nearly 50 years. In spite of their sparse neural regeneration, lampreys may be able to swim once more thanks to a recent study. A mathematical model was used by Christina Hamlet of Bucknell University and colleagues, including Jennifer R. Morgan of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), to show how lampreys may use body-sensing feedback to regain swimming abilities after spinal injury. The research may lead to new therapeutic strategies for people or soft robot locomotion algorithms. Proceedings