Membranes are crucial to our cells. Every cell in your body is enclosed by one. And each of those cells contains specialized compartments, or organelles, which are also enclosed by membranes. Membranes help cells carry out tasks like breaking down food for energy, building and dismantling proteins, keeping track of environmental conditions, sending signals and deciding when to divide. Biologists have long struggled to understand precisely how membranes accomplish these different types of jobs. The primary components of membranes —…

AI system is “trained” to read conventional retinal scans for signs of heart disease The system – which has 70% to 80% accuracy – predicts if patients are at risk of a heart attack over the next year  Scientists have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can analyse eye scans taken during a routine visit to an optician or eye clinic and identify patients at a high risk of a heart attack. Doctors have recognised that changes to the…

Our brain consists of a right and a left hemisphere. Both hemispheres have different tasks and functions in perceiving and learning. In a recent study with Mongolian gerbils, researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN) Magdeburg, the German Primate Center (DPZ) in Göttingen and Otto von Guericke University (OVGU) Magdeburg have shown how both hemispheres of the brain work together when learning acoustic stimuli. The findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, could lead to new therapeutic options for…

Team of biologists from the University of Magdeburg identifies causes of vascular damage in severe cases of COVID-19. Scientists from the Institute of Biology at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg are to research the causes and molecular mechanisms of severe cases of COVID-19 over the next three years. In a research project that has recently been awarded 500,000 euros by the German Research Foundation (DFG), the scientists from the Department of Systems Biology at the University of Magdeburg alongside colleagues…

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. The Harmony COVID-19 test is a diagnostic test that, like PCR tests for COVID-19, detects genetic material from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. But whereas conventional PCR tests can take several hours, the Harmony kit can provide results in less than 20 minutes for some samples and…

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the University of Basel have developed a rapid test for Covid-19. Its novel functional principle promises reliable and quantifiable results concerning a patient’s Covid-19 disease and its course – as well as evidence concerning other diseases and Covid variants that may be present. Before it can go into widespread use, however, it still must undergo further testing and optimisation. The researchers report on their development in the journal ACS Applied Nanomaterials. A…

A team of researchers led by Harvard and Broad Institute scientists has developed a new drug delivery system using engineered DNA-free virus-like particles (eVLPs) to package and deliver therapeutic levels of gene-editing proteins to animal models of disease. The team utilized eVLPs to edit a gene in mice that is associated with high cholesterol levels and to partially restore vision in mice with a point mutation that causes genetic blindness. Because eVLPs enable safer in vivo delivery of gene-editing agents…

New Lehigh University–East China University of Science & Technology research collaboration proposes novel method of molecular-level control to double the efficiency of widely used industrial catalysts. The science of catalysis—the acceleration of a chemical reaction—is perhaps not the most recognizable branch of study, but it is absolutely embedded into the fabric of modern society. The development and production of fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and other goods depend on catalysis. Catalysis plays a critical role in energy generation and the mitigation of…

Findings shed light on factors behind Omicron’s increased transmissibility, including strong antibody evasion and binding with human cells. Researchers at UBC’s faculty of medicine have conducted the world’s first molecular-level structural analysis of the Omicron variant spike protein. The findings were published today in Science. The analysis—done at near atomic resolution using cryo-electron microscopy—reveals how the heavily mutated Omicron variant attaches to and infects human cells. “Understanding the molecular structure of the viral spike protein is important as it will…

Scientists at the University of Bristol have developed new biological parts that are able to shape the flow of cellular processes along DNA. The work, now published in the journal Nature Communications, offers a fresh perspective on how information is encoded in DNA and new tools for building sustainable biotechnologies. Despite being invisible to the naked eye, microorganisms are integral for our survival. They operate using DNA, often referred to as the code of life. DNA encodes numerous tools that…

High-resolution recordings of electrical signals from the surface of the brain could improve surgeons’ ability to remove brain tumors and treat epilepsy, and could open up new possibilities for medium- and longer- term brain-computer interfaces. A team of engineers, surgeons and medical researchers has published data from both humans and rats demonstrating that a new array of brain sensors can record electrical signals directly from the surface of the human brain in record-breaking detail. The new brain sensors feature densely…

How strongly does a genetic switch affect its gene? A Berlin research team created a registry of genetic enhancers, their location in the genome, and their activation strength in mouse stem cells. In the process, they discovered DNA patterns that had not previously been recognized as switches. Based on this data, the scientists developed a new algorithm that predicts whether any DNA sequence can act as a gene enhancer in stem cells. Only about two percent of the mammalian genome…

Device removes one of the biggest bottlenecks preventing quick, reliable malaria diagnosis. One of the key steps in diagnosing or treating many bloodborne diseases is to perform a blood smear, where a drop of blood is spread across a microscope slide for analysis. It is critical the technician collecting the sample perform this smear correctly and consistently, but mistakes at this stage are easy to make and often result in useless samples. In Review of Scientific Instruments, by AIP Publishing,…

Rice bioscientists’ microfluidic platform refines study of how infectious bacteria evolve. A new experimental platform developed at Rice University promises to speed up the discovery of how infectious bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. The microfluidic application by Rice bioscientist Yousif Shamoo and his team quickly encapsulates bacteria with varying concentrations of antibiotics to analyze how they evolve to become resistant. The details appear in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Infectious Diseases. “The idea of using microfluidics to encapsulate cells isn’t new; there…

Scientists have pinpointed a gene that helps deadly E. coli bacteria evade antibiotics, potentially leading to better treatments for millions of people worldwide. The University of Queensland-led study found a particular form of the bacteria – E. coli ST131 – had a previously unnoticed gene that made it highly resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics. Professor Mark Schembri, from UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, said this ‘resistance gene’ can spread incredibly quickly. “Unlike gene transfer in humans, where sex is…

Advances in medicine through human-relevant disease models. Worldwide, there is growing belief that biomedical sciences can advance with less animal testing by replacing in-vivo experiments with in-vitro models based on human cells or tissues. However, when it comes to elucidating disease mechanisms, especially at the organ and system levels, or to testing the efficacy and safety of drugs and medical devices, animal models are as yet indispensable. This is why researchers – also at the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and…