A new paper in Genome Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, maps out for the first time how Hydra, which are a group of small aquatic animals, can regenerate their own heads by changing the way that their genes are regulated, known as epigenetics. Hydra belong to the group of animals that consists of about 10,000 species divided into two major groups: Anthozoa (comprising of sea anemones, corals, and sea pens) and Medusozoa (sea wasps, jellyfish, and hydra)….

It sounds like the stuff of science fiction: a man-made crystal that can be attached to antibodies and then supercharge them with potent drugs or imaging agents that can seek out diseased cells with the highest precision, resulting in fewer adverse effects for the patient. However, that is precisely what researchers from the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases at Monash University in collaboration with the TU Graz (Austria) have developed: the world’s first metal-organic framework (MOFs) antibody-drug delivery system that…

Scientists at Hokkaido University and Texas A&M University have identified a key mechanism used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to evade host immune systems. Researchers in Japan and the United States have found SARS-CoV-2 can knock out an important molecular pathway linked to an immune complex called MHC class I. The finding should help scientists better understand how COVID-19 infection takes hold. “Our discovery reveals how the virus can evade the human immune defense system and might help to explain why…

New methodology at the University Hospital of Tübingen harnesses the function of platelets. At Tübingen University Hospital, a preclinical study led by Dr. Clemens Hinterleitner and Prof. Dr. Lars Zender, Medical Director of Medical Oncology and Pneumology, led to extremely promising results. The research group was able to develop a new methodology that makes it possible to better predict the likelihood of success of immunotherapies for lung cancer. The new study with the original title “Platelet PD-L1 reflects collective intratumoral…

The coronavirus does not appear to infect nerve cells in the olfactory epithelium and in the olfactory bulb. It is now widely known that COVID-19 is associated with the transient or long-term loss of olfaction (the sense of smell) but the mechanisms remain obscure. An unresolved question is whether the olfactory nerve can provide SARS-CoV-2 with a route of entry to the brain. Scientists at the Max Planck Research Unit for Neurogenetics in Frankfurt in collaboration with physicians and scientists…

Singapore scientists have discovered a protein that could be used in wound dressings to heal chronic wounds. A protein named Agrin has been discovered to promote wound healing and repair, when it is triggered after skin tissue is injured. These findings could pave the way for the development of Agrin protein therapy to accelerate skin tissue healing for chronic wounds from diabetes or burns. The research, led by A*STAR’s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), was published in leading…

Chemists at the UNIGE have developed a new technique for selecting assemblies of molecules, making it possible to find the best combinations for each protein to be combated quickly and cheaply. Our body must constantly defend itself against bacteria and viruses. It generates millions of different antibodies, which are selected to recognise the enemy and trigger the best possible immune response. Scientists use these antibodies to for therapeutic purposes to target proteins and disrupt their harmful. However, identifying the small…

Agriculture is the major player in contributing to global food security. Increasing our crop productivity is currently a challenging task due to the limitations of climatic change and decreasing of agricultural land. Sustainable agriculture has been considered an excellent solution for the prevailing and future environmental conditions. To contribute to sustainable agriculture by improving crop productivity, we need precise information about these crops. Knowledge about the interactions of different yield components is of great importance for the best possible exploitation…

Heidelberg researchers are working on a rapid process for 3D imaging of cells. Viral pathogens like the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus change the interior structure of the cells they infect. These changes occur at the level of individual cell components – the organelles – and can provide information on how viral diseases develop. Extremely powerful imaging techniques are needed to visualise them, but such methods are very data- and time-intensive. A German-American research team under the direction of Dr Venera Weinhardt at…

Breakthrough research on human embryo models paves the way for improving in vitro fertilization success rate and new non-hormonal, user-friendly contraception. Being able to recapitulate in a dish what human embryos normally do hidden within the womb opens avenues for improving In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) procedures and developing better contraceptives. Hormonal contraceptives have long been used and work for many women. However, they have unpleasant side-effects, and their efficiency decreases if they are not faithfully taken on a daily basis….

A team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed an analytical tool designed to improve the biomanufacturing process of advanced cell-based therapies. Their Dynamic Sampling Platform provides a real time analysis of cells as they are modified and grown for treatment in a bioreactor, overcoming what currently is a time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive process. The team, led by principal investigator Andrei Fedorov, published a recent study about the Platform in Lab on a Chip, a journal of the Royal…

University of Seville researchers participate in a study connecting the repair of DNA breaks and messenger RNA modifying factors. An organism’s genome could be compared to a complex system of instructions that allows it not only to develop, but also to carry out all the activities essential to its survival. To do this, this genome needs to be expressed correctly, i.e. these instructions need to be “read” properly, and the information it contains must not be altered or degraded over…

Material mimics all three layers of the skin, allows for complex printing structures. Chronic wounds are deep and difficult to repair. Often, the top of the injury heals before the bottom, so the wound collapses in on itself. Over time, this can result in scar tissue and reduced skin function. In APL Bioengineering, by AIP Publishing, researchers from the University of Birmingham and University of Huddersfield developed an approach to print skin equivalents. The material may play a future role…

EMBL structural biology part of international collaboration addressing wily Lassa zoonotic disease. Endemic in Western African countries, Lassa virus is transmitted to humans through food or household items that are contaminated with the urine or faeces of Mastomys rats. Even though many people who become infected with Lassa virus are asymptomatic, one in five infections results in severe haemorrhagic disease, attacking vital organs like the liver, spleen, and kidneys. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists Lassa fever as a significant…

The European project coordinated by the IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia will last for four years and has received €3 million in EU funding under the Horizon 2020 program. HyVIS, the European project coordinated by the IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology), is about to start. By combining nanotechnology and optics, it will develop bionic synapses for retinal prostheses, designed to restore sight in people suffering from diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The project,…

Researchers from Uppsala University have been able to document and visualise hearing loss-associated genes in the human inner ear, in a unique collaboration study between otosurgeons and geneticists. The findings illustrate that discrete subcellular structures in the human organ of hearing, the cochlea, are involved in the variation of risk of age-related hearing loss in the population. The study is published in BMC Medicine. Hearing loss is a potentially debilitating condition that affects more than 1.23 billion people worldwide. The…