New study reveals how human astroviruses bind to humans cells and paves the way for new therapies and vaccines Human astroviruses are a leading viral cause of the stomach bug—think vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. It often impacts young children and older adults, leading to vicious cycles of sickness and malnutrition, particularly for those in low and middle income countries. It’s very commonly found in wastewater studies, meaning it’s frequently circulating in communities. As of now, there are no vaccines for…
A research group led by Prof. XIAO Jianping from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and their collaborators synthesized a single-atom Pb-alloyed Cu catalyst (Pb1Cu), which showed high activity for the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) with a selectivity of 96% to formate and stability of up to 180 h at 100 mA cm-2. This study was published in Nature Nanotechnology on Sept. 16. The researchers reported multi-path for CO2 reduction to formate, namely…
A team co-led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine has revealed in detail how the most common primary eye cancer in adults, uveal melanoma (UM), can progress from a slow-growing, “indolent” state to a lethal metastasizing state. The discovery is a significant advance in fundamental cancer research that also suggests new strategies for treatment. The scientists, whose study is published Sept. 13 in Nature Communications, examined thousands of individual UM cells from patients, using advanced methods to record and analyze gene activity…
All cells need ribosomes to make the proteins necessary for life. These multi-component molecular machines build complex proteins by stitching building blocks together according to instructions encoded in the cell’s messenger RNAs. But ribosomes are themselves composed of small and large subunits, each of which is made up of ribosomal proteins and RNA. Before they can manufacture proteins, these subunits must be manufactured themselves. In a new study, scientists in the lab of Sebastian Klinge provide the most detailed view of how human small ribosomal subunits are put together by capturing their 3D portraits at three different stages…
Capturing the intricacies of the brain’s activity demands resolution, scale, and speed—the ability to visualize millions of neurons with crystal clear resolution as they actively call out from distant corners of the cortex, within a fraction of a second of one another. Now, researchers have developed a microscopy technique that will allow scientists to accomplish this feat, capturing detailed images of activity of a vast number of cells across different depths in the brain at high speed and with unprecedented…
Large number of developmental genes occupy DNA loops only by themselves. DNA segments with joint functions often cluster in loops. However, many of these tightly separated genetic areas contain only one gene each – preferably one that plays a prominent role in the development of the embryo. Here, genes enjoy protection from external interference. Under the microscope, our genome looks like a wild tangle of string stuffed into the cell’s nucleus. But while it appears as a chaotic mess, almost…
Researchers successfully reconstitute the ovarian follicle from mouse stem cells. Researchers led by Kyushu University have succeeded in using mouse stem cells to reconstruct structures in the ovarian environment critical for the generation of mature egg cells. Moreover, they were able to apply their findings to generate functional egg cells and even grow viable mice. The team hopes these findings can be used to treat infertility by understanding its underlying causes and to aid the conservation of critically endangered animals…
New research published in Stem Cell Reports found that organoid culture-based models for cochlear hair cell formation can be used to identify drugs that promote hair cell regeneration in a high throughput drug library screen. Hair cells in the ear mediate the perception of sound. Consequently, when hair cells are destroyed or lost through exposure to loud sounds, certain chemicals, disease, or aging, partial or complete hearing loss is the consequence. According to WHO estimates, one in every 10 people…
Scientists create synthetic exosomes with natural functionalities and present their therapeutic application. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg and colleagues at the DWI Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials in Aachen have engineered synthetic exosomes that regulate cellular signaling during wound closure. The synthetic structures are built to resemble naturally occurring extracellular vesicles (EV) that play a fundamental role in communication between cells during various processes in our body. The scientist uncovered key mechanisms to regulate…
A new chemical process developed by Empa turns cotton into a fire-resistant fabric, that nevertheless retains the skin-friendly properties of cotton. State-of-the-art flame retardant cotton textiles suffer from release of formaldehyde and are uncomfortable to wear. Empa scientists managed to circumvent this problem by creating a physically and chemically independent network of flame retardants inside the fibers. This approach retains the inherently positive properties of cotton fibers, which account for three-quarters of the world’s demand for natural fibers in clothing…
Bio-inspired slow-release system for site 1 sodium channel blockers mimics the anesthetics’ natural receptors in the body. Site 1 sodium channel blockers such as tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin are small-molecule drugs with powerful local anesthetic properties. They provide pain relief without toxic effects on local nerves and muscles, and are an attractive alternative to opioids. But injected by themselves, they can easily float away, causing severe systemic toxicity. Encapsulating these drugs in safe delivery systems has been a challenge: Because they…
Viruses in the ocean are numerous, diverse and play an important role in the marine carbon cycle. A new study in ISME Journal provides exciting insights into the life of marine viruses in the North Sea during the spring bloom. Off the offshore island of Helgoland, researchers led by Nina Bartlau from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology found a dynamic viral community that can strongly influence the mortality of North Sea bacteria and thereby the carbon cycle of…
Bone injuries in the face and skull—known as craniomaxillofacial defects—can be caused by sports injuries, vehicle accidents, or battlefield injuries. Repairing such defects is complicated because different types of cells need to interact with each other. In a new study, researchers are investigating the types of material used in reconstruction to see which one works best. Over 2 million bone graft surgeries occur annually across the world. CMF bone defects are usually irregularly shaped, which is why they are often…
As we age, our bones become thinner, we suffer fractures more often, and diseases like osteoporosis can occur. One of the culprits is ageing stem cells in the bone marrow, which are no longer as effective at replenishing the bones. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing and CECAD Cluster of Excellence for Ageing Research at the University of Cologne have now shown that the epigenome of these stem cells changes with age. They were able to…
3D-printed origami technology at the heart of low-cost, portable ventilators aimed at improving pandemic treatment and revolutionizing healthcare delivery. Researchers in Simon Fraser University’s Additive Manufacturing Lab are replicating a distinctive artform—the subtle folding of origami—to create 3D printable technologies to aid in the fight against COVID-19, and help doctors to identify and diagnose various health conditions. Highlighting the work, led by SFU School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering’s associate professor Woo Soo Kim, is a low-cost, portable 3D-printed ventilator, driven…
A recent study using fruit flies in a Virtual Reality setting shows that the connection between vision, the brain and the spinal cord may have a crucial role in facilitating locomotion. Eugenia Chiappe, Principal Investigator of the Sensorimotor Integration Research Group at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal is standing in her office. There is a door, maybe three metres away, and the floor is flat and clear. Eugenia, who intends to walk in a straight line to…
Natural killer cells do not just kill cancer cells or cells infected with viruses, they also mediate a trade-off between wound healing and bacterial defense in skin wounds. If the healing process is accelerated, the immune defense is weakened, researchers at the University of Zurich have now shown. This has relevance in treating skin injuries and in tackling antibiotic-resistant germs. Natural killer cells are a specific type of immune cell. They recognize abnormal body cells such as cancer cells or…
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