Category Biology/Biotechnology

Heart attacks and strokes are the main causes of death and loss of productive years globally. These clinical complications are caused by atherosclerosis, which is a chronic disease that leads to the accumulation of LDL cholesterol and immune cells in the inner layer of arteries and thereby resulting in the build-up of atherosclerotic plaques. Researchers from the Department of Laboratory Medicine of the Medical University of Vienna in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and the University of Cambridge (UK) have identified that a cytokine called A Proliferation Inducing Ligand (APRIL) plays a major protective role against the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. The study was now published in the journal Nature.

The investigators found that g...

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have found a way to use sunflower pollen to develop a 3D printing ink material that could be used to fabricate parts useful for tissue engineering, toxicity testing and drug delivery.

This pollen-derived ink is able to hold its shape when deposited onto a surface, making it a viable alternative to current inks used for 3D printing in the biomedical field (also known as bioprinting). Such inks are usually soft and delicate, making it a challenge to retain the final product’s desired 3D shape and structure as the bioprinter deposits the ink layer by layer.

To illustrate th...

An enzyme with an elusive role in severe inflammation may be a key mechanism driving COVID-19 severity and could provide a new therapeutic target to reduce COVID-19 mortality, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Researchers from the University of Arizona, in collaboration with Stony Brook University and Wake Forest University School of Medicine, analyzed blood samples from two COVID-19 patient cohorts and found that circulation of the enzyme – secreted p...