Category Biology/Biotechnology

New class of Antibiotics active against a Wide Range of Bacteria

Dual-acting immuno-antibiotics block an essential pathway in bacteria and activate the adaptive immune response. Wistar Institute scientists have discovered a new class of compounds that uniquely combine direct antibiotic killing of pan drug-resistant bacterial pathogens with a simultaneous rapid immune response for combatting antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These finding were published today in Nature.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared AMR as one of the top 10 global public health threats against humanity. It is estimated that by 2050, antibiotic-resistant infections could claim 10 million lives each year and impose a cumulative $100 trillion burden on the global economy...

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Anti-Diarrhea Drug drives Cancer cells to Cell Death

In glioblastoma cells, the antidiarrheal drug loperamide triggers the degradation of the endoplasmic reticulum. In the normal state, it is coloured yellow in these microscopic images. In the degradation state, it glows as a red signal (marked with arrows). Left scale bar: 20 µm, right scale bar (inset): 5 µm (Photos: Svenja Zielke et. al.)

In cell culture, loperamide, a drug commonly used against diarrhea, proves effective against glioblastoma cells. A research team has now unraveled the drug’s mechanisms of action of cell death induction and – in doing so – has shown how this compound could help attack brain 7mtumors that otherwise are difficult to treat.

The research group led by Dr Sjoerd van Wijk from the Institute of Experimental Cancer Research in Paediatrics at Goethe Unive...

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Bio-inspired Endoscope provides 3D Visible and Near-Infrared images simultaneously

Researchers developed a new bio-inspired medical endoscope that acquires visible light and near-infrared fluorescence images at the same time. They tested it by imaging three different concentrations of the fluorescent reagent indocyanine green. Images show (a) a near-infrared fluorescence image, (b) the intensity distribution of the near-infrared fluorescence image, (c) color image of the samples under visible illumination, and (d) a fusion image combining the color image and the near-infrared fluorescence image.
Credit: Chenyoung Shi, Chinese Academy of Sciences

New instrument could one day help surgeons more easily pinpoint cancerous tissue...

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Nanotechnology: Nanoparticles as weapons against Cancer

The amorphous nanoparticles dissolve very efficiently in the cell. Source: von Schirnding et al., Chem 2020
The amorphous nanoparticles dissolve very efficiently in the cell. Source: von Schirnding et al., Chem 2020

Researchers have developed a novel type of nanoparticle that efficiently and selectively kills cancer cells, thus opening up new therapeutic options for the treatment of tumors. Many chemotherapeutic agents used to treat cancers are associated with side-effects of varying severity, because they are toxic to normal cells as well as malignant tumors. This has motivated the search for effective alternatives to the synthetic pharmaceuticals with which most cancers are currently treated...

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