Category Biology/Biotechnology

1. Somatic Niche Cells Regulate the CEP-1/p53-Mediated DNA Damage Response in Primordial Germ Cells. Developmental Cell, 2019; 50 (2): 167 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.06.012

Scientists have presented new findings that challenge established concepts of genetic inheritance. They have proven that somatic cells of the roundworm C. elegans influence heredity.

Scientists at the CECAD Cluster of Excellence in Aging Research of the University of Cologne have discovered that body cells which are in direct contact with the germ cells in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans are responsible for controlling the stability of the genome in primordial germ cells (PGCs). All germ cells, including sperm and eggs, originate from primordial germ cells that form during early embryo development...

Engineers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have created a new multi-material 3D nanoprinting technique that was featured on the inside front cover of the July 21 issue of Lab on a Chip.

The team’s new technique—capable of printing tiny multi-material structures a fraction of the size of a human hair—offers researchers a faster, cheaper, and more accurate means to 3D print these highly complex structures because the process uses a very simple molding process that is widely used in most microfluidics labs.

To demonstrate their new approach, the researchers 3D nanoprinted a variety of mu...

Herbs, including cilantro, have long been used as folk remedies. Herbs, including cilantro, have a long history of use as folk medicine anticonvulsants. Until now, many of the underlying mechanisms of how the herbs worked remained unknown. In a new study, researchers uncovered the molecular action that enables cilantro to effectively delay certain seizures common in epilepsy and other diseases.

The study, published in FASEB Journal, explains the molecular action of cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) as a highly potent KCNQ channel activator. This new understanding may lead to improvements in therapeutics and the development of more efficacious drugs.

Medical consensus once supported daily use of low dose aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke in people at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). But in 2018, three major clinical trials cast doubt on that conventional wisdom, finding few benefits and consistent bleeding risks associated with daily aspirin use...