Category Biology/Biotechnology

Exercise may play a role in reducing the growth of colon cancer cells according to new research published in The Journal of Physiology. The study found that after a short session of high intensity interval training (HIIT), growth of colon cancer cells was reduced, and this also increased indicators of inflammation.

For a long time, the focus on exercise has been on the positive changes in the body that occur following a longer period of training. However, these findings suggest that the effects following a single session of HIIT, an exercise regime involving short, high energy bursts are also important...

Imagine a day when a bioprinter filled with a patient’s own cells can be wheeled right to the bedside to treat large wounds or burns by printing skin, layer by layer, to begin the healing process. That day is not far off. Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) scientists have created such a mobile skin bioprinting system – the first of its kind – that allows bi-layered skin to be printed directly into a wound.

“The unique aspect of this technology is the mobility of the system and the ability to provide on-site management of extensive wounds by scanning and measuring them in order to deposit the cells directly where they are needed to create skin,” said Sean Murphy, Ph.D...

The tips of our chromosomes have telomeres. They work as a protective cap that prevents our genetic material from unfolding and corroding away. When they do not work properly, telomeres can lead to the total erosion of our genetic material and can trigger cancer and age-related diseases. In a study now published in EMBO Journal, a research team from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC; Portugal), led by Jose Escandell and Miguel Godinho Ferreira, discovered a key aspect of the regulation of telomeres.

There is an increasing number of human syndromes attributed to telomeres malfunction...

Researchers in the Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science have developed a material – a new kind of shape memory polymer (SMP) – that could have major implications for health care.

SMPs are soft, rubbery, “smart” materials that can change shape in response to external stimuli like temperature changes or exposure to light. They can hold each shape indefinitely and turn back when triggered to do so.

SMPs have many potential biomedical applications...