Category Biology/Biotechnology

The processing technology of fluorescent (mKate2) silk can be applied to developing smart medical bandages for wound healing on the human skin. Credit: Purdue University image/Jung Woo Leem

A silk hybrid material attacks bacteria when illuminated by a green light, thanks to a far-red fluorescent protein researchers transferred to its genetic makeup. The all-natural material would be safer than conventional photocatalytic, or light-activated, means to kill harmful pathogens such as bacteria, which use potentially biohazardous semiconductors and require cancer-causing ultraviolet light for activation...

Neurons (stock illustration). Credit: © whitehoune / Fotolia

Using human stem cells, researchers create 3D model of the brain to study a mutation tied to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. Researchers are leveraging gene-editing tools and mini-organs grown in the lab to study the effects of DISC1 mutations in cerebral organoids – ‘mini brains’ – cultured from human stem cells.

Major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, severe depression and bipolar disorder share a common genetic link. Studies of specific families with a history of these types of illnesses have revealed that affected family members share a mutation in the gene DISC1...

When taking the supplement, subjects saw a key measure of vascular health improve by 42 percent.

Older adults who take a novel antioxidant that specifically targets cellular powerhouses, or mitochondria, see age-related vascular changes reverse by the equivalent of 15 to 20 years within 6 weeks, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research. The study, published this week in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting pharmaceutical-grade nutritional supplements, or nutraceuticals, could play an important role in preventing heart disease-the nation’s No. 1 killer...

As soon as the calcium level exceeds a particular threshold over a longer period of time, an implant inserted under the skin triggers the production of melanin. This causes a mole to form. (Simulated montage) Credit: ETH Zurich

Researchers have developed an early warning system for the 4 most common types of cancer. Should a tumor develop, a visible mole will appear on the skin. Alongside cardiovascular disease, cancer has become the top cause of death in industrialised countries. Many of those affected are diagnosed only after the tumour has developed extensively. This often reduces the chance of recovery significantly: the cure rate for prostate cancer is 32% and only 11% for colon cancer...