Category Biology/Biotechnology

A study led by Professor Chng Wee Joo from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore has demonstrated the efficiency of a small molecule drug, PRIMA-1met, in inhibiting the growth of colorectal cancer cells. Credit: Image courtesy of National University of Singapore

A small molecule drug combined with chemotherapy may deliver a synergistic benefit for colorectal cancer patients has demonstrated the efficiency of a small molecule drug, PRIMA-1met, in inhibiting the growth of colorectal cancer cells.

PRIMA-1met is a compound that has been shown in previous studies to activate mutant p53, a tumour suppressor gene, and promotes death of cancer cells...

Highlights •A triple-target CRISPR method achieved almost perfect knockout efficiency •SSS achieved non-invasive fully automated high-performance sleep phenotyping •Genetics without crossing revealed Nr3a as a short-sleeper gene

You may have wondered why some people seem to need less sleep. A number of so called short-sleeper genes, which are associated with little need for sleep, have recently been identified. RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC) researchers have advanced sleep genetics research by developing a new method for monitoring mouse sleep cycles. The Snappy Sleep Stager is a non-invasive, automated sleep cycle monitoring system based on mouse respiration, or breathing...

This is a gold nanoparticle, brought into contact to a DNA nanostructure, sticks to chemical patches. Scientists then dissolve the assembly, separating the DNA nanostructure into its component strands and leaving behind the DNA imprint on the gold nanoparticle. Credit: Thomas Edwardson

New technique could facilitate use of gold nanoparticles in electronic, medical applications. Gold nanoparticles have unusual optical, electronic and chemical properties, which scientists are seeking to put to use in a range of new technologies, from nanoelectronics to cancer treatments.

Some of the most interesting properties of nanoparticles emerge when they are brought close together – either in clusters of just a few particles or in crystals made up of millions of them...

Coffee flour. Credit: Image courtesy of Brandeis University

Biophysicist Perlman is developing the flour milled from parbaked beans both as a food ingredient and a nutritional supplement. “It’s a world of difference” from the traditional coffee bean, Perlman says. Research has shown that drinking coffee is good for you. A recent Harvard study found that people who drank three to five cups a day had a 15% lower chance of prematurely dying than non-drinkers.

Nobody knows for certain what causes coffee to be salutary, but one leading explanation involves a natural chemical compound called chlorogenic acid (CGA). An antioxidant, CGA is thought to be beneficial in modulating sugar metabolism, controlling BP and possibly treating heart disease and cancer.

Unfortunately, when coffee is roasted th...