Biology News Net - Biotechnology

First use of antibody and stem cell transplantation to successfully treat advanced leukemia

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:25:38 -0500

For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have reported the use of a radiolabeled antibody to deliver targeted doses of radiation, followed by a stem cell transplant, to successfully treat a group of leukemia and pre-leukemia patients for whom there previously had been no other curative treatment options.

Next-generation microcapsules deliver 'chemicals on demand'

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:09:12 -0500

Scientists in California are reporting development of a new generation of the microcapsules used in carbon-free copy paper, in which capsules burst and release ink with pressure from a pen. The new microcapsules burst when exposed to light, releasing their contents in ways that could have wide-ranging commercial uses from home and personal care to medicine. Their study appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a weekly publication.

Modified crops reveal hidden cost of resistance

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:13:16 -0500

Genetically modified squash plants that are resistant to a debilitating viral disease become more vulnerable to a fatal bacterial infection, according to biologists.

Seeing previously invisible molecules for the first time

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:28:27 -0500

A team of Harvard chemists led by X. Sunney Xie has developed a new microscopic technique for seeing, in color, molecules with undetectable fluorescence. The room-temperature technique allows researchers to identify previously unseen molecules in living organisms and offers broad applications in biomedical imaging and research.

Biochemical 'on-switch' could solve protein purification challenge

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:49:04 -0500

Drugs based on engineered proteins represent a new frontier for pharmaceutical makers. Even after they discover a protein that may form the basis of the next wonder drug, however, they have to confront a long-standing problem: how to produce large quantities of the protein in a highly pure state. Now, a multi-institutional research team including a biochemist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) may have found* a new solution in an enzymatic "food processor" they can activate at will.

Magnetic nanotags spot cancer in mice earlier than methods now in clinical use

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:53:50 -0500

Searching for biomarkers that can warn of diseases such as cancer while they are still in their earliest stage is likely to become far easier thanks to an innovative biosensor chip developed by Stanford University researchers.

Forensics firm builds on genomic discovery to advance DNA-based identification

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:53:49 -0500

High-tech forensics firm, Casework Genetics is applying new technology to forensic evidence enabling law enforcement labs to solve crimes with greater molecular precision and efficiency than ever before.

New discovery reveals fate of nanoparticles in human cells

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:58:54 -0500

Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have uncovered what happens to biomimetic nanoparticles when they enter human cells. They found that the important proteins that make up the outer layer of these nanoparticles are degraded by an enzyme called cathepsin L. Scientists now have to take this phenomenon into account and overcome this process to ensure the exciting field of nanomedicine can progress. The research is published today (22 September) in ACS Nano.

Using magnetism to turn drugs on and off

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:38:13 -0500

Many medical conditions, such as chronic pain, cancer and diabetes, require medications that cannot be taken orally, but must be dosed intermittently, on an as-needed basis, over a long period of time. A few delivery techniques have been developed, using an implanted heat source, an implanted electronic chip or other stimuli as an "on-off" switch to release the drugs into the body. But thus far, none of these methods can reliably do all that's needed: repeatedly turn dosing on and off, deliver consistent doses and adjust doses according to the patient's need.

Troublesome green algae serve as coating substrate in record-setting battery

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:29:51 -0500

Unwanted blooms of Cladophora algae throughout the Baltic and in other parts of the world are not entirely without a positive side. A group of researchers at the Ångström Laboratory at Uppsala University have discovered that the distinctive cellulose nanostructure of these algae can serve as an effective coating substrate for use in environmentally friendly batteries. The findings have been published in an article in Nano Letters.