Lifeboat Foundation

A KAIST research team developed a microfluidic-based drug screening chip that identifies synergistic interactions between two antibiotics in eight hours. This chip can be a cell-based drug screening platform for exploring critical pharmacological patterns of antibiotic interactions, along with potential applications in screening other cell-type agents and guidance for clinical therapies.

Antibiotic susceptibility testing, which determines types and doses of antibiotics that can effectively inhibit bacterial growth, has become more critical in recent years with the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria strains.

To overcome the antibiotic-resistant bacteria, combinatory therapy using two or more kinds of antibiotics has been gaining considerable attention. However, the major problem is that this therapy is not always effective; occasionally, unfavorable antibiotic pairs may worsen results, leading to suppressed antimicrobial effects. Therefore, combinatory testing is a crucial preliminary process to find suitable antibiotic pairs and their concentration range against unknown pathogens, but the conventional testing methods are inconvenient for concentration dilution and sample preparation, and they take more than 24 hours to produce results.

Continue reading “On-chip drug screening for identifying antibiotic interactions in eight hours” »

Electricity harvested from the sun or wind can be used interchangeably with power from coal or petroleum sources. Or sustainably produced electricity can be turned into something physical and useful. Researchers in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis have figured out how to feed electricity to microbes to grow truly green, biodegradable plastic, as reported in the Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology.

“As our planet grapples with rampant, petroleum-based plastic use and plastic waste, finding sustainable ways to make bioplastics is becoming more and more important. We have to find new solutions,” said Arpita Bose, assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences.

Renewable energy currently accounts for about 11% of total U.S. energy consumption and about 17% of electricity generation.

Continue reading “Creating sustainable bioplastics from electricity-eating microbes” »

Researchers at Mount Sinai have developed a novel approach to cancer immunotherapy, injecting immune stimulants directly into a tumor to teach the immune system to destroy it and other tumor cells throughout the body.

The “in situ vaccination” worked so well in patients with advanced-stage lymphoma that it is also undergoing trials in breast and head and neck cancer patients, according to a study published in Nature Medicine in April.

The treatment consists of administering a series of immune stimulants directly into one tumor site. The first stimulant recruits important immune cells called dendritic cells that act like generals of the immune army. The second stimulant activates the dendritic cells, which then instruct T cells, the immune system’s soldiers, to kill cancer cells and spare non-cancer cells. This immune army learns to recognize features of the tumor cells so it can seek them out and destroy them throughout the body, essentially turning the tumor into a cancer vaccine factory.

Researchers are edging closer to a therapy for Angelman syndrome that involves injecting molecules that can edit genes into the fetal brain. They have already succeeded in mice and say the approach could eventually treat people with the syndrome.

The work is of high interest because a similar strategy could also work for other genetic conditions linked to autism.

But the prospect of injecting molecules into fetal brains poses ethical questions, experts caution.

Continue reading “Injecting CRISPR into fetal brain may correct autism mutations” »

A team at George Church’s Harvard lab wants to redesign species with large-scale DNA changes.

For the first time, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Imperial College London, with international collaborators, have determined that Kawasaki disease (KD) can be accurately diagnosed on the basis of the pattern of host gene expression in whole blood. The finding could lead to a diagnostic blood test to distinguish KD from other infectious and inflammatory conditions.

Results of the international study published on August 6 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Kawasaki disease is the most common acquired heart disease in children. Untreated, roughly one-quarter of children with KD develop coronary artery aneurysms — balloon-like bulges of heart vessels — that may ultimately result in heart attacks, congestive heart failure or sudden death.

Continue reading “Researchers Identify Potential Diagnostic Test for Kawasaki Disease” »

Transparent mice and human organs have been created by scientists using a new technique which reveals the underlying structure of tissue.

Scientists led by Dr Ali Erturk at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich developed a process which uses organic solvents to strip away fats and pigments but preserves the structure of the cells beneath.

The new technology allows body parts to be scanned by lasers under a microscope to capture the entire structure including all the intricate blood vessels and every single cell in its specific location.

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The challenges of creating a more effective influenza vaccine.

Burdening occurrence of dengue fever across the Asia-Pacific region has prompted the demand for effective vaccines and medications to supress this viral malaise. While several pharmaceutical companies are striving to develop a cure for dengue, the fever’s incidence rate in Asia-Pacific is rising at an alarming rate. A recent report published by Future Market Insights predicts that in 2017, an estimated 70.3% of global dengue vaccines market will be dominated by Asia-Pacific. Through 2027, the region will continue to be the largest market for dengue vaccines, procuring a majority revenue share and projecting revenue growth at a 17.4% CAGR.

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Future Market Insights also observes Latin America as the second-largest market for dengue vaccines, and is expected to rake in US$ 288.7 Mn towards the end of 2027. The report, titled “Dengue Vaccines Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2017–2027,” expects that more and more pharmaceutical giants from across the globe will be partaking in the market’s growth in the years to come. Currently, the market is witnessing active participation of French drugmaker, Sanofi S.A., while vaccines being formulated by companies such as Biological E. Limited, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Merck & Co. Inc., Vabiotech, Butantan Institute, and Panacea Biotech Ltd. are under multiple phases of development.

Continue reading “Dengue Vaccine Market Calculate to Reach US$ 1,250.6 Mn By 2027” »