The new proof-of-concept study points a way to curing diabetes without the need for immune-suppressing drugs.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 554
Bioelectrosynthesis platform enables switch-like, precision control of cell signaling
Cells use various signaling molecules to regulate the nervous, immune, and vascular systems. Among these, nitric oxide (NO) and ammonia (NH₃) play important roles, but their chemical instability and gaseous nature make them difficult to generate or control externally.
A KAIST research team has developed a platform that generates specific signaling molecules in situ from a single precursor under an applied electrical signal, enabling switch-like, precise spatiotemporal control of cellular responses. This approach could provide a foundation for future medical technologies such as electroceuticals, electrogenetics, and personalized cell therapies.
The research team led by Professor Jimin Park from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Jihan Kim’s group, has developed a bioelectrosynthesis platform capable of producing either nitric oxide or ammonia on demand using only an electrical signal. The platform allows control over the timing, spatial range, and duration of cell responses.
Parents reported higher rates of infidelity than non-parents during pandemic, survey finds
In a survey study of more than 1,000 U.S. adults who were in committed, heterosexual relationships during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents were more likely than non-parents to report an increased desire for infidelity since before the pandemic, and were also more likely to report having actually cheated on their partner during the pandemic.
Dr. Jessica T. Campbell of Indiana University Bloomington, U.S., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One.
Prior research has suggested that COVID-19 pandemic conditions strained many romantic and sexual relationships. Other research suggests that high stress and relationship dissatisfaction may prompt some people to consider engaging in romantic or sexual infidelity.
Bioimaging device with nonmechanical design could improve eye and heart condition detection
If you’ve been to a routine eye exam at the optometrist’s office, chances are you’ve had to place your chin and forehead up close to a bioimaging device.
It’s known as optical coherence tomography (OCT), and it’s widely used in eye clinics around the world. OCT uses light waves to take high-resolution, cross-sectional images of the retina in a noninvasive manner. These images can be essential for diagnosing and monitoring eye conditions.
In any bioimaging—either retinal or in-vivo imaging that takes place inside the human body—devices must be quite small and compact to produce high-quality images. However, mechanical aspects of OCT devices, like spinning mirrors, can increase the chance of device failure.
Graphene in Focus: Keeping Up to Date with Advances in Research
Graphene is a two-dimensional material composed of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. Its first discovery was so astonishing because, despite its atomic-scale thickness, graphene exhibits exceptional mechanical strength, approximately 200 times greater than steel.
It also has high electrical and thermal conductivity and a very high theoretical surface area of approximately 2,630 m2/g, which means it can easily be functionalized, broadening its scope.
These properties make graphene suitable for applications in quantum electronics, biomedicine, sustainable construction, and energy storage.
Graphene’s role in technology is expanding, offering solutions for energy storage, cancer therapy, and sustainable construction through innovative research.
Maternal microbes play a significant role in shaping early brain development, study suggests
Research from Michigan State University finds that microbes play an important role in shaping early brain development, specifically in a key brain region that controls stress, social behavior, and vital body functions.
The study, published in Hormones and Behavior, used a mouse model to highlight how natural microbial exposure not only impacts brain structure immediately after birth but may even begin influencing development while still in the womb. A mouse model was chosen because mice share significant biological and behavioral similarities with humans and there are no other alternatives to study the role of microbes on brain development.
This work is of significance because modern obstetric practices, like peripartum antibiotic use and Cesarean delivery, disrupt maternal microbes. In the United States alone, 40% of women receive antibiotics around childbirth and one-third of all births occur via Cesarean section.
This Tiny Brain Grown in a Lab Could Revolutionize Mental Health Research
A lab-grown brain that mimics real brain function may offer breakthroughs in autism, schizophrenia, and mental health drug testing.
Scientists Identify How Young Blood Reverses Aging in Human Skin Cells
The idea of taking blood from the young to rejuvenate the elderly is getting an increasing amount of attention from scientists, and a new study has shown how some of the youthful properties of our skin can be restored with this kind of blood swap.
A special 3D human skin model was set up in the lab by researchers, who then tested the effects of young blood serum on the skin cells. By itself, the serum had no effect, but when bone marrow cells were added to the experiment, anti-aging signals were detected in the skin.
It appears that the young blood serum interacts with the bone marrow cells in specific ways to roll back time in skin cells. The study was led by scientists from Beiersdorf AG, a skin care company in Germany, who say their findings have huge potential in helping us understand anti-aging mechanisms.
Expansion in situ genome sequencing links nuclear abnormalities to aberrant chromatin regulation
Great paper which combines expansion microscopy and in situ genome sequencing to map chromatin structure and selected protein targets in cellular nuclei. ExIGS was then used to explore how lamin protein and genome organization within nuclei changes during aging. #systemsbiology
Microscopy and genomics are used to characterize cell function, but approaches to connect the two types of information are lacking, particularly at subnuclear resolution. Here, we describe expansion in situ genome sequencing (ExIGS), a technology that enables sequencing of genomic DNA and super-resolution localization of nuclear proteins in single cells. Applying ExIGS to progeria-derived fibroblasts revealed that lamin abnormalities are linked to hotspots of aberrant chromatin regulation that may erode cell identity. Lamin was found to generally repress transcription, suggesting that variation in nuclear morphology may affect gene regulation across tissues and aged cells. These results demonstrate that ExIGS may serve as a generalizable platform with which to link nuclear abnormalities to gene regulation, offering insights into disease mechanisms.