Microbiology News and Research

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Creatine Linked to Cancer-Fighting Dendritic Cell Function

According to recent UCLA research, creatine, the organic acid that athletes and bodybuilders frequently use as a supplement, supercharges a crucial class of immune cells that activate and prime the body's primary cancer-fighting agents.

8 Jun 2026

Label-Free Raman Spectroscopy Accelerates Precision Phage Therapy

This study was led by Prof. Jian Xu (Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences) in collaboration with Prof. Hongzhou Lu (Shenzhen Third People's Hospital) and Prof. Jiadong Huang (University of Jinan).

8 Jun 2026

How a Tiny Bacterial Enzyme Could Clean Up Chemical Manufacturing

Industrial oxidation chemistry is a cornerstone of modern manufacturing, accounting for nearly one-third of all chemical industrial processes.

3 Jun 2026

Zebrafish Provide New Insights Into Microbiome Dynamics

A new advance in animal husbandry involving a popular aquarium fish should speed the pace of discovery in laboratory studies of host-microbe interactions, researchers report.

2 Jun 2026

MRM Health Rewarded a € 2.6 M VLAIO Research Grant to Accelerate the Development of Novel Therapeutics that Redefine the Treatment of Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases

MRM Health, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for immune-mediated diseases, which unlock the power of the microbiome to restore immune balance, today announced that it has been awarded a research grant of € 2.6M from Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship (VLAIO), a government organization with the goal to stimulate economic development in Flanders, Belgium.

29 May 2026

Scientists Reveal How Surface Acids Prevent Bacteria From Blobbing

Researchers have discovered how acids on the surface of bacteria give these microscopic organisms their characteristic "rod" shape-by keeping an enzyme at bay that would otherwise turn the cylindrical cells into shape-shifting blobs.

27 May 2026

Rapid Diagnostic Tool Yields Definitive Bacterial Pathogen Screening Results in 40 Minutes Flat

Inspired by the widely used and user-friendly COVID-19 strip test kits, a team of science students from Chulalongkorn University has developed a test kit for detecting pathogens in milk and dairy products. The team combined the LAMP technique with strip test technology to create a simple screening tool for harmful bacteria that can be easily used by the public.

26 May 2026

Study Explains Why Persistent Gut Damage Continues Despite HIV Treatments

For many people living with HIV, today's treatments can suppress the virus and dramatically improve health. But even when HIV is controlled, damage to the gut caused by the disease can persist, fueling chronic inflammation linked to serious health problems. A new Tulane University study published in JCI Insight helps explains why.

23 May 2026

Protein Plays Dual Role by Silencing Thousands of Genes While Keeping Vital Ones Active

The causes of male infertility can be hard to diagnose, with many tests failing to detect genetic defects. Sometimes, infertility doesn't even involve the genes themselves. It can arise from improper folding of the father's DNA in the sperm. If a couple conceives, this mispackaged DNA can damage the lifelong health of the child.

21 May 2026

Low-Oxygen Environments Enhance Engraftment and Function of Transplanted Stem Cells

Researchers at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that human hematopoietic stem cells are highly sensitive to oxygen, which can dictate how the cells grow and function.

19 May 2026

Comprehensive Wastewater Genomics Detects All Oncogenic Viruses Concurrently

A study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology is the first comprehensive approach to detect all known cancer-causing or oncogenic viruses concurrently by analyzing viral genomes in wastewater.

15 May 2026

HIV Mutations Undermine Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Treatments Across Strains

Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) are among the most promising new treatments for HIV, offering the potential to forego traditional daily dose of antiretroviral drugs.

12 May 2026

New Analysis Uncovers Evolutionary Adaptations Within Human Gut Bacteria

The human gut harbors a complex ecosystem of trillions of microorganisms (the microbiome), which influences digestion, the immune system and metabolism.

8 May 2026

Cell Swelling Found to Trigger Inflammatory Immune Responses

As part of the body's first line of defense against foreign invaders, macrophages play an integral role in the innate immune system.

8 May 2026

Scientists Discover Viral Strategy That Disables Bacterial CRISPR Immunity

Bacteria fend off invading viruses with molecular scissors that slice up viral DNA - a system called CRISPR that's become indispensable to gene editing.

8 May 2026

Engineered Bacteriophage Speeds up the "Training" of Plastic-Eating Bacteria

Millions of tons of plastic waste build up in landfills and oceans each year. One promising approach is to engineer microbes to break plastic down into useful chemical building blocks.

4 May 2026

Genomic Tool TRACS Improves Tracking of Microbial Transmission Patterns

The research, published today (24 April) in Nature Microbiology, describes how the new tool, called TRAnsmision Clustering of Strains (TRACS), uses genomics to distinguish between closely related bacterial strains.

4 May 2026

New Methods Increase Understanding of How Bacteria Manage DNA

New analytical methods developed at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions have increased our understanding of how bacteria manage DNA.

23 Apr 2026

"Zombie" Macrophages Accumulate in Aging Tissues and Diseased Livers

UCLA researchers have identified a rogue population of immune cells that quietly accumulates in aging tissues and in the livers of people with fatty liver disease. Clearing these cells, they found, dramatically reduced inflammation and reversed liver damage in mice - even while the animals remained on an unhealthy diet.

16 Apr 2026