Biosecurity News and Research

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Biosecurity is a set of preventive measures designed to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases, quarantined pests, invasive alien species, living modified organisms.

‘Like a PCR Lab in Your Pocket': New Test Strips Raise Game in Gene-Based Diagnostics

Biosensing technology developed by UNSW engineers has made it possible to make portable RAT tests just as accurate as PCR tests carried out in a lab.

7 Mar 2024

Researchers Isolate Adaptable Leptospirosis Strain in Austrian Cattle

Leptospirosis is a globally distributed infectious disease that affects both animals and humans. While the infection is endemic in tropical regions, its incidence seems to increase in temperate regions.

27 Feb 2024

Dr. Bartek Rajwa of Purdue University Named Editor-in-Chief of “Cytometry Part A” Journal by the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry

The International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Bartek Rajwa as the new Editor-in-Chief of “Cytometry Part A – the Journal of Quantitative Cell Science.”

10 Feb 2024

ELRIG UK Announces Steve Bates and Dr Anderson Ryan as Keynote Speakers at Research and Innovation 2024

The European Laboratory Research & Innovation Group (ELRIG) UK today announced the keynote speakers for its upcoming Research and Innovation conference taking place at the University of Manchester from 20–21 March.

From ELRIG (UK) Ltd. 8 Feb 2024

Outsmarting Viruses: Scientists Rewire Bacteria for Biomanufacturing Revolution

Genome engineering allows scientists to modify the genetic code of microbes. Now, researchers have engineered the genome of the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) to make it immune to viral infections.

6 Feb 2024

Researchers Sequence the Entire Genetic Code of Possums

In a five-year long study, just published in Nature Communications, an international group of researchers led by the University of Otago, has assembled the entire genetic code of the marsupial mammal.

18 Oct 2023

New Genome-Wide Testing Finds Greater Proportion of Pure Dingoes in the Wild Than Previously Thought

Wild dingo populations have less dog lineage, with a significantly greater proportion of pure dingoes than previously thought, according to new research, challenging the view that pure dingoes are on the decline due to crossbreeding.

31 May 2023

Extracts from two common wild plants block SARS-CoV-2 from entering human cells

Two common wild plants contain extracts that inhibit the ability of the virus that causes COVID-19 to infect living cells, an Emory University study finds.

13 Feb 2023

Experts urge to recognize the need for more rational discourse around the future of virology

The study of viruses is under renewed scrutiny, say more than 150 experts in a new commentary published today in mSphere, mBio and the Journal of Virology, journals of the American Society for Microbiology.

27 Jan 2023

New technology can help detect the activity of CRISPR gene editing tools

Detecting the activity of CRISPR gene editing tools in organisms with the naked eye and an ultraviolet flashlight is now possible using technology developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

13 Dec 2021

Robust biosecurity system essential as Australian agriculture industry set to make history

The Australian agriculture industry is set to make history this financial year with a forecast to reach $78 billion in value.

9 Dec 2021

Farmers in East African countries adapted better to the impact of COVID-19 than others

In a paper published in Advances in Food Security and Sustainability, researchers found that farmers in East Africa (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda) were able to better adapt to the impact of COVID-19 than those in the Southern African countries of Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

11 Oct 2021

Does the Future of Farming Involve the Gene Editing of Farm Animals?

In this interview, AZoLifeSciences speaks to the RSPCA about the future of farming, and whether it involves gene-edited farm animals.

8 Oct 2021

Researchers identify new therapeutic targets for flaviviruses

In a recent study, Australian scientists used an original approach to resolve the 3D structure of flaviviruses with an unprecedented level of detail, identifying small molecules known as 'pocket factors' as new therapeutic targets.

2 Jun 2021

Climate change makes future outbreaks of West Nile virus more likely in the UK

Climate change will make outbreaks of West Nile virus more likely in the UK within the next 20-30 years, scientists say. West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes and has no vaccine. Most people have no symptoms, but it can cause serious neurological disease.

1 Jun 2021

Raising water levels in agricultural peatlands could reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Substantial cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions could be achieved by raising water levels in agricultural peatlands, according to a new study in the journal Nature.

22 Apr 2021

CRISPR-Cas9 can safeguard future crops under stress from variable climate conditions

Gene editing technology will play a vital role in climate-proofing future crops to protect global food supplies, according to scientists at The University of Queensland.

2 Mar 2021

Bioinformatics approach accurately tracks the origin of synthetic genetic code

Monitoring the origin of the synthetic genetic code has not been easy, but it can be performed via bioinformatics or deep-learning computational techniques.

1 Mar 2021

Genetically edited form of herpes simplex virus outperforms key vaccine candidate

A genetically edited form of a herpes simplex virus -- rewired to keep it from taking refuge in the nervous system and eluding an immune response -- has outperformed a leading vaccine candidate in a new study from the University of Cincinnati, Northwestern University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

9 Nov 2020

Modeling predicted movements of aphids could help fight against banana bunchy top virus

Modelling the predicted movements of pervasive sap-sucking tiny insects before they infest banana crops has the potential to become a key tactic in the fight against a devastating virus, according to QUT research.

11 Aug 2020