Lab Automation and Bioinformatics News and Research

Latest Lab Automation and Bioinformatics News and Research

Researchers identify a potential biomarker of aging

The skin is the only organ that shows age more profoundly. While researchers have hypothesized about the ravages of time on skin and also the epidermal stem cells that undergo differentiation to restore the external layer of the skin, no suitable method is available to assess their aging at the molecular level.

22 Jul 2020

Hybrid virus infects cells, interacts with antibodies just like COVID-19 virus

Airborne and potentially deadly, the virus that causes COVID-19 can only be studied safely under high-level biosafety conditions.

22 Jul 2020

Silver-plated gold nanostars could be used to detect early cancer biomarkers

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have engineered a method for simultaneously detecting the presence of multiple specific microRNAs in RNA extracted from tissue samples without the need for labeling or target amplification.

22 Jul 2020

New tools developed to test the ability of antibodies to neutralize SARS-CoV-2

Researchers at The Rockefeller University in New York have developed new tools to rapidly test the ability of antibodies to neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

22 Jul 2020

Stackable, low profile deep well microplates for lab automation

Porvair Sciences has introduced a new range of low profile deep well microplates - optimized for laboratory automation.

From Porvair Sciences Limited 22 Jul 2020

Study shows how T cells become cancer-killing cells

Within the immune system, the T lymphocytes operate to kill cancer cells or infected cells.

21 Jul 2020

Researchers image the formation of four-stranded DNA in living human cells

The development of four-stranded DNA has been monitored in the living cells of human beings, enabling researchers to observe its potential role in cancer.

21 Jul 2020

Archaeologists use new protein method to determine the sex of human remains

A new method for estimating the biological sex of human remains based on reading protein sequences rather than DNA has been used to study an archaeological site in Northern California.

21 Jul 2020

Study shows how to reduce emissions by changing farming practices

Argonne researchers quantify how to reduce emissions by farms changing their practices and adopting novel technologies.

21 Jul 2020

Geoengineering cannot fully address the growing climate change crisis

Could we create massive sulfuric acid clouds that limit global warming and help meet the 2015 Paris international climate goals, while reducing unintended impacts?

From Rutgers University 21 Jul 2020

Josep Carreras Institute creates spin-off to develop CAR-T based therapies for leukemia

The Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, a public centre pertaining to the Generalitat de Catalunya's (Government of Catalonia) CERCA network, has created the OneChain Immunotherapeutics spin-off, the aim of which is to develop new immuno-oncological therapeutic tools with various preclinical candidates, based on CAR-T technology for different tumors, such as cortical T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (coT-ALL), a rare subtype of leukemia that mainly affects children, and which has a poor prognosis.

21 Jul 2020

Novel nano drug candidate kills triple negative breast cancer cells

Researchers at the University of Arkansas have developed a new nano drug candidate that kills triple negative breast cancer cells.

21 Jul 2020

Study sheds light on protein involved in Huntington’s disease

Researchers have performed a new study that exposes complex details regarding the biology of the huntingtin protein (HTT), which causes Huntington’s disease.

20 Jul 2020

Study shows how the coronavirus disarms the body’s innate immune system

Scientists have established how SARS-CoV-2 suppresses the production of proteins in infected cells and how this virus effectively disarms the immune system.

20 Jul 2020

A new method to fortify shellfish for tackling human nutrient defiiciencies

Cambridge scientists have developed a new way to fortify shellfish to tackle human nutrient deficiencies which cause severe health problems across the world. The team is now working with major seafood manufacturers to further test their microencapsulation technology, or "Vitamin Bullets".

20 Jul 2020

Small, compact Cas proteins found in bacteriophages are ideal for gene editing

The DNA-cutting proteins central to CRISPR-Cas9 and related gene-editing tools originally came from bacteria, but a newfound variety of Cas proteins apparently evolved in viruses that infect bacteria.

20 Jul 2020

Rapid laboratory test can aid in early diagnosis of COVID-19 in patients

A rapid laboratory test, the eosinophil count, readily obtained from a routine complete blood cell count (CBC) can aid in the early recognition of COVID-19 in patients, as well as provide prognostic information, according to new research in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

20 Jul 2020

Type 1 interferon deficiency in the blood could be a hallmark of severe COVID-19

Approximately 5% of people with Covid-19 progress to a severe or critical form, including the development of severe pneumonia that progresses to acute respiratory distress syndrome.

20 Jul 2020

Emerging hydrogel material could improve delivery of oral drugs

An emerging hydrogel material with the capacity to degrade and spontaneously reform in the gastrointestinal tract could help researchers develop more effective methods for oral drug delivery.

From Lehigh University 20 Jul 2020

Beautyberry leaf extract boosts drug's activity antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria

Scientists discovered a compound in the leaves of a common shrub, the American beautyberry, that boosts an antibiotic's activity against antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria. Laboratory experiments showed that the plant compound works in combination with oxacillin to knock down the resistance to the drug of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

17 Jul 2020