Lab Automation and Bioinformatics News and Research

Latest Lab Automation and Bioinformatics News and Research

Plants Repurpose Gas Exchange Genes for Improved Defense Against Herbivores

Throughout evolution, plants have continuously adapted to survive in changing environments. Apart from complex structural changes, plants have also developed various defense strategies against herbivores, including tougher protective layers, thorns, and chemical deterrents.

29 Mar 2025

New Tool Streamlines Genomic Research and Accelerates Medical Breakthroughs

A scientist from the School of Medicine, along with collaborators, has created a crucial new tool aimed at enhancing the efficiency of genomic research and expediting the development of innovative methods to improve human health.

28 Mar 2025

Researchers Unearth Powerful New Antibiotic from Soil

Researchers at McMaster have made a significant discovery that may be the answer to combating antimicrobial resistance, nearly thirty years after the last time a novel class of antibiotics was brought to market.

28 Mar 2025

How Does DNA Unwind? Study Explores Helicase Mechanisms In DNA Replication

This study reveals how SV40 helicase unwinds DNA, highlighting ATP hydrolysis's role in translocation and offering insights into viral replication mechanisms.

28 Mar 2025

Thermo Fisher Scientific and Chan Zuckerberg Institute for Advanced Biological Imaging Collaborate to Further Understanding of Human Cells

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, has announced a Technology Alliance Agreement with the Chan Zuckerberg Institute for Advanced Biological Imaging (CZ Imaging Institute).

28 Mar 2025

Serendipitous Discovery Reveals How Whole-Genome Duplication Drives Evolution

Sometimes, the most significant scientific discoveries happen by accident. Scientists have long known that whole-genome duplication (WGD) - the process by which organisms copy all their genetic material - plays an important role in evolution.

27 Mar 2025

Enhanced Embryo Screening Efficiency in Primate Genetic Modification

Genetic engineering in non-human primates has historically faced limitations due to the reliance on virus-based gene delivery methods.

26 Mar 2025

Scientists Identify Crucial Mechanism for Maintaining Neuronal Identity in the Brain

A team of researchers from the Institute for Neurosciences, a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche, in collaboration with researchers from Columbia University (New York, USA), has identified a mechanism that regulates the production of two different proteins from the same gene.

24 Mar 2025

Unraveling the Evolutionary Link to Eukaryotic Cells

A decade ago, the existence of Asgard archaea was unknown. However, in 2015, researchers analyzing deep-sea sediments uncovered gene fragments that suggested the presence of a new, previously unidentified group of microbes.

24 Mar 2025

Scientists Unlock the Mechanism Behind piRNA's Defense Against Jumping Genes

Adverse genetic mutations can cause harm and are due to various circumstances. "Jumping genes" are one cause of mutations, but cells try and combat them with a specialized RNA called piRNA.

22 Mar 2025

AGD Initiative Drives Progress in Drug Discovery with Sequencing of 250,000 Whole Genomes

Nashville Biosciences LLC (NashBio), a leading clinical and genomic data company and wholly owned subsidiary of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and global DNA sequencing giant Illumina Inc. today announced that 250,000 whole genomes have been sequenced for the Alliance for Genomic Discovery (AGD) initiative.

22 Mar 2025

New Database Provides Insights into snoRNA Expression in Zebrafish

Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are non-coding RNA molecules whose role in gene regulation and their association with certain diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or colorectal cancer, has only recently become known.

20 Mar 2025

RNA-Based Active Agents Successfully Shield Plants from Cucumber Mosaic Virus

New RNA-based active agents reliably protect plants against the Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), the most common virus in agriculture and horticulture. They were developed by researchers at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU).

20 Mar 2025

Pregnancy Triggers Small Intestine Growth in Mice

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have found that the small intestine grows in response to pregnancy in mice. This partially irreversible change may help mice support a pregnancy and prepare for a second.

20 Mar 2025

New Insights into How B Cells Strategically Clone High-Affinity Antibodies

A vaccine's ability to generate long-lasting, high-affinity antibodies hinges on a delicate balance. Upon exposure to a vaccine or pathogen, B cells scramble to refine their defenses, rapidly mutating in hopes of generating the most effective antibodies.

20 Mar 2025

Advanced Imaging Deciphers B Cell Dynamics in Lymph Nodes

Germinal centers are machines of rapid evolution. Germinal centers are tiny clusters in the lymph nodes that refine antibodies through proliferation and mutation to create high-affinity B cells that are suited to control various infections.

20 Mar 2025

Visualizing the Fundamental Process of DNA Strand Separation

The exact moment DNA starts to unravel has been seen by scientists for the first time, exposing a chemical process that is essential for DNA to be the molecule that codes for all life.

20 Mar 2025

Researchers Develop RNA "Barcoding" Tool to Track Genetic Exchange in Bacteria

In the microscopic world of bacteria, gene transfer is a powerful mechanism that can alter cellular function, drive antibiotic resistance and even shape entire ecosystems.

19 Mar 2025

Phytogene Offers a Greener, Cheaper Alternative for Producing Pharmaceuticals

To tackle the inequity in medication access, a societal issue especially in developing nations, a team of undergraduate student-researchers at the University of Ottawa has developed a new biomanufacturing platform called Phytogene.

18 Mar 2025

Brain Research Offers Fresh Insights into the Nature Versus Nurture Debate

Riddle me this: how can it be that reading these words activates nearly identical word-sensitive patches of the brain's visual system in you and nearly every other reader of this story? And that a different set of face-sensitive visual regions-again in almost identical positions in each reader's brain-would activate to process the faces of the researchers, should you meet them?

18 Mar 2025