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Behavior of Single Protein Observed in Unprecedented Detail

For the first time, researchers have been able to confine and study an individual protein, one that plays a key role in photosynthesis, without having to pin it down so tightly as to alter its fundamental behavior.

Molecule Tells Brain Cells to Grow Up, Get to Work

Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have now identified a molecular master switch that catalyzes precursor cells’ transition to mature, myelin-making mavens. The results may have implications for medical treatment, as defects in this maturation process have been observed in both multiple sclerosis and the most common kind of brain cancers in adults, known as gliomas.

MicroRNA Identified as Possible Cause of Chemotherapy Resistance

Scientists may have uncovered a mechanism for resistance to paclitaxel in ovarian cancer, microRNA-31, suggesting a possible therapeutic target for overcoming chemotherapy resistance.

New Insights on a Fundamental DNA Repair Mechanism

Adding a new link to our understanding of the complex chain of chemistry that keeps living cells alive, a team of researchers from the University of Vermont (UVM), the University of Utah, Vanderbilt University, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has demonstrated for the first time the specific activity of the protein NEIL3, one of a group responsible for maintaining the integrity of DNA in humans and other mammals.

Blood Vessel Cells Key to Growing Unlimited Amounts of Adult Stem Cells

In a leap toward making stem cell therapy widely available, researchers at the Ansary Stem Cell Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered that endothelial cells, the most basic building blocks of the vascular system, produce growth factors that can grow copious amounts of adult stem cells and their progeny over the course of weeks.

Seafarers’ Scourge Provides Hope for Biofuel Future

For centuries, seafarers were plagued by wood-eating gribble that destroyed their ships, and these creatures continue to wreak damage on wooden piers and docks in coastal communities. But new research by scientists at the BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre at the Universities of York and Portsmouth is uncovering how the tiny marine isopod digests the apparently indigestible.

Mineral Studies Advance Antibacterial Alternatives

Researcher from Arizona State University helped advance understanding about the antibacterial activity of clay minerals and their ability to kill what the best antibiotics on the market can’t touch.

Cancer-fighting Strategy Focuses on Signaling Molecules

Cancer researchers studying the immune system have identified a previously unrecognized set of targets and biomarkers to battle solid tumors.

Stem Cells Restore Sight in Mouse Model of Retinitis Pigmentosa

An international research team led by Columbia University Medical Center successfully used mouse embryonic stem cells to replace diseased retinal cells and restore sight in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa. This strategy could potentially become a new treatment for retinitis pigmentosa, a leading cause of blindness that affects approximately one in 3,000 to 4,000 people, or 1.5 million people worldwide.

Trading Places

A revolution in the way Britain trades and invests with the world is looming, with Eastern Europe and Asia set to become better places for British companies to make money than Western Europe.

Research Exchange

Publishing Data That Conform to the MIQE Guidelines

Jan 22

Minimum information for publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments (MIQE) guidelines help researchers design qPCR experiments.

Calibration Free Analysis to Measure the Concentration of Active Proteins

Nov 23 2009

An SPR-based method, Calibration Free Concentration Analysis can be used to accurately determine the concentration of active protein in a sample, relating to the specific binding activity of the protein, and without the need for a standard.

Advances in EMCCD Technology: Making Imaging Less Arbitrary

Advances in EMCCD Technology: Making Imaging Less Arbitrary

Nov 16 2009

Recent advances in EMCCD technology have solved the problem of non-standardized measurement units by using the photoelectron to standardize imaging experiments.

10 Tips for Successful Sample Concentration and Buffer Exchange

10 Tips for Successful Sample Concentration and Buffer Exchange

Nov 6 2009

Centrifugal devices with ultrafiltration (UF) membrane can solve common problems researchers face when working with proteins.

Advantages of Monolithic Laser Combiner Technology in Confocal Microscopy Systems

Jan 6

Fluorescence microscopy techniques require a reliable light source at the desired wavelength or wavelengths, with minimal downtime for maintenance and alignment. Lasers are a popular light source, although the alignment and upkeep of laser combiners is a time-consuming prospect for many users.

Size-Exclusion Chromatography for Purification of Biomolecules

Dec 2 2009

Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) is a popular method to separate biomolecules based on their size. Primarily, it is applied to the separation of biopolymers such as proteins and nucleic acids, i.e. water-soluble polymers.

Improving Separation During Electrophoresis

Dec 2 2009

SeparateIT gels represent a novel gel matrix for DNA electrophoresis. Gel polymers are arranged in a conceptually different way, in accordance with a new theoretical model of gel electrophoresis.

Improving Quality of ELISA

Dec 2 2009

Using ready-to-use ELISA kits from manufacturers is easy and convenient. Sometimes however, home-made ELISA is required because there is no kit available with the right antibodies or the characteristics of the available kits such as their limits of detection are not appropriate.

Using the Tecan Genesis Workstation to Automate a Cytometric Bead Array (CBA) Immunoassay

Mar 11

The poster describe the process involved in automating a Cytometric Bead Array (CBA) immunoassay developed to measure relative concentrations of serum antibodies against Tetanus (TT), Sperm Whale Myoglobin (SWM) and Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH) in KLH-immunized volunteers.

Ensuring Quality in Assays Performed with Automated Liquid Handlers

Feb 2

The focus of this presentation is to highlight the need of ensuring quality in important assays performed with automated liquid handlers. Nearly all assays performed within a laboratory are volume-dependent. In turn, all concentrations of biological and chemical components in these assays, as well as the associated dilution protocols, are volume-dependent. Because analyte concentration is volume-dependent, an assay’s results might be falsely interpreted if liquid handler variability and inaccuracies are unknown or if the system(s) go unchecked for a long period.

Inkjet System for Protein Crystallography

Feb 1

X-ray crystallography is used routinely by scientists to obtain the three dimensional structure of a biological molecule of interest.Such information can be used to determine how a pharmaceutical interacts with a protein target and what changes might improve functionality. However, the crystallization of macromolecules still remains a serious hindrance in structural determination despite impressive advances in screening methods and technologies.

Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity in a Drosophila Memory Mutant

Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity in a Drosophila Memory Mutant

Nov 9 2009

Action selection is modulated by external stimuli either directly or via memory retrieval. In a constantly changing environment, animals have evolved attention-like processes to effectively filter the incoming sensory stream. These attention-like processes, in turn, are modulated by memory. The neurobiological nature of how attention, action selection and memory are inter-connected is unknown. We describe here new phenotypes of the memory mutant radish in the fruit fly Drosophila.

Relationship between multiple sources of perceived social support and psychological and academic adjustment in early adolescence: comparisons across gender.

Mar 8

The current study investigated gender differences in the relationship between sources of perceived support (parent, teacher, classmate, friend, school) and psychological and academic adjustment in a sample of 636 (49% male) middle school students. Longitudinal data were...

Involvement of ceramide in ischemic tolerance induced by preconditioning with sublethal oxygen-glucose deprivation in primary cultured cortical neurons of rats.

Feb 25

The complex molecular cascades of ischemic tolerance in brain cells remain unclear. Recently, sphingolipid-related metabolite ceramide has been implicated as a second messenger in many biological functions, including neuronal survival and death. The present study, therefore,...

Social intelligence and academic achievement as predictors of adolescent popularity.

Feb 24

This study compared the effects of social intelligence and cognitive intelligence, as measured by academic achievement, on adolescent popularity in two school contexts. A distinction was made between sociometric popularity, a measure of acceptance, and perceived popularity, a...

Prokariotic Cell Collection in Denmark

Nov 6 2009

I would like to know about a prokariotic cell collection in Denmark. Is there a cell bank in this country? I need a Lactobacillus strain for a fermentation assay and this information about the bank is very helpful for me.

Request for Entries

Oct 16 2009

Ask the Experts is your chance to get the answers to questions on applications, materials, methods, processes, and technologies. Email you question to bst_web@advantagemedia.com, and the editors of Bioscience Technology will find an appropriate expert to answer it. Watch this space in the future to see the questions your colleagues are posting.          

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Video:

Neuroscience Diseases of The Brain and How The Mind Emerges

Neuroscience Diseases of The Brain and How The Mind Emerges

Nov 8 2009

Dennis Choi, director of Emory Universitys Neuroscience Center, is renowned for his groundbreaking research on brain and spinal cord injury.

Podcasts:

Allen Institute for Brain Research

Allen Institute for Brain Research

Oct 14 2009

Discussed in this interview are both the mouse brain project and the human cortex project with an emphasis on the importance of these projects to neuroscience research.