Biotech

Savannah River National Laboratory, in collaboration with Clemson University, the University of South Carolina and Savannah River Consulting LLC, has demonstrated the use of electrochemical techniques to monitor the growth status and energy levels of microorganisms used in biotechnology industries. As published in a recent Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Express article, the techniques monitor the…

Researchers from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) have found a new method for obtaining high-quality images in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), that requires less contrast medium compared to current methods. It is made possible by using an “elastic” protein structure that can absorb dissolved xenon in a self-regulating way: The greater the amount of…

Researchers from the Chalmers University of Technology have developed a new artificial joint that can restore wrist-like movements for those with amputated forearms. In the new system, an implant is placed into both the ulna and radius—the two forearm bones—with an artificial joint that acts as an interface between the two implants and the prosthetic…

Using a hair-thin optical fibre, the researchers can look into deep brain areas of a living mouse as if through a keyhole. Recently introduced methods for holographic control of light propagation in complex media enable the use of a multimode fibre as an imaging tool. Based on this new approach, the scientists designed a compact…

Purdue University researchers have developed a new flexible and translucent base for silicon nanoneedle patches to deliver exact doses of biomolecules directly into cells and expand observational opportunities. “This means that eight or nine silicon nanoneedles can be injected into a single cell without significantly damaging a cell. So we can use these nanoneedles to…

A new, wearable sensor is able to map out blood-oxygen levels from virtually anywhere on the body. A University of California Berkeley research team has created a flexible sensor comprised of organic electronics printed on bendable plastic that molds to the contours of the body. The new sensors could be used to map the oxygenation…

Rutgers scientists have created a tiny, biodegradable scaffold to transplant stem cells and deliver drugs, which may help treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, aging brain degeneration, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. Stem cell transplantation, which shows promise as a treatment for central nervous system diseases, has been hampered by low cell survival rates,…

For innovation companies, highly differentiated and technologically advanced biobetters offer the greatest potential to mitigate the risks associated with the introduction of biosimilars, as they can be approved before the patent expires and have blockbuster potential.

IUPUI biologists are growing ‘mini retinas’ in the lab from stem cells to mimic the growth of the human retina. The researchers hope to use the research to restore sight when critical connections between the eye and the brain are damaged. These models also allow the researchers to better understand how cells in the retina…

Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have developed a laser-based ray device that can change the size and shape of a block of gel-like material that has human or bacterial cells growing on it, an innovation that could help scientists understand how to someday grow replacement tissues and organs for implants. “To understand,…

Neuroprosthetics – implants containing multi-contact electrodes that can substitute certain nerve functionalities – have the potential to work wonders. They may be able to restore amputees’ sense of touch, help the paralyzed walk again by stimulating their spinal cords and silence the nerve activity of people suffering from chronic pain. Stimulating nerves at the right…

Designing synthetic proteins that can act as drugs for cancer or other diseases can be a tedious process: It generally involves creating a library of millions of proteins, then screening the library to find proteins that bind the correct target. MIT biologists have now come up with a more refined approach in which they use…

Biomedical engineers from Duke University and Washington University in St. Louis have demonstrated that, by injecting an artificial protein made from a solution of ordered and disordered segments, a solid scaffold forms in response to body heat, and in a few weeks seamlessly integrates into tissue. The ability to combine these segments into proteins with…

University of Michigan researchers have developed a powerful microscope that can map how light energy migrates in photosynthetic bacteria on timescales of one-quadrillionth of a second. The microscope could help researchers develop more efficient organic photovoltaic materials, a type of solar cell that could provide cheaper energy than silicon-based solar cells. In photosynthetic plants and…

Researchers at Northwestern University and Washington University School of Medicine have developed the first example of a bioelectronic medicine: an implantable, biodegradable wireless device that speeds nerve regeneration and improves the healing of a damaged nerve. The collaborators — materials scientists and engineers at Northwestern and neurosurgeons at Washington University — developed a device that…

Microfluidic devices can take standard medical lab procedures and condenses each down to a microchip that can balance on top of a water bottle lid. A team from Michigan Technological University, studying chemical engineering, electrical engineering and materials science, streamline the design of microfluidic devices to be see-through to observe their inner workings. Using hair-thin…

Of four research participants living with traumatic, motor complete spinal cord injury, two are able to walk over ground with epidural stimulation following epidural stimulation paired with daily locomotor training. In addition, all four participants achieved independent standing and trunk stability when using the stimulation and maintaining their mental focus. The study was conducted at…