Toxin News and Research

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New Genome Assembly Supports Climate-Smart Breeding

An international research collaboration has completed the most detailed genome assembly to date of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus).

4 Nov 2024

New Bacterial Toxins Discovered as Potential Weapons Against Infections

Researchers have discovered a new group of bacterial toxins that can kill harmful bacteria and fungi, opening the door to potential new treatments for infections.

23 Oct 2024

Whole Genome Sequencing Reveals New Insights into Providencia rustigianii

Salmonella and E. coli are well-known bacteria that cause food poisoning, but less understood are species of Providencia, another causative agent of serious symptoms.

18 Oct 2024

The Promise of Venomous Crustaceans in Drug Development

Many animals use venoms for self-defense or hunting. The components of such venom, known as toxins, interfere with various physiological processes - which is also the reason why they are so interesting for the development of new pharmacological agents.

7 Oct 2024

Metagenomic Study Reveals the Most Ancient Dairy Remains Known to Date

The oldest method of producing food with microorganisms in human history is food fermentation. Cheese production and consumption dates back to 7000 before the present (BP) among Mediterranean populations, and milk fermentation, for instance, dates back to 6000–4000 BC in India.

26 Sep 2024

Discovery of Largest Protein Sheds Light on Toxin Production in Marine Algae

While seeking to unravel how marine algae create their chemically complex toxins, scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography have discovered the largest protein yet identified in biology.

12 Aug 2024

New Genetic Circuit Forces Cancer Cells to Self-Destruct

Treating cancer can sometimes feel like a game of Whac-A-Mole. The disease can become resistant to treatment, and clinicians never know when, where and what resistance might emerge, leaving them one step behind.

5 Jul 2024

New Hypothesis Links Firefly Bioluminescence to Oxygen Levels

A genomic analysis disproved the popular theory regarding the origin of firefly lights.

26 Jun 2024

Researchers Recreate Chemically Regulated Actin Polymerization to Study Membrane Dynamics

A synthetic platform that uses dimerization modules consisting of chemical proteins to precisely control the polymerization of actin and demonstrate symmetry breaking.

19 Jun 2024

New Gene Drive System Offers Hope for Sustainable Agriculture

The Chinese Academy of Sciences and Peking University, along with Wenfeng Qian from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB), have collaborated to create a plant gene drive system known as CRISPR-Assisted Inheritance utilizing NPG1 (CAIN).

18 Jun 2024

Human Antibodies Offer Hope for Improved Black Widow Antivenom

Sera produced from horses can be used to treat serious illnesses caused by black widow bites. But this approach is not totally secure. To address this, scientists have produced entirely human antibodies that are capable of neutralizing the European black widow's alpha-latrotoxin.

13 Jun 2024

LSTM Scientists Discover Treatment for Tissue Damage by African Spitting Cobra Venom

Scientists at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) have discovered a groundbreaking new snakebite treatment to prevent the devastating tissue damage caused by African spitting cobra venom.

11 May 2024

Colossal Biosciences and University of Melbourne Partner to Save Northern Quolls from Invasive Cane Toads

Today scientists from Colossal Biosciences, the world’s first de-extinction company, and the University of Melbourne announce a major step forward in the effort to save Australia’s endangered northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) from the invasive cane toad.

11 May 2024

Soil Bacteria Use Umbrella Toxins to Fight Back

Scientists have found that soil bacteria called Streptomyces secrete toxic protein particles in the shape of umbrellas that are meant to suppress competitors, particularly those that belong to their species.

18 Apr 2024

Role of Candidalysin in Gut Microbiome Dynamics

The fungus Candida albicans commonly inhabits the human gastrointestinal tract. This versatile species can switch between existing as single-celled yeast and multicellular hyphae to adjust to its surroundings.

22 Mar 2024

New Cost-Effective RNA Sequencing Method for Legionella Detection

Legionnaires' disease (LD), a rare and severe type of pneumonia, is a respiratory infection caused by species of Legionella bacteria.

22 Mar 2024

Using Genomic Methods to Track Pesticide Resistance

Pesticides are used by farmers to manage agricultural pests. However, pesticide-resistant insects frequently become immune to their toxins.

19 Mar 2024

Algal Blooms May Pose More Health Risks Than Previously Thought

Florida's 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon (IRL) borders five different counties and has five inlets that connect the lagoon with the Atlantic Ocean.

16 Jan 2024

National Korea Maritime and Ocean University Researchers Explore the Impact of Microplastics and Toxin Exposure on Goldfish

Microplastic particles can travel long distances in oceans and are known to carry with them harmful and persistent organic pollutants like benzo[α]pyrene (BaP), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon.

11 Jan 2024

Bacterial “Barcode” Deciphers the Fate of Proteins, Impacting Pathogen Behavior

Researchers at McMaster University have found a molecular “barcode” system that pathogenic bacteria use to identify harmful from beneficial molecules.

9 Jan 2024