Lab Automation and Bioinformatics News and Research

Latest Lab Automation and Bioinformatics News and Research

Study Reveals Strigolactones as Key Regulators of Tomato Flowering

In an article published in the journal PNAS, researchers at the University of São Paulo's Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-USP) in Brazil describe for the first time how strigolactones, plant hormones discovered several decades ago, control flowering and fruiting in the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). The findings of their study point to a new opportunity for management of fruiting time and could have a significant impact on total yields for this crop.

1 Aug 2024

Uncovering the Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Liver Regeneration

The liver can renew itself quite well. Maintaining organ function and recuperating from surgery or injury depends on this quality. Using clinical samples, researchers from the University of Leipzig Medical Center, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, TU Dresden, and ETH Zurich have examined the changes in liver cell types before and following regeneration.

31 Jul 2024

Rapid Parkinson's Model Opens Door to Personalized Treatments

Scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a key member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, have created a model that swiftly transforms stem cells into brain cells exhibiting protein structures associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

30 Jul 2024

IL-22BP Protein's Influence on Gut Microbiota and Infection Response Revealed

A study reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) shows how the presence of a specific protein called IL-22BP affects the composition of the gut microbiota and the body's response to bacterial infection.

30 Jul 2024

Injectable Therapy Using 'Dancing Molecules' Promises New Hope for Cartilage Repair

In November 2021, Northwestern University researchers introduced an injectable new therapy, which harnessed fast-moving "dancing molecules," to repair tissues and reverse paralysis after severe spinal cord injuries.

29 Jul 2024

Enhancing Laboratory Performance with Comprehensive HIL Monitoring

The release of the new version of ISO 15189 (2022), introduced increased focus on risk stratification and mitigation for patients and laboratory stakeholders as well as more emphasis on quality control to improve accuracy and validity of results. Interference caused by hemolysis, icterus and lipemia is responsible for many rejected results and incorrect diagnosis. It is therefore of the upmost importance to accurately capture the presence of interfering substances in samples before quantitative analysis is carried out.

29 Jul 2024

Unraveling the Complexities of X Chromosome Inheritance

A new study published in Nature Genetics by the Lymphoid Development Group at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences has reveals that the contribution of cells expressing maternal or paternal X chromosomes can be selectively skewed in different parts of the body.

26 Jul 2024

Dairy Cattle Become Hosts for Avian Flu Transmission

A new study reveals evidence that avian influenza has spilled over from birds to dairy cattle across several U.S. states, resulting in mammal-to-mammal transmission between cows and from cows to cats and a raccoon.

25 Jul 2024

Understanding Gibberellin's Dual Role in Legume Nodule Development

Researchers at the University of Cambridge demonstrate that the plant hormone gibberellin (GA) is essential for the formation and maturation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules in legumes and can also increase nodule size.

24 Jul 2024

New Tool GeneMAP Unveils Key Insights into Cell Metabolism

There's a glaring gap in our knowledge of cell metabolism: in many cases, we still don't know exactly how nutrients are transported into the cell.

24 Jul 2024

Decoding Dengue: The Use of Less Efficient Codons for Viral Advantage

Mosquito-borne viral infections once confined to tropical regions are spreading. Dengue virus infects up to 400 million people worldwide each year according to World Health Organization estimates, and no available treatments exist for this disease.

24 Jul 2024

UNC Charlotte Study: SARS-CoV-2 Variants BA.2.86 and JN.1 Show Minimal Immune Evasion

New research from UNC Charlotte's Center for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER) has found that the two recent and prevalent strains of the virus that cause COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 variants BA.2.86 and JN.1, are not significantly better than their predecessor Omicron at evading immune responses and causing infections despite having a high number of mutations compared to Omicron.

22 Jul 2024

How Tiny Freshwater Animals Utilize Bacterial DNA to Fight Fungal Infections

A group of small, freshwater animals protect themselves from infections using antibiotic recipes "stolen" from bacteria, according to new research by a team from the University of Oxford, the University of Stirling and the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Woods Hole.

19 Jul 2024

Expanding the Fruit Fly Tree of Life with New Genomic Data

A multitude of new genomic sequence data fills major gaps in the fruit fly tree of life, Bernard Kim from Stanford University, US, and colleagues report in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, publishing July 18th.

19 Jul 2024

ENGRAM: Capturing Cellular Histories Through Genomic Recording

Genomes can now be entrusted to store information about a variety of transient biological events inside of living cells, as they happen, like a flight recorder collecting data from an aircraft.

18 Jul 2024

New Approach to Finding Antibiotic Alternatives Using Bacterial Data

Researchers have devised an approach for identifying novel antimicrobial drugs with clinical potential using bacterial databases, offering insights into finding alternatives to existing antibiotics.

17 Jul 2024

FAM110A's Dual Role: Orchestrating Microtubule-Actin Interactions in Mitosis

An international research collaboration, led by Prof. Dr. Robert Grosse (Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies and Institute of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Freiburg), Dr. Libor Macurek (Institute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague) and Dr. Zdenek Lansky (Institute of Biotechnology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague) has uncovered a new mechanism of the crosstalk between microtubules and actin cytoskeleton during cell division and revealed unique characteristics of the previously unexplored protein FAM110A.

17 Jul 2024

"AnoxyGen" Project Aims to Unlock the Untapped Biosynthetic Potential of Anaerobes

The “AnoxyGen” project will decode novel active substances of anaerobes and elucidate their role in nature. Some of these could be useful for humans, animals and the environment.

15 Jul 2024

Harnessing Enzymes for Making RNA Therapeutics

While the COVID-19 vaccines introduced many people to RNA-based medicines, RNA oligonucleotides have already been on the market for years to treat diseases like Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and amyloidosis.

15 Jul 2024

Kainate Receptors: A Potential Target for Novel Cerebellar Therapies

The Institute of Neurosciences (IN), a collaborative center of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is leading a study in Tokyo, Japan, in conjunction with Keio University, which highlights the critical role one of the glutamate receptors plays in the proper functioning of the cerebellum's synapses.

11 Jul 2024