Pre-Recorded Video Presentation Guidelines for Conferences
Here's a breakdown to ensure your pre-recorded conference presentation is polished and professional:
Technical Specifications:
- File Format: MP4 or other widely supported formats.
- File Size: Large files can be cumbersome to download, so aim for a reasonable size (often under 500MB). Compress the video if necessary while maintaining good quality.
- Resolution: Standard high definition (HD) resolution (720p) is usually sufficient.
Presentation Content:
- Content Duration: Adhere strictly to the allocated time slot which is 30 minutes.
- Introduction: Briefly introduce yourself, the topic, and the key points you'll cover.
- Content: Deliver your presentation clearly and concisely.
- Visuals: Use clear and concise visuals (slides, screen recording) to support your points. Avoid text overload.
- Conclusion: Summarize the key takeaways.
Latest News
Machine learning helps to determine the diverse conformations of RNA molecules
2024-12-18 - 2024-12
An innovative technique called HORNET uses atomic force microscopy and a machine-learning architecture called a deep neural network to recapitulate the 3D structures of individual RNA molecules. This method enables the study of the structure and dynamics of RNAs that adopt flexible and variable conformations under biologically relevant conditions.
New Software Unlocks Secrets of Cell Signaling
2024-12-19 - 2024-12Researchers have developed innovative software that enhances our understanding of cell signaling pathways. This tool allows scientists to analyze complex cellular interactions more efficiently, potentially leading to breakthroughs in understanding diseases at the molecular level
Scientists Destroy 99% of Cancer Cells in Lab Using Vibrating Molecule
2024-12-25 - 2024-12
Scientists have discovered a remarkable way to destroy cancer cells. A study published last year found stimulating aminocyanine molecules with near-infrared light caused them to vibrate in sync, enough to break apart the membranes of cancer cells.
Aminocyanine molecules are already used in bioimaging as synthetic dyes. Commonly used in low doses to detect cancer, they stay stable in water and are very good at attaching themselves to the outside of cells.
The research team from Rice University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Texas, said their approach is a marked improvement over another kind of cancer-killing molecular machine previously developed, called Feringa-type motors, which could also break the structures of problematic cells.
"It is a whole new generation of molecular machines that we call molecular jackhammers," said chemist James Tour from Rice University, when the results were published in December 2023.
Gene Therapy Market Analysis,Growth, Insights and Future Outlook | Exactitude Consultancy
2024-12-26 - 2024-12
Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, Dec. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gene Therapy Market Analysis: A Paradigm Shift in Modern Medicine
Gene therapy, a transformative approach to treating diseases, involves altering, replacing, or supplementing faulty genetic material to combat various illnesses. This innovative method represents a significant milestone in addressing degenerative and chronic diseases. As the global burden of conditions like cancer and diabetes continues to rise, the demand for gene therapy is expected to surge, positioning it as a pivotal solution in modern medicine.
Advancements Driving Gene Therapy Adoption
Gene therapies work by modifying genetic information to treat or even cure diseases. Techniques include inactivating malfunctioning genes, replacing defective ones with healthy copies, or introducing new genes to aid in disease management. This cutting-edge treatment has shown remarkable promise against conditions such as cancer, diabetes, AIDS, and heart disease, underscoring its potential to replace traditional methods like chemotherapy, which often result in significant side effects.
Recent years have witnessed significant advancements in gene therapy research, supported by robust investments from both public and private entities. These investments aim to accelerate the approval of advanced gene therapies, fostering market growth. For instance, the adoption of viral vectors—known for their low toxicity and high immunological efficacy—has marked a shift towards safer, more efficient therapeutic solutions.
The Cell Division Challenge to Eukaryogenesis — And to Evolution
2024-12-24 - 2024-12
In a previous article, I discussed the irreducible complexity of the eukaryotic cell division machinery. What makes the origins of the eukaryotic cell cycle particularly resistant to evolutionary explanations is that a wide gulf exists between the mechanism of cell division by eukaryotes and that employed by prokaryotic cells — both in terms of the protein components involved, as well as the underlying logic. There is essentially nothing in common between the two systems. As I noted in my paper,
The invagination of the bacterial cell inner membrane is mediated by FtsZ and the other proteins that together comprise the divisome. In eukaryotic cells, by contrast, a contractile ring forms from actin filaments and myosin motor proteins, which pinches the cell’s membrane to form two daughter cells. The mechanisms of segregating DNA in prokaryotes are also significantly different from the manner of segregating genetic material in eukaryotes. During eukaryotic mitosis…the cell’s replicated DNA condenses into distinct chromosomes. These chromosomes are then equally divided and segregated into two daughter cells through a process guided by the spindle apparatus, ensuring each cell receives a complete and identical set of genetic information. The underlying apparatus of these processes, therefore, are quite distinct between prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
Table 1 in the paper (pages 9-10) highlights important differences in the mode of cell division between these two systems.
Bacterial Cell Division Is Irreducibly Complex
For a survey of the mechanisms involved in bacterial cell division, I refer readers to two articles I previously published at Evolution News — here and here. Various features of the prokaryotic cell division machinery, much like eukaryotic cell division, exhibit irreducible complexity. For example, in gram-negative organisms, a minimum of ten proteins (FtsA, B, I, K, L, N, Q, W, Z and ZipA) are indispensable for successful division, and therefore have been suggested as potential targets of antibiotic drugs.1,2,3 For economy of space, I refer readers to my previous articles on this for a more detailed discussion of the irreducible complexity of the prokaryotic cell division machinery.
LECA Possessed Modern-Like Cell Cycle Complexity
Phylostratigraphic analysis has revealed that most of the components found in the modern eukaryotic cell cycle were already present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA). For example, one study revealed that a minimum of 24 of 37 known subunits, co-activators and direct / indirect substrates of the APC/C were present in LECA.4 A similar analysis was carried out on the components of the mitotic checkpoint and their associated functional domains and motifs. They concluded that “most checkpoint components are ancient and were likely present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor.”5 Another study likewise confirmed that the dynactin complex (the activator of cytoplasmic dynein, which is crucial for
Aspartate promotes lung metastases by activating protein synthesis in cancer cells.
2025-01-03 - 2025-01
Researchers from the lab of Prof. Sarah-Maria Fendt (VIB-KU Leuven) and colleagues have uncovered that the availability of the amino acid aspartate is one reason why the lung is a frequent organ of metastasis. Their work appears in Nature and improves our understanding of cancer biology while providing the foundation for new therapeutic interventions in metastatic diseases.
A role for aspartate
More than half of cancer patients in whom the cancer spreads beyond the primary site have lung metastases. What makes the lungs such a tempting place for cancer cells
To find out, the team of Prof. Sarah-Maria Fendt (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology) and colleagues investigated the gene expression in cells from aggressive lung metastases. They found evidence for an alternative ‘translation program.’ What does this mean Translation is the process that uses our genetic code as a blueprint to make proteins in cells. A change in the translational program results in a set of different proteins that allow cancer cells to grow easier in the lung environment.
But what starts this alternative translational program in aggressive metastases
Ginevra Doglioni, PhD student at the Fendt lab and first author of the study says “We found high levels of aspartate in the lungs of mice and patients with breast cancer compared to mice and patients without cancer, which suggests that aspartate may be important for lung metastasis”
Aspartate is an amino acid (a protein building block) that has very low concentrations in blood plasma but, surprisingly, very high concentrations in the lungs of mice with metastatic breast cancer.
Advancements in RNA Sequencing Enhance Cancer Research with MaCroDNA Platform
2024-12-31 - 2024-12Recent advancements in RNA sequencing, particularly with the MaCroDNA platform, have set new standards for single-cell sequencing data integration in cancer research. Developed by researchers at Rice University, this platform facilitates a deeper understanding of cancer at the single-cell level, shedding light on the early stages of tumor development and progression
Bioreactor allows automated long-term culturing of stem cells
2025-01-02 - 2025-01
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are considered a promising tool in medicine, with the potential to unlock treatments for many health conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases and disorders. However, producing large amounts of hiPSCs remains a challenge.
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) hold great potential for the development of cell therapies and drugs and for disease research. HiPSCs are very similar to embryonic stem cells, but they are cultured and reprogrammed in a lab from adult cells taken from the connective tissue of adult subjects.
The advantage is that pluripotent stem cells have the potential to produce almost any type of cell or tissue that the body requires for self-repair purposes. It is also possible to perform patient-specific tests of potential active ingredients directly on the cells affected by a certain health condition.
To meet the rising demand for hiPSCs and allow for standardized production in larger volumes, a team of researchers from Fraunhofer ISC in Würzburg has developed a dynamic incubator and suspension bioreactor that can be used for long-term culturing of hiPSCs as part of their work on the SUSI (short for "Suspension Incubator") project. It offers optimum conditions, such as a temperature of 37°C and an atmosphere saturated with 5% CO2, both of which are necessary to culture the cells.
One key component of the bioreactor is the impeller, a type of stirrer that performs the important tasks of mixing, aeration and heat and mass transfer inside the glass vessel to create homogeneous conditions within the cell suspension, thereby enabling robust and reproducible cell propagation.
"We focus on the good of the cells and designed and built all of the components of our bioreactor with that in mind," says Thomas Schwarz, a scientist at Fraunhofer TLC-RT. For example, one crucial factor is the shear forces that affect the cells during the process of stirring, or agitating, the culture.
Novel Technique May Accelerate Study of Gene Regulation
2025-01-02 - 2025-01
Investigators from the laboratory of Ali Shilatifard, PhD, the Robert Francis Furchgott Professor and chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, have developed a novel technique to efficiently and dynamically label chromatin-binding proteins at specific genomic sites in the mammalian genome, as detailed in a recent study published in Molecular Cell.
The technique, called TurboCas, may allow scientists to more precisely and efficiently study transcriptional regulation, which has the potential to contribute for the development of new therapeutic strategies targeting gene expression.
Ali Shilatifard, PhD, the Robert Francis Furchgott Professor and chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, was senior author of the study published in Molecular Cell.
“This revolutionary methodology, which we and the field have been trying to develop for the past 20 years, is going to change the way we define gene specific regulation of transcription. Now we can identify a region of the genome that is a diseased region and molecularly define what’s really going on in there,” said Shilatifard, who is also director of Feinberg’s Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics and leader of the Cancer Epigenetics and Nuclear Dynamics Program at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.
The motivation behind developing TurboCas stemmed from a longstanding challenge of labeling proteins at a single point in the genome. The new technique allows scientists to map a complete set of proteins interacting with a specific genomic region in mammalian cells with higher specificity, sensitivity and temporal control than previous methods.
St. Jude scientists create scalable solution for analyzing single-cell data
2025-01-08 - 2025-01
Researchers have amassed vast single-cell gene expression databases to understand how the smallest details impact human biology. However, current analysis methods struggle with the large volume of data and, as a result, produce biased and contradictory findings. Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital created a machine-learning algorithm capable of scaling with these single-cell data repositories to deliver more accurate results. The new method was published today in Cell Genomics.
Before single-cell analysis, bulk gene expression data gave high-level but unrefined results for many diseases. Single-cell analysis enables researchers to look at individual cells of interest, a difference akin to looking at an individual corn kernel instead of a field. These detailed insights have already made breakthroughs in understanding some diseases and treatments, but difficulty replicating and scaling analyses for data that keeps increasing in size has stymied progress.
Researchers uncover molecular mechanisms driving RNA processing defects in Huntington's disease
2025-01-09 - 2025-01
A University of California, Irvine-led research team has discovered intricate molecular mechanisms driving the RNA processing defects that lead to Huntington's disease and link HD with other neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal lobar dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
The findings may pave the way for neurodegenerative disorder researchers to collaborate and share therapeutic strategies across diseases, opening additional avenues for treatment.
While it's known that HD is caused by an abnormal expansion of cytosine, adenine and guanine nucleotide repeats in the DNA of the gene responsible for HD, how this mutation interferes with cellular functions is highly complex.
The study, recently published online in the journal Nature Neuroscience, reveals the interplay between two key regulators of RNA processing. Binding of both the RNA-binding protein TDP-43 and the m6A RNA modification chemical tag has been found to be altered on genes that are dysregulated in HD. Further, TDP-43 pathology, classically associated with ALS and FTLD, is found in diseased brains from HD patients.
RNA modifications and how they control RNA abundance to lead to disease is an emergent and challenging area of biological research. "Our findings offer new insights into the role of TDP-43 and m6A modifications in contributing to defective RNA processing in HD. This enhanced understanding highlights their potential as therapeutic targets, which are major areas of research for other neurological disorders. Drugs developed to interact with these pathways could offer new hope for slowing or even reversing neurodegeneration in HD, ALS and other diseases where TDP-43 dysregulation is significant. This research is very important because it uses clinically relevant model systems to understand and elucidate novel RNA-based mechanisms for aberrant gene regulation in HD," said co-corresponding author Leslie Thompson, Ph.D., UC Irvine Chancellor's Professor and Donald Bren Professor of psychiatry & human behavior as well as neurobiology & behavior.
A tiny anticancer weapon: Nano-sized particles trigger tumor cell self-destruction
2025-01-15 - 2025-01A new twist on a decades-old anticancer strategy has shown powerful effects against multiple cancer types in a preclinical study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The experimental approach, which uses tiny capsules called small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), could offer an innovative new type of immunotherapy treatment and is poised to move toward more advanced development and testing.Researchers have been trying for more than 20 years to develop successful DR5-targeting cancer treatments. The new approach, using engineered sEVs to target DR5, outperformed DR5-targeting antibodies, which have been considered a leading DR5-targeting strategy. The sEVs were efficient killers of multiple cancer cell types in lab-dish tests, and blocked tumor growth in mouse models, enabling much longer survival than DR5-targeting antibodies.
Women in Science: Bristol Academic Honored with 2025 Cell Biology Medal
2025-01-15 - 2025-01
Dr Helen Weavers, Associate Professor in Cell and Developmental Biology in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, has been awarded the Women in Cell Biology (WCIB) Early Career Medal 2025 by the British Society for Cell Biology (BSCB).
Dr Weavers and her interdisciplinary team in the School of Biochemistry focuses on the molecular mechanisms enabling cells and tissues to resist and recover from insult, with the aim of developing novel therapies for regenerative medicine. Her group uses a wide range of cutting-edge approaches, integrating in vivo live imaging, molecular cell biology, genetics and ‘omics with computational modelling and genetic epidemiology.
Dr Weavers and her group have harnessed their models to uncover the fundamental molecular adaptations that enable diverse cell types to resist and repair damage. These cytoprotective mechanisms are important within barrier tissues, such as the skin or airways, vulnerable to environmental damage but also within internal tissues (e.g. kidneys), to defend against endogenous threat. Such self-defence strategies – which include redox control and metabolic reprogramming – limit cellular damage, ageing and death, so tissues can quickly restore function.
Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies and FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific collaborate to accelerate T cell expansion for cell therapy developers
2025-01-15 - 2025-01
Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies (Terumo BCT) and FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific have announced a strategic collaboration to help accelerate T cell expansion using Fujifilm's PRIME-XV® T Cell Expansion Media on Terumo BCT’s Quantum Flex™ Cell Expansion System. By using systems that work together, this collaboration offers an optimized workflow solution with a ready-to-use process, aimed at reducing the barriers in scaling T cell expansion.
Cell therapy developers, especially early-stage companies, often face significant challenges scaling their manufacturing processes, requiring extensive investment in developing their own methods for T cell expansion. Terumo BCT’s protocols, tested with Fujifilm’s commercially available, chemically defined, GMP-compliant media, help reduce challenges associated with T cell expansion such as time, cost, and complexity of creating in-house processes.
A New Kind of Epigenetic Gene Control is Revealed
2025-01-20 - 2025-01
The expression of genes has to be carefully regulated in cells; active genes give cells their identity and ability to function. Epigenetic features are just one way that cells control gene expression, and they do so without altering the sequence of genes. These may involve chemical groups like methyl tags that adorn DNA, or structural characteristics that relate to proteins that organize DNA. But scientists have also been learning about how epigenetics affect RNA. New findings on a balancing act in epigenetics, which works on DNA and RNA, have been reported in Cell.
When genes are expressed, they are transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules. The cell can then translate those mRNA molecules into proteins, which carry out a variety of functions. Scientists have identified an epigenetic mechanism that seems to balance gene expression. One facet of the mechanism can promote the transcription and organization of genes, while the other causes mRNA transcripts to lose stability, and can adjust how those transcripts are used. This work has shown that DNA and RNA epigenetics may be more closely linked than known.
The study has indicated that this mechanism allows for very precise control of gene activity, which can be critical at times of development, and cellular coordination.
Mysterious Blobs Found inside Cells Are Rewriting the Story of How Life Works
2025-01-21 - 2025-01
No one saw the blob takeover coming. In 2009 a team of biophysicists led by Anthony A. Hyman of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, were studying specklelike structures called P granules in the single-celled embryo of a tiny, soil-dwelling worm. These specks were known to accumulate only at one end of the cell, making it lopsided so that, when it divides, the two daughter cells are different. The researchers wanted to know how that uneven distribution of P granules arises.
They discovered that these blobs, made from protein and RNA, were condensing on one side of the cell like raindrops in moist air, and dissolving again on the other side. In other words, the molecular components of the granules were undergoing phase transitions like those that switch a substance between liquid and gas.
That was a weird thing to be happening in cell biology. But at first it seemed to many researchers little more than a quirk and didn’t excite much attention. Then these little blobs—now called biomolecular condensates—began popping up just about anywhere researchers looked in the cell, doing a myriad of vital tasks.
Biologists had long believed that bringing order and organization to the chaos of molecules inside a cell depended on membrane-bound compartments called organelles, such as the mitochondria. But condensates, it turns out, offer “order for free” without the need for membranes. They provide an easy, general-purpose organization that cells can turn on or off. This arrangement permits many of the things on which life depends, explains biophysicist Petra Schwille of the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany.
New findings shed light on cell health: Key insights into the recycling process inside cells
2025-01-21 - 2025-01
A recent study from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India has revealed new details about how our cells clean up and recycle waste. This process, known as autophagy, is like a self-cleaning mechanism for cells, helping the cells stay healthy by getting rid of damaged parts and recycling useful components.
The process involves formation of a vesicle called the autophagosome, which encapsulates the cellular waste. The autophagosome then fuses with another type of vesicle called a lysosome. The fused stage is called an autolysosome. The autolysosome ultimately matures into a lysosome, where the waste is degraded by different enzymes and important starting materials are released back into the cytoplasm.
The autophagosomes, autolysosomes and lysosomes can be considered as different stages of the cellular recycling process. Therefore, when cells notice they have too much "junk" inside, autophagy kicks into action. It is like a little clean-up crew inside the cell that sorts out the waste, recycles useful parts, and disposes of the rest.
Cell & Molecular Biology
2025-01-24 - 2025-01Maternal microbiome-derived metabolites during pregnancy impact offspring stem cell function, offering potential therapeutic targets to improve child health.
Tissue scaffolds and soluble repair factors
2025-01-27 - 2025-01Scaffolds and soluble factors, such as proteins and small molecules, have been used to induce tissue repair by undamaged cells at the site of injury. These agents protect resident fibroblasts and adult stem cells and stimulate the migration of these cells into damaged areas, where they proliferate to form new tissue. The ECMs of pig small intestine submucosa, pig and human dermis, and different types of biomimetic scaffolds are used clinically for the repair of hernias, fistulas, and burns.
Stem cell exhaustion and its role in healthy aging
2025-02-03 - 2025-02
Stem cell exhaustion is the gradual decline in the function and regenerative potential of adult stem cells over time. In various tissues, the upkeep of homeostasis and the capacity to regenerate after injury depend on tissue-specific adult stem cells. These stem cells typically follow tissue-specific differentiation patterns. Their ability to alternate between states of rest (quiescence) and active proliferation is crucial for their survival and for preserving normal physiological function and regenerative capabilities. (1) Adult tissue-specific stem cells exhibit an extraordinary degree of plasticity as they transit through cellular states from a quiescent to an activated stem cell state and then revert to their original quiescent state. (2) To protect against infection and promote healing, the usual homeostatic signals that regulate transition through quiescent and active states – referred to as the ‘milieu intérieur’ by Claude Bernard in 1865 – must be bypassed in ways that are still not fully understood. (2)
Quiescence is not a passive condition; instead, like the differentiated state, it requires ongoing active regulation to be sustained. Such transitional capacity, however, is largely lost in aging, as stem cells fail to survive or properly regulate quiescence, self-renewal, and proliferation, a state called stem cell exhaustion. (3) These observations support the stem cell theory of aging, which suggests that aging results from the inability of tissue-specific stem cells to replenish tissues with functional differentiated cells that sustain tissue function. They also pave the way for a new era of research into the stem cell aging, which may offer therapeutic potential. (4) Key Features of stem cell exhaustion are reduced proliferation, impaired differentiation, accumulative DNA damage, senescence, and altered niche.
Adia Nutrition Officially Enters $15.1 Billion Global Stem Cell Market with Domestic Treatments by Successful Opening of First Florida Location
2025-02-03 - 2025-02
With the global stem cell market expanding, we see an opportunity to make these treatments more accessible in the U.S.," said Larry Powalisz, CEO of Adia Nutrition. "Adia Med focuses on delivering care with advanced, ethically sourced umbilical cord stem cells."
Adia Med's treatment protocols are designed to align with practices from international clinics but emphasize:
Quality Stem Cells: Utilizing umbilical cord stem cells noted for their potential in various medical applications.
Convenience: Eliminating the need for patients to travel internationally for treatment, thus reducing associated uncertainties, logistics, and costs.
Compliance and Safety: Operating under U.S. FDA health regulations, with a focus on safety, transparency, and ethical practices. Adia Med 361 HCT/Ps are vetted for FDA compliance ensuring safety and efficacy.
"Many patients have traveled abroad for treatments which we now offer locally in Florida," added Dr. Sher, Chief Stem Cell Medical Officer at Adia Med. "Our approach aims to offer treatments in a familiar, regulated setting with convenient follow-up care."
Adia Med's clinic has started treating patients for a range of conditions, including inflammation, autoimmune conditions and various orthopedic issues, exploring the potential of stem cell therapy in regenerative medicine.
ChromoGen: the AI tool predicting 3D genomic structures in minutes
2025-02-07 - 2025-02
A novel, freely available AI tool has cut the time it takes to determine chromatin structure from days to minutes.
The 3D structure of DNA is important for controlling cell-specific gene expression patterns, but determining that structure can be labor-intensive. Now, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA, USA) led by Bin Zhang have developed an AI model that can accurately predict 3D genomic structure in minutes rather than days. The tool can be used to explore how genomic structure affects gene expression in health and disease.
Rare retinal disease diagnosed using AI and prescribed with gene therapy
2025-02-09 - 2025-02
For the first time in Korea, medical professionals diagnosed inherited retinal disease using AI technology and prescribed the gene therapy Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec).
3billion, a Korean biotechnology company specializing in AI-based diagnostic tests for rare genetic diseases, said it has published the results of its research on diagnosing Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) with Professor Lee Eun-kyoung of the Department of Ophthalmology at Seoul National University Hospital in the international journal Molecular Genetics and Genomic Medicine.
Novartis' gene therapy for inherited retinal diseases Luxturna
Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is a rare inherited retinal disease that causes severe vision loss at birth or within the first few months of life. Because 26 genes can cause it, it has been difficult to diagnose accurately.
On the occasion of being selected for the 2021 HealthX Challenge Seoul, 3billion developed and clinically validated AI genetic mutation analysis technology that quickly and accurately diagnoses 118 inherited retinal diseases, including Leber congenital amaurosis.
Based on this technology, 3billion collaborated with Seoul National University Hospital and successfully diagnosed a patient through Novartis Korea's Inherited Retinal Disease (IRD) Patient Diagnosis Support Program. The patient was confirmed to have uniparental isodisomy, a condition in which a child inherits two copies of the same defective chromosome from one parent.
Brian Crane named director of the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology
2025-02-12 - 2025-02
Brian Crane, the George W. and Grace L. Todd Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been appointed director of the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, an interdisciplinary hub for life sciences research at Cornell. Crane brings to the institute decades of experience studying the structure, function and mechanism of the protein systems that underlie signal transduction.
Crane's appointment began on January 1, 2025. Scott Emr, the Samuel C. and Nancy M. Fleming Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, stepped down in July 2022 after serving as the institute’s director since its founding in 2008. Marcus Smolka, professor of molecular biology and genetics, served as the institute’s interim director from July 2022 to December 2024. Smolka will continue as the institute’s associate director.
The biotech bi-weekly: redefining molecular precision with circular dichroism microspectroscopy and enhancing in silico drug discovery
2025-02-12 - 2025-02
CRAIC Technologies’ circular dichroism microspectrometers redefine molecular precision
CRAIC Technologies (CA, USA), a leading provider of innovative spectroscopic solutions, has recently introduced circular dichroism microspectroscopy to its range of optical tools. In the dynamic realm of nanotechnology, circular dichroism microspectroscopy has emerged as a groundbreaking analytical tool, enabling unparalleled insights into the molecular structures and interactions that drive innovation at the nanoscale.
By fusing circular dichroism with high-resolution microspectroscopy and microscopic imaging, this cutting-edge technology is transforming the design and understanding of nanoscale materials and devices, including providing molecular insights into the characterization of nanocarriers, which is accelerating innovations in targeted therapeutics.
Virtual Science AI unveils real-time intelligent Q&A feature for life science insights
Virtual Science AI (London, UK) has established itself as a trusted partner for life science teams. Using its proprietary insight management and advisory panel solutions, it transforms complex scientific data analysis into clear strategic insights.
Building on their solid foundation, Virtual Science AI recently introduced a new intelligent strategic real-time Q&A search function. This new, enhanced Q&A search capability delivers real-time summaries for data queries in seconds, helping life science teams make faster, more informed decisions.
Bio-Rad launches TrailBlazer Tag and TrailBlazer StarBright Dye Label Kits for antibody conjugation to StarBright Dyes
Rancho BioSciences Announces Bristol Myers Squibb Renews Membership for Phase 2 of the Single-Cell Data Science Consortium
2025-02-18 - 2025-02
The Single-Cell Data Science Consortium is a member-driven, pre-competitive collaboration to extract the value of single-cell data and establish a comprehensive data standard. This ambitious goal involves transforming vast amounts of public single-cell data into a unified standard that can significantly advance life sciences and drug discovery.
“BMS was one of the first members to join the consortium three years ago,” said Julie Bryant, CEO of Rancho BioSciences. “Their continuing commitment is a testament to the quality and value this initiative is providing to its members.”
Entering its fourth year, the consortium is on track to exceed the achievements of Phase 1. “Leveraging AI technologies and our team of PhD data science experts, we’ve delivered over 64 million professionally curated cells, nine atlases, as well as supporting data models and pipelines to date. This represents millions of dollars of value delivered to our members at a fraction of the cost and complication of attempting this alone. Phase 2 promises to deliver even more value to our members,” added Bryant.
Extracellular matrix spacing of 50–70 nm induces cancer cell death upon ultrasound treatment
2025-02-19 - 2025-02
Cells have surface receptors called integrins that bind to repetitive domains present on the extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding the cells, allowing them to grow and spread. A new study from the Department of Bioengineering (BE), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and collaborators shows that tweaking the spacing between these binding domains on the ECM can boost the efficiency of ultrasound treatment applied to kill cancer cells.
Low-frequency ultrasound waves (39 kHz) can disrupt the cell membrane and trigger cell death in cancer cells. It is a relatively low-cost and non-invasive approach. Unlike normal cells, cancer cells do not have repair mechanisms that help them withstand the mechanical forces exerted by ultrasound waves.
To mimic the integrin-ECM binding, the team constructed an array of gold nanodots separated by different distances (35, 50 and 70 nm) and allowed highly invasive cancer cells to attach to them. Then, they applied pulsed ultrasound waves.
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