In a new study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden show that the scar tissue formed by stem cells after a spinal cord injury does not impair recovery; in fact, stem cell scarring confines the damage. The findings, which are published in the scientific journal Science, indicate that scar tissue prevents the lesion from expanding and helps injured nerve cells survive.
Videos
The Mucon Series K Valves have been specifically designed for applications demanding the highest level of hygiene. Aimed specifically at the food and pharmaceutical markets, the Mucon K Valve can be stripped down and cleaned in moments.
The new Acura® electro is making electronic pipetting more versatile, simpler and safer than ever.
Extended range includes seven micro models (0.1 to 1000 µL), three macropipettes (0.1 - 10 mL) and eight multichannel instruments (0.1 to 350 µL).
IBM scientists are collaborating with pathologists at the University Hospital Zürich to test a new proto-type tool to accurately diagnose different types of cancer. This work is based on a technology developed by IBM scientists called a microfluidic probe, which slightly resembles the nib of a fountain pen.
A critical step in the diagnosis of cancer is the analysis of a patient's biopsy tissue sample, which sometimes can be as small as a pinhead. Even with such a small sample, pathologists can test for the absence or presence of tumor cells and provide important information pertaining to the course of treatment to doctors.
Cells keep to one direction by erasing the path
Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have now shown that cells in a zebrafish embryo determine which direction they move in by effectively erasing the path behind them. The findings, published online today in Nature, could have implications not just for development but also for cancer and metastasis.
In a nutshell:
· Zebrafish embryo’s cells can move in one direction by creating their own gradient
· Could have implications for cancer and metastasis
· Discovered using a tag that changes colour as its target ages
INTEGRA has published a video demonstrating how its VIAFLO 96 handheld electronic pipette, used in conjunction with the Seahorse Bioscience XF96 Extracellular Flux Analyzer, provides high throughput screening of the cellular bioenergetics of multiple cell lines.
The measurement of cellular bioenergetics, the processes by which cells produce and consume energy, is fundamental to determining the growth, development, function and metabolism of cells. The Seahorse Bioscience XF96 Extracellular Flux Analyzer enables the determination of the two major energy yielding pathways in cells, aerobic respiration and glycolysis, by simultaneously measuring the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR).
The Spanish biotech company AB-Biotics announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has granted a patent which protects the composition of its cholesterol-lowering probiotic AB-Life.
• The patent protects the product composition and all its pharmaceutical, veterinary and edible applications
• AB-Life is already licensed in some European, American and Asian markets and is expected to be launched in new markets in 2014
As Director of The University of Nottingham’s Centre for Plant Integrative Biology (CPIB) Professor Malcolm Bennett has helped revolutionise the way bioscientists think and work.
His quest to answer some of the world’s most important plant and crop science questions has now been recognised by the Royal Society with a prestigious Wolfson Research Merit Award – a scheme set up to provide universities with additional support to enable them to recruit and retain respected scientists of outstanding achievement and potential to the UK.
Researchers from the University of Bath's Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology have created an innovative ingredient which when applied in a suncream can act as a UVA filter and provide fuller protection against skin damage.
In the UK, over 100,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year, of which 10,000 are malignant melanoma – the deadliest form of the disease and also the fifth most common cancer in the UK.
The scientists in Bath have previously shown that when exposed to the UVA component of sunlight, the skin releases iron and produces free radicals. Free radicals are harmful species that damage the skin cells by interacting with fat, protein and DNA of the cells. The release of free iron promotes the formation of additional, harmful free radicals that increase the damage caused and has been shown to play a key role in skin ageing and the onset of skin cancer.