/ en-us Âé¶čÒùÔș internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Âé¶čÒùÔșics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a scalable, non-viral technology that efficiently delivers genetic material into human immune cells. The platform, called Nanostraw Electro-actuated Transfection (NExT), uses tiny hollow nanostructures and electrical pulses to insert a wide variety of biomolecules—proteins, mRNA and gene-editing tools—into immune cells with high efficiency and minimal disruption. /news/2025-05-gene-delivery-nanostraws-electrical-pulses.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 22 May 2025 11:35:05 EDT news667132501 Bats are known as natural hosts for highly pathogenic viruses such as MERS- and SARS-related coronaviruses, as well as the Marburg and Nipah viruses. In contrast to the severe and often fatal disease outcomes these viruses cause in humans, bats generally do not show obvious signs of viral illness following infection. /news/2025-05-organoid-platform-antiviral-immunity.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 21 May 2025 13:10:05 EDT news667051382 A team of scientists has answered a long-standing question in cell biology, uncovering how the cell's main energy currency, ATP, is transported into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Disrupted energy transport could affect diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders. /news/2025-05-atp-journey-key-protein-gateway.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 21 May 2025 11:00:17 EDT news667035602 Every living creature on Earth needs to protect itself from things that would do it harm. Bacteria are no different. And despite their relative simplicity, they deploy remarkably savvy defensive strategies against viral invaders. The most well-known is CRISPR-Cas9, adapted for human use as the first FDA-approved genetic editing technique. /news/2025-05-scientists-defense-mechanism-crispr.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Fri, 16 May 2025 10:07:03 EDT news666608821 Ask scientists which gene-editing tool is most needed to advance gene therapy, and they'd probably describe a system that's now close to realization in the labs of Samuel Sternberg at Columbia University Vagelos College of Âé¶čÒùÔșicians and Surgeons and David Liu at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. /news/2025-05-advanced-gene-editor-enables-precise.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 15 May 2025 17:03:04 EDT news666547381 Scientists at the McGovern Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have reengineered a compact RNA-guided enzyme they found in bacteria into an efficient, programmable editor of human DNA. The engineered protein, called NovaIscB, can be adapted to make precise changes to the genetic code, modulate the activity of specific genes, or carry out other editing tasks. Because its small size simplifies delivery to cells, NovaIscB's developers say it is a promising candidate for developing gene therapies to treat or prevent disease. /news/2025-05-cas9-ancestor-compact-genome-tool.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 15 May 2025 13:30:01 EDT news666534359 The University of Bayreuth's Biomaterials research group has, for the first time, successfully applied the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool to spiders. Following the genetic modification, the spiders produced red fluorescent silk. /news/2025-05-genetic-spiders-crisprcas-yields-silk.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 08 May 2025 09:55:03 EDT news665916901 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a technique that enables efficient delivery of therapeutic proteins and RNA to cells. The method, published in Nature Communications, shows promising results in animal studies to deliver gene editors and protein therapeutics. /news/2025-04-extracellular-vesicles-delivery-advanced-medicines.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 30 Apr 2025 12:22:03 EDT news665234521 Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland, Aalto University and the University of Oulu have developed a new computational method for exploring DNA sequence patterns. The method, called KMAP, enables intuitive visualization of short DNA sequences and helps reveal how regulatory elements behave in different biological contexts. The study was recently published in Genome Research. /news/2025-04-tool-dna-cancer-genome.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 29 Apr 2025 15:19:03 EDT news665158741 Pioneering research led by the University of Bristol has repurposed a gene-editing tool to help shed light on the true biodiversity present in natural environments. The study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, could help pave the way for more productive soils and improved health. /news/2025-04-scientists-repurpose-gene-tool-uncover.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 24 Apr 2025 10:00:57 EDT news664707652 Plant breeding plays a vital role in ensuring global food security by increasing crop yields, improving nutritional quality and creating crops that are adaptable to climate change. However, current plant transformation methods present significant hurdles—they're labor-intensive, costly and don't work for many important plant species. /news/2025-04-tiny-crispr-tool-door-faster.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Thu, 24 Apr 2025 08:44:04 EDT news664703041 A Kobe University team was able to edit the DNA of Lactobacillus strains directly without a template from other organisms. This technique is indistinguishable from natural variation and enabled the researchers to create a strain that doesn't produce diabetes-aggravating chemicals. /news/2025-04-dna-base-lactobacillus-strains.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 24 Apr 2025 08:34:03 EDT news664702441 Genome editing has advanced at a rapid pace with promising results for treating genetic conditions—but there is always room for improvement. A new paper by investigators from Mass General Brigham showcases the power of scalable protein engineering combined with machine learning to boost progress in the field of gene and cell therapy. /news/2025-04-bespoke-enzymes-machine-crispr-toolbox.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 23 Apr 2025 11:00:25 EDT news664557400 Over the past week, the media have been inundated with news of the "de-extinction" of the dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus)—a species that went extinct about 13,000 years ago. /news/2025-04-de-extinction-dire-wolves-false.html Evolution Ecology Wed, 16 Apr 2025 12:30:05 EDT news664025389 A research team from Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich has developed an advanced delivery system that transports gene-editing tools based on the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system into living cells with significantly greater efficiency than before. Their technology, ENVLPE, uses engineered non-infectious virus-like particles to precisely correct defective genes—demonstrated successfully in living mouse models that are blind due to a mutation. /news/2025-04-smart-delivery-tech-boosts-crispr.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 09 Apr 2025 17:23:05 EDT news663438181 Dallas-based biotech company Colossal has announced the birth of three pups bearing the DNA signatures of dire wolves, an iconic predator last seen roaming North America over 10,000 years ago. /news/2025-04-dire-wolf-feat-genetic-reversal.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Wed, 09 Apr 2025 13:40:03 EDT news663424245 A revolution is underway in gene editing—and at its forefront is David Liu, an American molecular biologist whose pioneering work is rewriting the building blocks of life with unprecedented precision. /news/2025-04-scientist-rewriting-dna-future-medicine.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Sun, 06 Apr 2025 13:02:46 EDT news663163361 A field known as synthetic biology has become one of the most highly anticipated in science. Its outputs range from golden rice, which is genetically engineered to provide vitamin A, to advances stemming from the Human Genome Project, which successfully mapped the entire human genome. Prominent voices in biotechnology have heralded it as the next wave of the future of innovation. /news/2025-04-microbes-enable-mars.html Space Exploration Astrobiology Tue, 01 Apr 2025 13:01:04 EDT news662731261 A genetic mutation in horses that would typically halt protein production has become a molecular asset. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Vanderbilt University have identified a rare instance of genetic recoding that enhances oxygen metabolism and energy production in horses, donkeys, and zebras. /news/2025-03-horses-donkeys-zebras-genomic.html Evolution Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 31 Mar 2025 10:43:27 EDT news662636602 A team of researchers at Karolinska Institutet has developed a novel tool for genetic research. The study, published in Nucleic Acids Research, introduces BLU-VIPR, a method that allows researchers to control the gene-editing tool CRISPR using light. This innovation could significantly enhance our understanding of gene functions in complex organisms. /news/2025-03-crispr-tool-precision-genetic.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 28 Mar 2025 13:22:03 EDT news662386921 Researchers from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) have developed a reverse genetics system for African swine fever virus (ASFV). This new system will aid researchers in developing vaccines and in studying the pathogenesis and biology of ASFV, a highly contagious, deadly viral disease affecting domesticated and wild pigs, especially prevalent in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. /news/2025-03-reverse-genetics-vaccine-african-swine.html Biotechnology Veterinary medicine Wed, 26 Mar 2025 16:19:04 EDT news662224741 Like people, bacteria get invaded by viruses. In bacteria, the viral invaders are called bacteriophages, derived from the Greek word for bacteria-eaters, or in shortened form, "phages." Scientists have sought to learn how the single-cell organisms survive phage infection in a bid to further understand human immunity and develop ways to combat diseases. /news/2025-03-bacteria-vaccinate-genetic-material-dormant.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 21 Mar 2025 13:02:28 EDT news661780939 Advances in the gene-editing technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 over the past 15 years have yielded important new insights into the roles that specific genes play in many diseases. But to date this technology—which allows scientists to use a "guide" RNA to modify DNA sequences and evaluate the effects—is able to target, delete, replace, or modify only single gene sequences with a single guide RNA and has limited ability to assess multiple genetic changes simultaneously. /news/2025-03-crispr-tool-enables-seamless-gene.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 20 Mar 2025 12:21:33 EDT news661692091 Researchers at Duke University and North Carolina State University have discovered a handful of new CRISPR-Cas systems that could add to the capabilities of the already transformational gene editing and DNA manipulation toolbox. /news/2025-03-crisprs-biomedical-applications-abilities.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 13 Mar 2025 13:42:15 EDT news661092129 Researchers at Kumamoto University have successfully executed a practical trial of a new genome-editing technique that allows for the partial inhibition of essential gene function without causing lethality. This innovative approach, which leverages CRISPR-Cas9 technology, opens new doors for genetic research and agricultural advancements by enabling the study and modification of genes that were previously difficult to analyze. /news/2025-03-genome-technique-enables-partial-inhibition.html Biotechnology Agriculture Wed, 12 Mar 2025 16:44:03 EDT news661016641 US biotechnology company Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences has a radical proposal: it wants to resurrect the woolly mammoth from extinction. In a preprint paper published on March 4, scientists at Colossal report making a significant step towards this objective. They genetically modified the DNA of mice to give them mammoth-like traits in their hair shape, color and length. /news/2025-03-woolly-mice-resurrecting-mammoths.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 10 Mar 2025 12:10:06 EDT news660827401 Transposons, or "jumping genes"—DNA segments that can move from one part of the genome to another—are key to bacterial evolution and the development of antibiotic resistance. /news/2025-03-bacterial-genes-chromosome.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 06 Mar 2025 14:00:11 EST news660473281 Bigger, tastier tomatoes and eggplants could soon grace our dinner plates thanks to Johns Hopkins scientists who have discovered genes that control how large the fruits will grow. /news/2025-03-genetic-discovery-bigger-tastier-tomatoes.html Molecular & Computational biology Agriculture Wed, 05 Mar 2025 11:00:02 EST news660387181 Antibiotic resistance is a global concern that threatens our ability to prevent and treat bacterial infections in humans and animals. To better monitor the emergence and spread of resistance, researchers at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology have developed a CRISPR-enriched metagenomics method for the enhanced surveillance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in wastewater. /news/2025-03-crispr-based-method-antibiotic-resistance.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Mon, 03 Mar 2025 14:51:03 EST news660235861 A vast search of natural diversity has led scientists at MIT's McGovern Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to uncover ancient systems with the potential to expand the genome-editing toolbox. These systems, which the researchers call TIGR (Tandem Interspaced Guide RNA) systems, use RNA to guide them to specific sites on DNA. /news/2025-02-ancient-rna-delivery-gene-therapies.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 27 Feb 2025 16:29:04 EST news659896141