Posts Tagged ‘bioengineering’
Health & Medicine - Feb 3, 2010 1:17 - 0 Comments
Cancer-seeking nanoprobes pack a punch
UC BERKELEY (US)—Newly created nanoprobes may one day be used in the battle against cancer to selectively seek out and destroy tumor cells, as well as report back on the mission’s status. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jan 6, 2010 16:58 - 2 Comments
Smart polymers perform nano-acrobatics
NYU—Researchers are finding remarkable ways in which bioengineered paired macromolecules can be made to self-assemble, disassemble, and more—and then biodegrade when they’ve finished their work. (more…)
Earth & Environment, Science & Technology - Dec 23, 2009 11:59 - 2 Comments
Bacteria crank microgears to power machines
U. CHICAGO (US)—Scientists have discovered that common bacteria can turn microgears when suspended in a solution, providing insights for designs of bio-inspired dynamically adaptive materials for energy. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Dec 10, 2009 18:15 - 1 Comment
Surprising weakness found in H1N1
RICE (US)—The H1N1 influenza virus has been keeping a secret that may be the key to defeating it and other flu viruses as well. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Dec 10, 2009 14:59 - 2 Comments
Optics may speed breast cancer diagnosis
U. ILLINOIS (US)—Waiting for laboratory results is often one of the most stressful aspects of a breast cancer diagnosis. A new optical imaging system aims to ease that stress by giving doctors performing lumpectomies real-time information on breast cancer tissue margins while still in the operating room. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Dec 3, 2009 13:25 - 0 Comments
Missing cell ‘cap’ signals sickness
JOHNS HOPKINS (US)—Wearing a cap can be much more than a fashion statement. In mammal cells, it’s an indication of good health. A bundled cap of thread-like fibers holds a healthy cell’s nucleus in place, researchers have found. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Nov 2, 2009 11:07 - 2 Comments
Nano-scale delivery may offer less toxic chemo
DUKE (US)—Going smaller could bring better results, especially when it comes to cancer-fighting drugs. Bioengineers have developed a simple and inexpensive method for loading cancer drug payloads into nano-scale delivery vehicles. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 23, 2009 15:33 - 2 Comments
‘Fixable’ error undercuts climate laws
PRINCETON (US)—A group of scientists has issued a report identifying a critical—but correctable—accounting error affecting climate legislation that could undermine efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging deforestation. (more…)
Science & Technology - Oct 22, 2009 17:08 - 0 Comments
Patchy particles show promise for drug delivery
U. PENN (US)—A team of physicists, chemists, and engineers has demonstrated a novel method for the controlled formation of patchy particles, using charged, self-assembling molecules. The particles may one day serve as drug-delivery vehicles and perhaps be used in small batteries that store and release charge. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Oct 12, 2009 11:53 - 0 Comments
Molding cells to patch up broken hearts
DUKE (US)—By mimicking the way embryonic stem cells develop into heart muscle in a lab, bioengineers believe they have taken an important first step toward growing a living “heart patch” to repair heart tissue damaged by disease. (more…)
Science & Technology - Oct 8, 2009 15:29 - 0 Comments
Predicting when cells will be unpredictable
DUKE (US)—Scientists have discovered a quirky trait that makes some bacteria zig when others zag. The finding could help bioengineers fine-tune the development of synthetic “circuits”—designed to produce a myriad of useful proteins and chemicals. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Oct 8, 2009 12:16 - 1 Comment
Younger muscles through biochemistry
UC BERKELEY (US)—Researchers have identified critical biochemical pathways linked to the aging of human muscle. By manipulating these pathways, the researchers were able to turn back the clock on old human muscle, restoring its ability to repair and rebuild itself. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 5, 2009 11:30 - 0 Comments
Bioengineer a better hydrocarbon?
IOWA STATE (US)—Researchers are looking to plants and algae as a source of green, renewable hydrocarbons—and second-generation biofuels. (more…)
Science & Technology - Aug 17, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments
Entire genome on the cheap
The lower cost of sequencing the human genome could help researchers understand how genes and mutations result in the traits that make individuals unique.
Science & Technology - Jul 30, 2009 14:41 - 0 Comments
Golden combo yields do-it-all nanotool
A quantum dot (red) encapsulated in a gold shell, combining two useful nanoparticles in one package. The total structure measures less than 20 nanometers across.
Earth & Environment - Jul 23, 2009 12:32 - 1 Comment
Green revolution fueled by duckweed?
Todd Michael, a plant biologist at Rutgers, says U.S. Department of Energy’s duckweed genome sequencing project “could unlock the remarkable potential of a rapidly growing aquatic plant for absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide, ecosystem carbon cycling, and biofuel production.”
Science & Technology - Jun 24, 2009 13:23 - 0 Comments
Micro-tool taps forces that shape living tissue
Scientists have created a micro-tool to gauge how minute mechanical forces affect cellular behavior in a 3-dimensional, in vivo-like environment that mimics how tissue actually forms in a living organism. Immunofluorescent sections of cells are visible above, including cell nuclei labeled in blue. (Credit: Wesley R Legant)
Health & Medicine - May 12, 2009 12:30 - 2 Comments
Have tiny microscope, will travel
RICE (US)—The backbreaking work of delivering medical care to those in need will get a little less so if the next version of Rice University’s Lab-in-a-Backpack incorporates a compact, yet powerful microscope that weighs about a pound. (more…)
