Phys.org – Biotechnology

Humans have about 400 odorant receptors (ORs), but scientists have had trouble finding ligands that match up with most of these ORs in lab settings—leaving them with a murky understanding of how certain smells are […]

Molecular biologists have long believed that the beginning of a gene launched the process of transcription—the process by which a segment of DNA is copied into RNA and then RNA helps make the proteins that […]

A research team led by Prof. Xu Pingyong from the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed an innovative approach to visualize and rapidly screen small peptide knockins. The new approach, […]

University of Cambridge scientists have used human stem cells to create three-dimensional embryo-like structures that replicate certain aspects of very early human development—including the production of blood stem cells. The findings are published in the […]

For decades, synthetic biologists have been developing gene circuits that can be transferred into cells for applications such as reprogramming a stem cell into a neuron or generating a protein that could help treat a […]

Scientists have long suspected connections between heredity and disease, dating back to Hippocrates, who observed certain diseases “ran in families.” However, through the years, scientists have kept getting better at finding ways to also understand […]

From willow bark remedies to aspirin tablets, salicylic acid has long been part of human health. It also lies at the heart of how plants fight disease. Now, researchers at the University of Cambridge have […]

Researchers at UBC Okanagan have uncovered how plants produce mitraphylline, a rare natural compound that may help fight cancer.This post was originally published on this site

Targeted drug delivery is a powerful and promising area of medicine. Therapies that pinpoint the exact areas of the body where they’re needed—and nowhere they’re not—can reduce the medicine dosage and avoid potentially harmful off-target […]

A research team led by Prof. Ben Ko Chi-bun, Associate Professor of the PolyU Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, has discovered the critical mechanism of action of tetrandrine, a compound derived from Chinese […]