Lifeboat Foundation

Blocking how cancer cells acquire and use energy, or their metabolism, as a treatment has been challenging, Dr. Lyssiotis explained. But a better understanding of how cancer cells adapt their metabolism in the often oxygen-and nutrient-deprived environments in which they exist, he said, may open other avenues for attacking them.

Identifying alternative sources of energy for cancer cells

Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of death from cancer. Not only does its stark microenvironment thwart the entry of drugs designed to kill tumors, but numerous studies have shown that other residents in and around the tumors create an ecosystem that help the tumors thrive.

Elon Musk’s Neuralink is looking for a volunteer for its first clinical trial of a brain implant chip. The trial, which begins next year, has attracted thousands of prospective patients. The ideal candidate must be an adult under 40 with all four limbs paralyzed. The procedure involves inserting electrodes and wires into the brain, with a small computer replacing part of the skull. The computer will collect and analyze brain activity, sending the data wirelessly to a nearby device. Neuralink aims to translate thoughts into computer commands. However, the company has faced criticism for animal testing practices.

The system shows potential for drug development in delicate environments such as coral reefs.

ACS

To better comprehend this, researchers have presented a proof-of-concept device that “sniffs” seawater, capturing dissolved chemicals for analysis. The underwater device “catches and concentrates dissolved substances generated by sponges or other marine animals while causing no damage to the source or the environment,” said a statement.

Continue reading “Deep-sea sniffer dog? Scientists develop device to detect new molecules” »

The hope is that people who are unable to speak because of neurological conditions may one day be able to communicate again thanks to this modern technology.

Helping people with motor disorders

“There are many patients who suffer from debilitating motor disorders, like ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or locked-in syndrome, that can impair their ability to speak,” said Gregory Cogan, Ph.D., a professor of neurology at Duke University’s School of Medicine and one of the lead researchers involved in the project.

Continue reading “Brain implant turns thoughts into speech with up to 84% accuracy” »

The first rub-on gene therapy shows how biotech companies are getting creative with how they deliver DNA fixes.

Designer chromosomes enable new studies of genome organization and evolution.

The synthesized yeast strain contains over 50% synthetic DNA and survives and replicates much like wild-type S. cerevisiae.

A new map of 56,000 cells in the outer layer of the human brain could inform research into a whole class of diseases.

Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the most economically and societally impactful crops in the world, providing a significant percentage of all protein for animal consumption on a global scale, and playing key roles in oil production, manufacturing, and biofuel applications. In 2022, an estimated 4.3 billion bushels of soybeans were produced in the United States, a decrease of almost 200 million bushels compared to the previous year.

To keep up with the growing demand for soy-based animal feed, the USDA projects soybean acreage will increase by 19.6% by 2032. Hybrid breeding in soybean has the potential to increase the productivity of one of the most planted and consumed crops in the Americas, yet it has remained largely unexplored.

New research by scientists at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and Cornell University provides a key enabling technology to produce obligate outcrossing in soybean. The newly published study, “Introduction of barnase/barstar in soybean produces a rescuable male sterility system for hybrid breeding” in the Plant Biotechnology Journal, has revealed that obligate outcrossing with the Barnase/Barstar lines provides a new resource that can be used to amplify hybrid seed sets, enabling large-scale trials for heterosis in this major crop.