DNA ends hold secrets to combating ageing and cancer
02 August, 2006An enzyme that is billions of years old holds the promise of renewing ageing tissues and combating cancer.
Australian science delivers higher yielding crops
28 July, 2006A string of scientific world-firsts has resulted in nine new ‘superfodders'. The disease-resistant animal feed crops of high yield have delivered more than $45m in benefits to Australia.
Quantum dots pose minimal impact to cells
19 July, 2006Nano-sized fluorescent probes that can slip inside living cells and clarify life’s most fundamental processes, or track the effectiveness of cancer-fighting drugs, are barely noticed by the cells they enter, according to a team of researchers led by the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).
QUT research leads to stem cell breakthrough
08 June, 2006A Queensland University of Technology researcher has found a way to replace animal or human serum in the culture of human embryonic stem cells.
Sugar in cell communication
10 May, 2006A research team from Uppsala University has uncovered an entirely new mechanism for how communication between cells is regulated.
Delving into the pump mechanism mystery
07 April, 2006Researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology of the University of Helsinki have identified an internal electron transfer reaction that initiates the proton pump mechanism of the respiratory enzyme.
Critical gene for immune cell activation found
04 April, 2006Every time the human body encounters a virus, bacteria or other infectious agent, immune cells called B-lymphocytes multiply in lymph nodes and then swing into action to fight off the intruders.
Study into formation of an embryo
24 February, 2006A discovery from University of Missouri-Columbia scientists about the formation of an embryo and a placenta before implantation could explain why cloning often fails in farm and laboratory animals.
Neutron scattering and cell signalling
06 February, 2006Neutron scattering research techniques that can show how nature uses complex protein structures to get cells to respond and adapt to stimuli in the body, could be the new tool to help researchers find new drugs to treat diseases such as heart failure or cancer. Dr Jill Trewhella, a joint ANSTO and Sydney University Research Fellow, is an expert in using neutron scattering to study cell signalling systems which regulate the body.
Monitoring of living cells
06 February, 2006Cell cultures often form the testing ground for new active agents. Results can only be reliable if cell growth is standardised. This process will soon happen automatically with a microscope to monitor growth and image processing to control cultivation via integrated robotics.
Protein improves body's fight
01 February, 2006Monash University scientists have discovered how a single protein could dramatically improve the body's ability to fight viruses such as the flu.
Cellular emotions
07 November, 2005University of Queensland researchers have identified a protein that is crucially involved in how memories are stored and processed, paving the way for new strategies to treat conditions of certain mental disorders.
Single cell research
13 October, 2005Using a water droplet 1 trillion times smaller than a litre of soda as a sort of nanoscale test tube, a University of Washington scientist is conducting chemical analysis and experimentation at unprecedented tiny scales.
Marine research may benefit cancer patients
04 July, 2005A team of international scientists – including Australians – has made a breakthrough in solving the problem that had put the development of marine-derived pharmaceuticals on hold for years.
Researchers get first peek at amyloid's spine
09 June, 2005Researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in US have provided the first detailed look at the core structure of the abnormal protein filaments found in at least 20 devastating diseases, ranging from Alzheimer's to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human version of “mad cow†disease.
