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.
Marine invader under monitoring
18 May, 2005Scientists have developed a genetic tool to help environmental authorities monitor the spread and impact of Australia's most invasive marine species, the New Zealand screwshell.
Mouse models
13 May, 2005ArtisOptimus and Taconic Farms are jointly using their strengths in MEF production and patented mouse models to bring a collection of primary mouse embryonic fi-broblasts to the research com-munity, under the brand name OptiMEF.
Animal-friendly herbicide in development
13 May, 2005Scientists at Monash University are researching an environmentally friendly alternative to herbicides that targets weeds but does not affect animals. This research could also lead to new treatments for the internationally alarming health issue of tuberculosis infection.
Non-viral vectors deliver genes
05 May, 2005A gene therapy method that doesn't rely on potentially toxic viruses as vectors may be growing closer as the result of in vitro research results reported by University at Buffalo scientists in the current online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Gene revolution in India
28 February, 2005It’s the news they have all been waiting for. After years of living under the threat of another devastating epidemic of downy mildew, a disease similar to that which caused the Irish potato famine, India’s poorest farmers have been offered a lifeline in the form of a new disease-resistant hybrid. The hybrid has been produced in record time using modern biotechnology techniques.
Why does cloning create abnormalities?
20 September, 2004Significant abnormalities observed in cloned mice help reinforce the need to continue to avoid the reproductive cloning of humans, claims Dr Takumi Takeuchi, from Cornell University.
Super ants threaten to take over Melbourne
03 September, 2004A giant supercolony of Argentine Ants stretching across the Greater City of Melbourne has been discovered by Ms Elissa Suhr from the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University.
Duo fears for DNA privacy
11 August, 2004Two Monash law academics are calling for urgent state government action following the disclosure that a private Melbourne company holds the DNA records of millions of Victorians.
