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Biology & Medicine

12th January 2021

A potential vaccine for multiple sclerosis

A potential mRNA vaccine for multiple sclerosis (MS) has been announced by a collaboration including BioNTech, with a study in mice showing great promise for improving symptoms and stopping disease progression.

7th January 2021

Gene-editing method shows promise for premature aging syndrome

Scientists have fixed a genetic mutation in mice with progeria, a rapid aging disease. The treatment could one day be used in humans who would otherwise die in childhood.

20th December 2020

Lab-made milk could replace dairy cows

A new startup company is creating lab-made dairy that it claims is indistinguishable from natural dairy.

15th December 2020

Thymus built from human stem cells

A human thymus rebuilt using stem cells and a bioengineered scaffold has been demonstrated by researchers in London.

7th December 2020

Radishes grown in space for first time

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have collected the first harvest of radishes grown on the station.

30th November 2020

50-year mystery of protein folding solved by AI

Protein folding, one of the biggest mysteries in biology, has been solved by artificial intelligence company DeepMind.

23rd November 2020

CRISPR-based treatment destroys two cancer types

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have demonstrated that the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system is very effective in treating brain and ovarian cancers, without side effects.

17th November 2020

World's first cultured chicken restaurant is launched

The world's first restaurant that provides clientele the opportunity to eat meat grown directly from chicken cells has been opened in the Israeli town of Ness Ziona.

10th November 2020

First successful phase III trial of a COVID-19 vaccine

The first successful phase III trial of a possible COVID-19 vaccine – BNT162b2 – has been announced by drug companies Pfizer and BioNTech, which is able to prevent 90% of infections.

24th October 2020

World record resolution in cryo-electron microscopy

A novel technique developed by researchers in Germany can visualise individual atoms in a protein with cryo-electron microscopy for the first time.

1st October 2020

Lab-grown meat company raises $55m in funding

Mosa Meat, which introduced the world's first cultured beef hamburger in 2013, has announced the first closing of $55m as part of a larger Series B funding round.

21st September 2020

Wall-mounted technology detects COVID-19 in the air

A new wall-mounted technology – BioCloud – can detect the presence of COVID-19 in the air, and trigger an alert system to provide real time notifications of the pathogen's presence, allowing outbreaks to be contained before they occur.

16th September 2020

New drug highly effective against SARS-CoV-2

Scientists have isolated the smallest biological molecule to date that completely and specifically neutralises SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19.

26th August 2020

Progress towards a cure for herpes

In a new study by U.S. researchers, gene editing produced a 92% decrease in oral herpes – enough to keep the infection from coming back.

25th August 2020

Africa has eradicated wild poliovirus

Africa has today been declared free of wild polio, the second human virus to be eradicated from the continent since smallpox 40 years ago.

30th July 2020

AI can spot prostate cancer with almost 100% accuracy

A new AI algorithm developed by the University of Pittsburgh has achieved the highest accuracy to date in identifying prostate cancer, with 98% sensitivity and 97% specificity.

27th July 2020

World's first cultivated bacon and pork belly

Higher Steaks, a UK food technology start-up, has announced the world's first cultivated bacon and pork belly.

21st July 2020

Inhaler cuts risk of severe COVID-19 by 79%

Drug company Synairgen has announced promising results from its trial of SNG001 in hospitalised COVID-19 patients.

7th July 2020

Plant tissue engineering improves drought and salinity tolerance

By genetically engineering thale cress, scientists have made it grow like a succulent – more than doubling the plant's water-use efficiency.

30th June 2020

Warehouse robot kills 90% of viruses

U.S. researchers have designed a new robotic system that kills most microorganisms in its proximity using UV light.

9th June 2020

Synthetic red blood cells mimic natural ones, plus have new abilities

Blood cell replicas – made using a combination of polymers and silica – not only mimic the real thing, but are also capable of delivering new cargoes.

4th June 2020

World's first study of potential COVID-19 antibody treatment in humans

The first patients have been dosed in a study of LY-CoV555, the lead antibody from Lilly's collaboration with AbCellera.

31st May 2020

Nanodevices track how cells change from inside

For the first time, scientists have added microscopic tracking devices into the interior of cells, giving a peek into how development starts.

28th May 2020

Back to the Present as The Machine Stops

A guest piece by Richard Fox.

23rd May 2020

Tattoo electrodes can record brain activity

Scientists in Austria have developed wafer-thin tattoo electrodes for recording brain activity, which are also "dry" and therefore do not require a gel medium to function.

18th May 2020

A potentially major breakthrough in anti-aging medicine

A pre-print study reveals that young blood plasma given to older mice reduced aging by 54% across multiple tissues; and had an impact on other signs of aging, such as cellular senescence, fat accumulation, and behavioural measures.

3rd May 2020

Hong Kong International Airport deploys advanced technology to fight COVID-19

Hong Kong is applying the latest disinfection technologies – including airlock-style channels, invisible surface coatings and autonomous cleaning robots – to protect airport staff and passengers from COVID-19 infection.

24th April 2020

Gene therapy offers hope for glaucoma

A new study has shown a common eye condition, glaucoma, could be successfully treated with a single injection using a CRISPR gene therapy.

23rd April 2020

1,000-electrode implant can survive in the brain for six years

Researchers have demonstrated the ability to implant an ultra-thin, flexible neural interface with more than 1,000 electrodes into the brain with a projected lifetime of at least six years.

5th April 2020

COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows promise

Researchers at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine report the creation of a promising COVID-19 vaccine candidate – named PittCoVacc – and are hoping for a fast approval track, lasting less than the usual year of testing, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

31st March 2020

New test can detect COVID-19 in just five minutes

A new portable molecular test can detect the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in just five minutes.

28th March 2020

COVID-19 is natural, not man-made

Scientists report that the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus – which causes the COVID-19 disease, and is responsible for the current global pandemic – originated naturally, and not otherwise.

23rd March 2020

New test can detect COVID-19 within 45 minutes

California-based biotech company Cepheid has been granted FDA approval for a new rapid diagnostic test, able to detect the COVID-19 virus in just 45 minutes.

21st March 2020

World's fastest supercomputer finds potential drug compounds for COVID-19

Researchers have used Summit, the world's fastest supercomputer, to identify 77 small-molecule drug compounds that might warrant further study in the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

17th March 2020

First human clinical trial of COVID-19 vaccine

A Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating a potential vaccine to protect against COVID-19 has begun in Seattle.

15th March 2020

New coronavirus test is 10 times faster

The FDA has granted emergency authorisation for a new coronavirus test. The automated system provides a ten-fold improvement in the speed of patient testing, and is expected to supply about 400,000 test results per week.

14th March 2020

Biological and artificial neurons linked up over the web

A study has shown, for the first time, how three key emerging technologies can work together: brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), artificial neural networks and advanced memory technologies (also known as memristors).

5th March 2020

Protein discovered in meteorite?

Scientists have published details of what they believe is the first known meteorite to contain a protein. The molecule has been named hemolithin.

2nd March 2020

First non-oxygen breathing animal discovered

Scientists report the discovery of the first known non-oxygen breathing animal, Henneguya salminicola, a parasite that lives within salmon muscle.

24th February 2020

Artificial intelligence creates new antibiotic

Using a machine-learning algorithm, researchers have identified a powerful new antibiotic compound. It can kill some of the world's most problematic disease-causing bacteria – including strains that are resistant to all existing antibiotics.

22nd February 2020

3D atomic-scale image could lead to coronavirus vaccine

Using cryogenic electron microscopy – a Nobel Prize-winning technique – scientists have produced an atomic-level image of an essential protein required to access cells by SARS-CoV-2.

17th February 2020

AI-developed drug could treat OCD

A new drug created with artificial intelligence (AI) to treat patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) will be entering human clinical trials for the first time.

17th February 2020

Ultra-fast 3D printing of objects

Researchers in Switzerland have demonstrated a new technique for 3D printing objects in a matter of seconds.

2nd February 2020

Nanoparticle eats away plaque that causes heart attacks

Scientists in the U.S. have created a nanoparticle that eats away – from the inside out – portions of the plaques that cause heart attacks.

23rd January 2020

Lab-grown fish company to launch cell-based seafood products in 2021

BlueNalu, a pioneer in the emerging field of "cellular aquaculture", recently unveiled its first cell-based seafood product at a private culinary demonstration in San Diego.

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