Study uncovers a quality answerable for anthraquinone synthesis in plants Kumar Jeetendra | November 25, 2020 Anthraquinones are a class of naturally occurring chemicals prized for their medicinal properties, as well as for other programs, including ecologically friendly dyes. Despite broad interest, the mechanism by which plants produce them has remained shrouded in mystery until today. New work from an international group of scientists including Carnegie’s Sue Rhee shows a gene …
Active enzymes are expected to open full advantages of Vitamin A in carrots Kumar Jeetendra | December 14, 2020 Carrots are a good source of beta-carotene, which is a precursor of vitamin A. But to get the full health benefits of this superfood, you want an active enzyme to produce this vitamin. Studies with mice and humans reveal the conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A reduces”bad” cholesterol in the blood. Therefore, beta-carotene can help …
Study recognizes biomarker gene mark that demonstrates likely liver toxicity Kumar Jeetendra | December 19, 2020 When agrochemical and pharmaceutical companies develop new products, they must test extensively for potential toxicity before obtaining regulatory approval. This testing usually involves lengthy and expensive animal research. A research team at University of Illinois has developed a gene biomarker identification technique that cuts the testing process down to a couple of days while still …
Researchers develop insect sex pheromones in transgenic camelina plant for maintainable pest control Kumar Jeetendra | January 15, 2021 The camelina plant, a source of cooking oil for centuries, is on its way toward revolutionizing pest management in agriculture. Researchers at ISCA, Inc., a green agtech firm based in Riverside, Calif., and their collaborators in Sweden have “grown” insect sex pheromone precursors in genetically modified strains of camelina plants, creating a low-cost source of …
New gold-nanoparticle probes for target recognizable proof of bioactive small molecules Kumar Jeetendra | February 2, 2021 The development of pharmaceutical treatments is difficult — clinicians and researchers know a certain drug can regulate particular functions, but they may not understand how it actually works. Bioactive small molecules are chemical compounds, such as pharmaceuticals, that can be readily delivered to and interact with a human body’s cells. By binding to specific proteins, …
UMD receives grant to explore nettle as a functional food for improving health Kumar Jeetendra | March 9, 2021 Obesity, diabetes, and overall immune system health are problems that are all top-of-mind at the moment, particularly during the pandemic. To analyze how your diet can help prevent problems with these chronic diseases, the University of Maryland (UMD) was recently awarded a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and …
Deforestation in the Amazon builds variety of antibiotic-resistant bacteria Kumar Jeetendra | March 12, 2021 In Brazil, a study conducted by researchers affiliated with the University of São Paulo (USP) and collaborators showed that deforestation in the Amazon causes an increase in the diversity of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. An article on the study, published in Soil Biology and Biochemistry, compares the microorganisms that live in the land of indigenous forest with …
First CRISPR-Cas9-based gene drive cuts and duplicates hereditary components in Arabidopsis plants Kumar Jeetendra | June 26, 2021 University of California San Diego scientists developed the first CRISPR/Cas9 based gene drive in plants. Their goal is to breed resilient crops that can withstand drought and diseases. Although gene drive technology for insects has been created to stop the spread and transmission of vector-borne diseases like Malaria, scientists in Professor Yunde Zha’s lab along …
Industrial chemical perfluorobutanoic acid less inclined to aggregate in human lungs and kidneys Kumar Jeetendra | September 25, 2021 A 2013 study by Perez et al. discovered a significant accumulation of the chemical used in industrial production, perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA) in the human kidneys and lungs. Researchers from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) examined the results with an even more precise method for quantification. The resultwas that only one sample had …
Novel antibody candidate shows powerful binding to different SARS-CoV-2 variant mutations Kumar Jeetendra | September 25, 2021 Twist Bioscience Corporation today reported that its internally-discovered antibody candidate TB202-3 (CoVIC-094), demonstrated potent binding to diverse SARS-CoV-2 variant mutations, including strains with the E484K, N501Y, D614G, Y453F and K417N mutations in pseudovirus assays, indicating this therapeutic antibody may be effective in treating many strains of COVID-19. The Coronavirus Immunotherapy Consortium (CoVIC) is an academic-industry-non-profit …
