Fast new, 1-step genetic engineering technology

27-May-2013 - A new, streamlined approach to genetic engineering drastically reduces the time and effort needed to insert new genes into bacteria, the workhorses of biotechnology, scientists are reporting. Published in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology, the method paves the way for more rapid development of ...

Penn study shows how immune system peacefully co-exists with 'good' bacteria

Understanding how this immunological truce is kept suggests new ways to fight inflammatory diseases

27-May-2013 - The human gut is loaded with commensal bacteria – "good" microbes that, among other functions, help the body digest food. The gastrointestinal tract contains literally trillions of such cells, and yet the immune system seemingly turns a blind eye. However, in several chronic human diseases such ...

New evidence on how fluoride fights tooth decay

03-May-2013 - In an advance toward solving a 50-year-old mystery, scientists are reporting new evidence on how the fluoride in drinking water, toothpastes, mouth rinses and other oral-care products prevents tooth decay. Their report appears in the ACS journal Langumir.Karin Jacobs and colleagues explain that ...

Fighting listeria and other food-borne illnesses with nanobiotechnology

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute develop new method to kill pathogenic bacteria without antiobiotics or chemicals

04-Apr-2013 - Engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new method to kill deadly pathogenic bacteria, including listeria, in food handling and packaging. This innovation represents an alternative to the use of antibiotics or chemical decontamination in food supply ...

Symbiotic bacteria program daily rhythms in squid using light and chemicals

03-Apr-2013 - Glowing bacteria inside squids use light and chemical signals to control circadian-like rhythms in the animals, according to a study to be published in mBio®. The Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, houses a colony of Vibrio fischeri bacteria in its light organ, using the bacteria at night ...

Bacteria with vuvuzelas

Microbes use a channel protein as a syringe for toxins

21-Mar-2013 - The bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens is a constant companion of some roundworms. These worms assault insect larvae, thereby infecting them with the bacteria; the pathogens then attack the cells of their victims with a deadly cocktail of various toxins. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of ...

Suicidal bacteria

Freiburg Biologists study unicellular organisms that occasionally poison themselves with a toxin

19-Mar-2013 - The cyanobacterium Synechocystis produces toxins that often lead to its own demise. The biologists Stefan Kopfmann and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hess from the University of Freiburg have determined the logic governing this mechanism. Their findings have been published in the Journal of Biological ...

Studying bacterial metabolites with mass spectrometry

19-Feb-2013 - Organic compounds produced by colonies of bacteria can now be characterised using a mass-spectrometry technique that is both location specific and non-destructive. The method enables the rapid identification of metabolites from specific areas of an agar gel without affecting the viability of the ...

EU offensive against multi-resistant bacteria

Jacobs leads joint research project TRANSLOCATION

18-Feb-2013 - Bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics are one of the biggest health hazards of our time. In order to push the development of new antibiotic drugs fighting antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the research project TRANSLOCATION has been set up as part of the Euroepan public-private partnership ...

New hope in fight against multi-resistant germs

International antibiotics study: HZI receives €6m funding

14-Feb-2013 - An increasing number of bacteria is evolving antibiotic resistance. Much-feared representatives of this steadily growing group include Staphylococci strains. At this point, multi-resistant forms of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus - the "hospital germ" known commonly by its acronym, MRSA - can ...