November 4, 2025

Researchers reveal how fat tissue cells influence risk of obesity

UCLA researchers have created the first single-cell map of how DNA is regulated and organized inside different cell types of human fat tissue. The study, published in Nature Genetics, shows that many genetic risk factors for abdominal obesity reside in epigenomic regions of fat cells, offering clues about how body […]
November 4, 2025

Balance is key: New strategies to boost protein production from engineered cells

University of Warwick research demonstrates how to engineer ‘cell factories’ that last longer and produce more chemicals, without needing antibiotics or complex engineering methods, paving the way for sustainable biotech that lasts. Synthetic biology aims to engineer living cells, often bacteria, to become chemical factories, pumping out chemicals important to […]
October 7, 2025

New discovery reveals how chromosome ends can be protected

Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that safeguards the chromosome ends from being mistakenly repaired by the cell. While DNA repair is vital for survival, attempts to repair the chromosome ends can have catastrophic outcomes for cells. The research, published in Nature, increases the understanding of how cancer and […]
September 28, 2025

Low-cost tool could one day detect leukemia in a patient’s saliva

Engineering researchers at the University of Queensland are developing a low-cost tool that could diagnose diseases like leukemia from a simple saliva sample. The project, led by Dr Dan Yuan from UQ’s School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, aims to deliver a portable benchtop device that replaces blood tests for […]
August 19, 2025

NIST Releases Trove of Genetic Data to Spur Cancer Research

In an effort to foster progress in cancer research, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is releasing detailed and comprehensive data about the entire genetic content of a pancreatic cancer cell. Scientists can use it to research tumors, improve cancer diagnostic tests, and develop new cancer treatments. The […]