All Microbial Biotechnology articles
-
NewsBroad-specificity enzyme targets glycans from across the kingdoms of life
Researchers have found a new enzyme that has a much broader specificity than the leading alternatives. This analysis resulted in the identification of the PNGaseL enzyme taken from Flavobacterium akiainvivens, which is a microbe isolated from decaying wood of a Hawai’ian plant.
-
NewsPioneering raspberry genome editing technique could be the future of fruit and farming
Researchers have published a new method to edit the DNA of raspberries, with the goal of creating more sustainable raspberry production and less food waste. Protoplasts were gene edited with CRISPR-Cas9, which can be programmed to target any region of the genome.
-
NewsMetabolic modeling unlocks diversity of yeast for industrial biotechnology
Scientists uncovered how yeast adapts to different environments at a systems level through strain-specific metabolic modeling.
-
CareersMicrobes at work: Caliche’s journey in carbon capture
When petroleum engineers Amit Priyadarshan and Anandh Mathew founded Caliche Private Limited in 2018, their initial vision was not limited to the oil and gas sector they knew so well. Instead, they were driven by a bigger challenge: climate change.
-
NewsBacterial signaling molecule that choreographs flip between biofilm and motility could transform biotechnology and medical applications
A bacterial signaling molecule involved in flipping the switch between sessile and motile forms could offer huge potential in improving probiotics, boosting wastewater treatment and producing therapeutic compounds.
-
CareersMeet the Global Ambassadors: our Q&A with Durgesh Kumar Jaiswal
The Microbiologist gets to know our Global Ambassador for India, Dr. Durgesh Kumar Jaiswal, who is Assistant Professor at the Department of Biosciences, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, specializing in microbial biotechnology and sustainable agriculture.
-
NewsChemists boost the efficiency of a key enzyme in bacterial photosynthesis
Chemists have shown that they can greatly enhance a version of the photosynthesis enzyme rubisco found in bacteria from a low-oxygen environment. Using directed evolution, they identified mutations that could boost rubisco’s catalytic efficiency by up to 25 per cent.
-
NewsScientists uncover ‘superfamily’ of bacterial predator proteins
Scientists have identified a new type of protein in bacteria that could change our understanding of how these organisms interact with their environments. It focuses on a protein called PopA, found in the bacterial predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus.
-
NewsNew cell-sorting platform accelerates discovery of high-value microbes
Researchers have developed an advanced, high-throughput single-cell sorting platform that enables direct isolation of living cells with targeted metabolic profiles from large mutant libraries.
-
NewsBiosynthetic pathway discoveries mean we can halve the price of costly cancer drug
Researchers have identified the enzymes responsible for the two critical final steps in the biosynthetic pathway that makes the chemotherapy drug Taxol active as a drug, potentially opening it up to biotech based production.
-
NewsSilver nanoparticles produced by fungus could be used to prevent and treat COVID-19
Silver nanoparticles produced by the fungus Trichoderma reesei could become important allies in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Tests on hamsters showed that they not only inhibited the infection but also reduced the viral load in the lungs.
-
NewsElectricity-generating bacteria may power future innovations
Scientists have discovered how certain bacteria breathe by generating electricity, using a natural process that pushes electrons into their surroundings instead of breathing on oxygen.
-
NewsNew tool for cutting DNA offers promising prospects for biotechnology
Researchers have developed a new genetic tool based on a family of specific enzymes called Ssn that allows targeted cuts to be induced exclusively in single-stranded DNA. They focused on one of these enzymes in the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis.
-
NewsMicrobial landscape in the early operation phase of China space station
Metagenomics, comparative genomics, and microbial culture techniques were employed to conduct an in-depth analysis of the structure, function, dynamic changes, and adaptation mechanisms of microbial communities within the China Space Station.
-
NewsMicroalgae and bacteria team up to convert CO2 into useful products
Most methods of genetically modifying the bacterium Escherichia coli and other microbes to convert carbon dioxide into useful biological products require additional carbon sources. A new study overcomes this limitation by combining the photosynthetic finesse of a single-celled algae with the production capabilities of the bacteria E. coli.
-
FeaturesUnder the microscope: microalgae-based bioremediation
The rapid expansion of the global human population and the increase in industrial and agricultural activities have led to severe environmental contamination. To remedy the situation, green technology has become more prevalent in recent years due to its numerous environmental benefits.
-
NewsAfro-Caribbean Commercial Science Network (ACCSN) named as winner of Dorothy Jones Diversity and Inclusion Achievement Award 2024
The Afro-Caribbean Commercial Science Network (ACCSN), founded by Daniel Similaki, has been named as this year’s winner of the Dorothy Jones Diversity and Inclusion Achievement Award 2024.
-
NewsNew CRISPRs expand upon the original’s abilities
By scouring through a massive bacterial metagenomic databases, researchers have discovered new CRISPR-Cas systems as efficient as the conventional one. One of the candidate system has found with the technological potential to expand its impact in research, biotechnology and medicine.
-
NewsScottish biotech company Lentitek secures £1m funding to advance next generation cancer treatments
Biotech company Lentitek Ltd has secured £700,000 in private funding from Equity Gap, bringing its total investment to £1 million in the last six months. It develops manufacturing technologies for lentiviral vectors, used with CAR-T cell and gene therapies.
-
NewsResearchers reveal key mechanism behind bacterial cancer therapy
A research team has elucidated the mechanism behind bacterial cancer therapy using a genetically engineered bacterial strain.