Author: Biotech Express

David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian were honored for their discoveries about how heat, cold and touch can initiate signals in the nervous system. Dr. Julius, a professor of physiology at the University of California, San Francisco, used a key ingredient in hot chili peppers to identify a protein in nerve cells that responds to uncomfortably hot temperatures. Dr. Patapoutian, a molecular biologist at Scripps Research in La Jolla, Calif., led a team that, by poking individual cells with a tiny pipette, hit upon a receptor that responds to pressure, touch and the positioning of body parts. After Dr. Julius’s pivotal…

A team of bioengineers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering has invented a novel soft and flexible self-powered bioelectronic device. The technology converts human body motions — from bending an elbow to subtle movements such as a pulse on one’s wrist — into electricity that could be used to power wearable and implantable diagnostic sensors. The researchers discovered that the magnetoelastic effect, which is the change of how much a material is magnetized when tiny magnets are constantly pushed together and pulled apart by mechanical pressure, can exist in a soft and flexible system — not just one that…

Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said the government will set up science museums across the country to promote scientific temper, particularly among children and the younger generation. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) was signed in the presence of G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER), according to a statement. The science museums aims to promote scientific curiosity and awareness among the common people across all sections of the society. The MoU aims at…

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified a protein that improves muscular metabolism, motor coordination and exercise performance in mice. The findings, published in Cell Metabolism, could be of therapeutic value for patients with muscle and neurological diseases, such as ALS. In the current study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet wanted to know how a muscle-produced protein called neurturin affects neuromuscular function. Understanding what signals mediate motor neuron and muscle communication is essential for exploring new treatments for muscle-related and neurological diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The researchers found that mice that were genetically modified to produce more…

The study surveyed more than 200 women and people who menstruate in the United States between July and August 2020 in order to better understand how stress during the COVID-19 pandemic influenced their menstrual cycles. More than half (54%) of the individuals in the study experienced changes in their menstrual cycle following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Individuals who experienced higher levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to experience heavier menstrual bleeding and a longer duration of their period, compared to individuals with moderate stress levels, the study found. The study, “Impact…

Slovenia has suspended vaccinations with the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus jab while it probes the death of a 20-year-old woman, as thousands gathered to protest against vaccination in the small European Union nation. The suspension will be in place until experts examine whether there is a link between the woman’s death from a stroke and the vaccine she received two weeks earlier, Health Minister Janez Poklukar said on Wednesday. The one-dose jabs have grown in popularity in recent weeks in Slovenia after authorities widely introduced COVID passes, which will also be needed for going to work in all state-run firms.…

Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine was the first authorized for use to stem the pandemic, even before it was fully tested. Since that time, its 91.6% efficacy against the original strain has stood up to peer review in The Lancet. However, the vaccine has gained little to no traction in the West and will not be recognized as a means to gain entry to the United States under new immunization rules. Earlier this month, the U.S. government announced it would loosen restrictions on foreign visitors that were set in place when the pandemic began. The new rules require immunization but,…

Peter Marks has been tapped to serve as acting director of the Office of Vaccines Research and Review at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) following the resignation of two top officials at the agency who questioned the Biden administration’s plan for COVID-19 booster shots. Marion Gruber and Philip Krause, who oversaw the FDA’s vaccines authorization division, announced their retirements at the beginning of September. The resignation came a few weeks before the two joined in publishing a paper in The Lancet that argued against evidence supporting the booster shot program. The report said there is insufficient evidence supporting…

According to the study’s co-lead author Dr José Manuel Aburto, ‘For Western European countries such as Spain, England and Wales, Italy, Belgium, among others, the last time such large magnitudes of declines in life expectancy at birth were observed in a single year was during WW-II.’ But, he says, the scale of the life expectancy losses was stark across most countries studied, ‘22 countries included in our study experienced larger losses than half a year in 2020. Females in eight countries and males in 11 countries experienced losses larger than a year. To contextualize, it took on average 5.6 years…

Sterling Accuris, a pathology-focused, diagnostic lab chain, started operations in 2016, and operates around 150 labs and collection centres across Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh Sterling Accuris Wellness Pvt Ltd has signed an agreement to raise Rs 250 crore ($34 million) of equity funds from a fund managed by Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia. Veda Corporate Advisors, a mid-market investment bank, advised the company and its promoters on the transaction. Rajiv Sharma, MD and CEO of Sterling Accuris said the investment in Sterling Accuris will enable it to expand the lab network. Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia is a…