Scientists discover new rules about “runaway” transcription
Findings related to bacterial gene expression overturn fundamental assumptions about basic biological pathways.
Tags: dna physics genetics bacteria biology rna research school-of-science
The COVID-19 virus can spread through the air – here's what it'll take to detect the airborne particles
Miniaturized laboratory equipment is making it easier to identify airborne pathogens in the field, but there's still work ahead to be able to instantly determine if a room is safe or contaminated.
Aug. 14, 2020 • ~9 min
Tags: dna covid-19 coronavirus pandemic rna sars-cov-2 viruses pathogens star-trek airborne-virus metagenomics next-generation-sequencing pcr
Bringing RNA into genomics
ENCODE consortium identifies RNA sequences that are involved in regulating gene expression.
Tags: genetics biology rna research school-of-science
Neural vulnerability in Huntington’s disease tied to release of mitochondrial RNA
Unique survey of gene expression by cell type in humans and mice reveals several deficits affecting the most vulnerable neurons.
Tags: neuroscience rna immunology broad-institute research cells school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences computer-science-and-artificial-intelligence-laboratory-csail picower-institute huntingtons
Team creates vesicles without any lipids
Scientists have created hollow, spherical sacks called vesicles by using protein and RNA, not lipids.
Tags: physics rna cells proteins science-and-technology
Gene editing may be a path to restore partial hearing
Wei Hsi “Ariel” Yeh dedicated her research in chemistry to solving some of the vast genetic mysteries behind hearing loss.
Tags: science-technology dna chemistry crispr genome basic-research howard-hughes-medical-institute chemistry-and-chemical-biology rna gene-editing broad-institute caitlin-mcdermott-murphy deafness hearing-loss cas9 base-editing base-editors david-liu genetic-disease genetic-engineering sickle-cell-anemia progeria tmc1
Rapid home-based coronavirus tests are coming together in research labs — we’re working on analyzing spit using advanced CRISPR gene editing techniques
Testing for coronavirus has been a fiasco in the US. But now companies are developing super fast tests, including ones that might eventually be as simple as at home pregnancy tests.
May 20, 2020 • ~10 min
Tags: covid-19 coronavirus pandemic rna sars-cov-2 covid-19-testing antibody-testing rt-pcr
Nature-inspired CRISPR enzymes for expansive genome editing
Applied computational biology discoveries vastly expand the range of CRISPR’s access to DNA sequences.
Tags: dna crispr covid-19 rna research computational-biology media-lab school-of-architecture-and-planning alumniae genome-editing center-for-bits-and-atoms
SMART researchers receive grant to develop rapid tests for Covid-19
Using engineered binder proteins to detect viral proteins or antibodies rather than RNA, new tests may overcome current challenges in testing for SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Tags: health public-health covid-19 pandemic rna disease research proteins school-of-engineering grants singapore-mit-alliance-for-research-and-technology-smart
MicroRNAs: the 'junk' genetic material with huge potential to fight cancer and dementia
Tiny parts of our genome once thought useless are being turned into ways to diagnose and treat disease.
May 18, 2020 • ~6 min
Tags: alzheimers-disease cancer dementia rna
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