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Scientists create blood vessel cells from stem cells
Posted by wideant in Biotechnology on January 30, 2010
A study from New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) defined conditions for generating a plentiful supply of endothelial (vessel lining) cells that are suitable for therapeutic use. Dr. James and his colleagues created a human embryonic stem cell (hESC) “reporter” line that can be used to measure endothelial cell production and activity.
Dr. James and his colleagues were able to monitor the emergence of endothelial cells in live cultures using the reporter line and screen for small bioactive molecules that increased their yield. they were able to indentify a compound that robustly increased the amount of endothelial cells produced. These cells can now be routinely and economically produced on scales that make pre-clinical assessment of their efficacy practical in large animal models of vascular disease. These findings bring us closer to having functional endothelial cells available for studying vascular disease. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Nanofactories’: Stopping Bacterial Infections Without Antibiotics
Posted by wideant in Bio & Medicine on January 30, 2010
Many bacteria “talk” to each other by secreting and perceiving small molecules, a process called quorum sensing. Flagella and appendages that extend out of the cell walls can be produced in response to this signaling. When the cells sense that they have reached a certain quantity, an infection could be triggered. Disrupting this intercellular communication could prove to be a new way to fight infection or disease.
Nanofactories, tiny biochemical machines, can confuse bacteria and stop them from spreading, without the use of antibiotics. A paper about the research is featured in the current issue of Nature Nanotechnology. “Engineered biological nanofactories trigger quorum sensing response in targeted bacteria,”
Nanofactories first developed in 2007 made use of tiny magnetic bits to guide them to the infection site. The new nanofactories are self-guided and targeted and completely new, all-biological version. they’re capable of finding a specific kind of bacterium and inducing it to communicate, a much finer level of automation and control. Read the rest of this entry »
Peering inside an artificial sun
Posted by wideant in General Physics on January 30, 2010
A major milestone known as “fusion ignition,” toward the harnessing of fusion power is expected within the next year or two. This milestone will take place at an experimental facility built for that purpose in California. Known as the National Ignition Facility, or NIF.
A tiny chamber made of gold, called a hohlraum, is used to contain the pellet of heavy hydrogen fuel at the center of a fusion reaction. Laser beams enter through the two open ends of the hohlraum and are reflected in toward the fuel, heating it up to produce the fusion reaction.
Researchers at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) figured out how to use a second fusion reaction as a kind of backlight, allowing them to see the details of what’s happening inside the primary reaction.
The merging of two small atoms into one with a prodigious release of energy, known as fusion, is the process that powers the sun, and is seen as a potential long-term solution to the world’s energy needs. It could supply vast amounts of energy without any greenhouse gas emissions. Read the rest of this entry »