New technique helps image biological samples at the microscopic level
Researchers have developed a spectroscopic microscope to enable optical measurements of molecular conformations and orientations in biological samples. The novel measurement technique allows researchers to image biological samples at the microscopic level more quickly and accurately.
The new instrument is based on the discrete frequency infrared spectroscopic imaging technique developed by researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
This project is about bringing the study of molecular chirality into the microscopic domain.
Rohit Bhargava, Professor, Bioengineering, Director, Cancer Center, Illinois
Molecular chirality refers to the spatial orientation of atoms in molecules or multimolecule assemblies. In biological systems, one molecule may elicit a cellular response, while its mirror image could be inactive or even toxic. While vib
Study shows macrophages cause excess scarring after surgery
The body is amazing at healing itself. However, sometimes it can overdo it. Excess scarring after abdominal and pelvic surgery within the peritoneal cavity can lead to serious complications and sometimes death.
The peritoneal cavity has a protective lining containing organs within our abdomen. It also contains fluid to keep the organs lubricated. When the lining gets damaged, tissue and scarring can form, creating problems.
Researchers at the University of Calgary and the University of Bern, Switzerland, have discovered what s causing the excess scarring and options to try to prevent it. This is a worldwide concern. Complications from these peritoneal adhesions cause pain and can lead to life-threatening small bowel obstruction, and infertility in women, says Dr. Joel Zindel, MD, University of Bern, Switzerland, and first author on the study who worked on this research as a Swiss National Science Foundation research fe
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New research may be key to making safe, durable COVID-19 vaccines
Representative microscopy image of SARS-CoV-2 infected cells stained with antibodies in convalescent plasma. Image credit: Dr Michael Joyce, University of Alberta.
Using convalescent plasma, Griffith University researchers have identified how it may be possible to make a future vaccine that will provide protection against all major strains of COVID-19.
Vaccines work by inducing antibodies that block the interaction between the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2’s Spike protein and its receptor, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is present on human lungs.
To understand how antibodies block infection, the researchers from the Institute for Glycomics, with colleagues from the Gold Coast University Hospital, the University of Queensland, the University of Alberta, Canada, and Olymvax Pharmaceuticals, Chengdu, identified the minimal sequences of the RBD recognised by antibodies.
Microbiologists from the University of Amsterdam's Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS-UvA), in collaboration with scientists from the AUMC, VU.