Life Sciences and Chemistry

The first draft of the bovine genome sequence is now freely available to biomedical and agricultural researchers around the world.

CSIRO Livestock Industries is a partner in the U.S. $53 million dollar international effort to sequence the genome of the cow (Bos taurus).

“CSIRO has invested in the research to increase understanding and utilisation of the bovine genome which is a major focus for our livestock portfolio development both now and into the future,” CSIRO Livesto

Biologists discover gene that helps roots limit leaf growth

University of Utah biologists discovered a gene that allows a plant’s roots to tell the leaves to stop growing, presumably when water is scarce, soil is too compacted or other conditions are bad.

While roots obviously carry food and water to the leaves, the new findings help show how roots also send chemical signals that control whether or not leaves grow. How leaves grow is a crucial matter given that leafy p

Despite the well-characterized cellular basis of Parkinson’s disease — the degeneration of dopamine-production neurons — the molecular mechanisms responsible for the neurodegeneration remain unknown. Part of the challenge is finding a model that can adequately mimic the loss of dopamine cells. In two papers published in PLoS Biology, Asa Abeliovich and colleagues make the case that a model based on mouse embryonic stem cells offers a promising platform for dissecting the disease mechanism

Worldwide amphibian declines have reached crisis proportions. In many areas, habitat loss is the likely culprit but, in 1996, it was suggested that some unknown disease had spread through the populations. In 1998, the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis was identified from sick and dead frogs and, since then, several lines of laboratory based evidence have suggested that B. dendrobatidis is to blame for the dramatic frog declines. But with little information about how the disease impacts frogs i

Lein Applied Diagnostics Ltd, a Berkshire-based company that is developing a revolutionary new product to measure blood glucose levels in diabetics, has successfully completed a significant fundraising round through Thames Valley Investment Network (TVIN). The funding will enable Lein to produce next generation prototypes and perform clinical testing. The finance secured marks the third deal closed by the TVIN Network in 18 months.

Diabetes is a major problem, with 1.8 million suffer

Scientists at the University of Leicester have shown that the textbook explanation of how enzymes work is wrong – at least for some enzymes.

Their discovery may explain why attempts to make artificial enzymes have often been disappointing. Industry must now re-think the rationale for the design of biological catalysts and its approaches to drug design. Enzymes are biological molecules that accelerate chemical reactions and are central to the existence of life. The new breakthrou