https://phys.org/biology-news/biotechnology/ en-us The latest science news on biotechnology Humans love dogs, but petting them can leave some people sneezing and wheezing. About 15% of the world's population lives with a dog allergy, which can increase the risk of hay fever and asthma. The main culprit is Can f 1, a protein found mainly in dog saliva. Right now, staying away from furry friends or getting regular immunotherapy shots or tablets is the only way to deal with the symptoms. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-gene-beagles-major-dog-allergen.html Biotechnology Sun, 16 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news705919142 Tiny viruses that infect bacteria could one day help us tackle infections that antibiotics can no longer treat. But first, scientists need to understand how these viruses work, and artificial intelligence could provide them with a powerful way to do that. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nature-spent-billions-years-bacteria.html Biotechnology Sat, 15 Aug 2026 20:00:01 EDT news705678389 A book sits atop a table. Although it's closed, its title, "Encyclopedia of Human Tissue," promises untold secrets. Perhaps with this book, you can learn about different cell types and what they look like under normal conditions or conditions of disease. Maybe you can learn how gene expression differs in the cells of younger and older people, or whether different patients' cells respond differently to the same treatments. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-method-gain-insights-tissues.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 18:20:01 EDT news705928153 A genetically engineered bacterium can rapidly break down one of Earth's most abundant minerals, opening a promising new pathway for simultaneously removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and recovering critical elements used in electric vehicle batteries, according to new Cornell research. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-microbe-capture-recovers-critical-metals.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:40:01 EDT news705934681 Adjusting to a new time zone or work schedule can leave the body's internal clock out of sync for days, contributing to sleep disruption, metabolic changes and other health consequences. Researchers at Rice University and Northwestern University have developed an implantable cell therapy that may help the body adapt more quickly to these disruptions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-jet-lag-cells-circadian-adjustment.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:00:02 EDT news705932281 A research team led by Director Kim V. Narry at the Center for RNA Research within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has discovered compact viral RNA elements that can make mRNA more stable and increase protein production. These elements could provide a simple way to develop longer-lasting and more efficient mRNA technologies for vaccines and other RNA-based therapeutics. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-stable-rna-elements-possibilities-mrna.html Biotechnology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:20:04 EDT news705931142 Scientists often describe life as a series of chemical reactions. Pallav Kosuri, Ph.D., describes life as movement. Chemical reactions are how you drive the movement of atoms, proteins, cells and bodies—without movement, there is no life. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-dna-rotor-microscopes-track.html Biotechnology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 10:40:02 EDT news705921781 Every 15 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from a drug-resistant superbug. A few decades from now, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections threaten to become the leading cause of death worldwide, outpacing cancer. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mutation-hotspots-friendly-viruses-outmaneuver.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:50:01 EDT news705860402 Made entirely of muscle, with no rigid skeleton, muscular hydrostats like octopus arms, elephant trunks and human tongues can move in ways traditional mechanical systems cannot. Between crawling across the seafloor, picking up a peanut and enabling speech, scientists have long wondered how soft structures can perform so many different functions without becoming impossible to control. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-soft-bodied-sea-slug-reconfigures.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:20:05 EDT news705841253 Like a delivery driver navigating crowded city streets, a gene-therapy-toting lipid nanoparticle faces a gauntlet of potential detours on its journey toward a cell's nucleus. First, there's entering the cell's plasma membrane; then navigating around organelles like the Golgi apparatus, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum—all destinations that can errantly absorb the particle's payload, rendering it ineffective at best or harmful at worst. And that's all before the particle even enters the nucleus and successfully makes a genetic change. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-crispr-roadblocks-scientists-genes-blocking.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:00:03 EDT news705841141 Designing an effective antibody drug is like searching for the right key in a warehouse of locks. Scientists may begin with millions—or even billions—of antibody candidates, but only a tiny fraction will recognize and bind tightly to the disease target. Identifying those rare candidates has long been one of the biggest challenges in developing antibody medicines. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ai-biology-antibodies-drug-discovery.html Biotechnology Thu, 13 Aug 2026 05:00:03 EDT news705763776 Scientists have crossed an important line in biological engineering. In a recent study, researchers used artificial intelligence to design complete sets of genetic instructions for bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria. Some of those computer-generated designs produced working viruses when they were built and tested in the laboratory. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-aidesigned-viruses-biosecurity-pace.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:20:07 EDT news705756534 Most antibiotics used clinically are based on natural compounds produced by bacteria and other microorganisms. At the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), researchers are using soil-dwelling myxobacteria as a source of new active ingredients. They are able to discover new active compounds primarily in bacteria that have not yet been extensively studied. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-soil-myxobacteria-reveal-classes-bioactive.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:10:01 EDT news705771001 Last year, we described Agrilo, an affordable "colorimetric" soil-testing system developed through research at MacEwan University. Using a smartphone camera to interpret color changes, Agrilo measures soil nutrients and can provide farmers with timely guidance to support fertilizer decisions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-soil-global-virtual-reality-farmers.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:00:06 EDT news705770821 Every tomato begins with a flower. But before a fruit can grow, an intricate sequence of events must happen in perfect order. The flower's male and female organs must develop together, pollen must be released at exactly the right time, and fertilization must occur. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-genetic-tomatoes-fruit-cold-weather.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:10:01 EDT news705767641 Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) and RIKEN Pioneering Research Institute (PRI) in Japan, together with collaborators from the University of Münster, Germany, have developed a new hydrogel that offers significant advantages over others currently on the market in the field of biomaterials. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-synthetic-peptide-electrically-polarized-hydrogel.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:00:07 EDT news705755101 Researchers are developing biotechnological processes that enable microbes to produce proteins and vitamins for human consumption using basic chemical ingredients, such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen—entirely bypassing livestock farming and agriculture. Because these methods also require energy input, they are popularly called "power-to-protein" and "power-to-vitamin" processes. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-microbes-protein-vitamin-b9-commercially.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:40:07 EDT news705754983 More than 100,000 people are awaiting an organ transplant in the United States, with a new candidate added to the list every 10 minutes. Even if the transplant is carried out successfully, recipients must take immunosuppressive medications, elevating their risk of broader infections, and adhere to a strict lifestyle for the rest of their lives—all while facing the possibility that their body could reject the donated organ at any time. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hybrid-bioprinter-capillary-networks-narrower.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:40:06 EDT news705752101 The decades-old scientific quest to create brand-new proteins has been turbocharged in the era of artificial intelligence. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-qa-deploying-ai-proteins-nature.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:40:04 EDT news705756123 Modern biomedicine increasingly relies on enormous amounts of image data. Although computers can do part of the analysis work, biologists often still need to look through the images themselves. This takes time. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-software-tool-pixasonics-biomedical-images.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:40:07 EDT news705755341 Fourth-year veterinary students matched—and experienced clinicians outperformed—an AI-enabled digital stethoscope in diagnosing heart murmurs and arrhythmias in cats and dogs, according to a new study from North Carolina State University. The study emphasizes the importance of human expertise when using AI-assisted technology, particularly with instruments designed for "universal" usage. The research is published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-human-clinicians-outperform-ai-stethoscope.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:20:09 EDT news705753527 Karevo's AI-powered optical recognition system can sort up to 10 tons of potatoes per hour with 95% accuracy. The founder's journey took him from a potato farm to the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and ultimately to his own startup. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-potatoes-ai.html Biotechnology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:00:07 EDT news705678966 In the Midwestern summer, humans and plants have to breathe through the heat and humidity. Researchers hope that a retooled crop plant—one with an improved ventilation system within its leaves—could thrive while avoiding drought stress by reducing "crop sweat." Thanks to next-generation imaging technology powered by Argonne National Laboratory's particle collider beamline, a team of scientists now has precise schematics of the leaf's interior and can refine approaches to breeding hardier crop plants. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ray-analysis-reveals-life-advancing.html Biotechnology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:50:01 EDT news705684001 Researchers at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the University of Tennessee (UT), Knoxville, have made an advance by using a natural substance from fungi called chitin to create hydrogels that are significantly stronger and tougher. This new material could lead to safer medical devices, longer-lasting coatings and other innovations that improve everyday technology and health care. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fungal-chitin-route-tougher-hydrogels.html Biotechnology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:00:05 EDT news705670982 Baker's yeast is one of biotechnology's most important microorganisms. It has long been used to leaven bread and ferment beer. More recently, advances in synthetic biology have enabled engineered yeast to convert sugar into a wide range of products, including medicines, fuels and industrial chemicals. Yet even well-engineered yeast cells can be difficult to control in a precise and timely way. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-yeast-biofactories-programmable-precise.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:00:03 EDT news705657302 Photosynthetic microorganisms can use light energy to convert carbon dioxide into useful compounds under mild, environmentally compatible conditions. However, many current photosynthetic production systems rely on cells growing freely in large volumes of liquid. This creates a substantial demand for water and requires extensive mixing to keep the cells evenly distributed and exposed to light, increasing the resource and energy requirements of the process. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-photosynthetic-microorganisms-renewable-chemical-production.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:40:01 EDT news705593461 Engineers have developed a strain of a common bacterial species that can feed exclusively on the three major sugars present in corn stalks. While the new multiple-sugar-consuming strain of the bacterium Pseudomonas putida is interesting in its own right, a new paper published in Nature Communications on July 29, 2026, outlines the broader implications of this project for the future of biomanufacturing. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-corn-stalk-sugars-bacterial-strain.html Biotechnology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:20:04 EDT news705573361 Decades of selective breeding and intensive agricultural practices have reshaped cattle genetics—often at the expense of valuable diversity preserved in traditional herds—according to new research from Aberystwyth University. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-traditional-cattle-herds-diversity.html Biotechnology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 07:20:02 EDT news705560407 In a world first, scientists led by a team from Stanford University have created 16 viable viruses that do not exist in nature and were designed by AI. Their experiment, which is published in Science, could help in the fight against superbugs by allowing researchers to design customized viruses to kill drug-resistant bacteria. Thomas Inglesby and Moritz S. Hanke have published a Perspective piece on the work and its implications in the same edition of the journal. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-sixteen-ai-viruses-route-drug.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 07:00:01 EDT news705314814 Rice University engineers have developed a new strategy for controlling how therapeutic peptides are released from gelatin-based materials, a step that could make the small but powerful molecules more useful in tissue engineering and drug delivery. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-based-strategy-delivery-therapeutic-peptides.html Biotechnology Sun, 09 Aug 2026 07:20:01 EDT news705327575