biotechnology – TechieTonics

Distinct Activation Patterns of Projection Neurons: Cortical Dynamics

April 5, 2023April 5, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Cerebral cortex is the outer layer of cerebrum, that is the largest part of the brain. All kinds of higher-level processes such as language, memory, and decision-making are performed in this region. The complex, densely packed structure is saturated with various types of neurons. It is extremely difficult to image its neuronal dynamics with the necessary spatial and temporal resolution. So far, fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) technique is widely used for studying brain activity. However, when it comes down to examine neural circuitry at the point of a single…

Dysfunction in Protein Homeostasis associated with Parkinson’s Disease: Biomarkers

March 29, 2023April 3, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease. The characteristic motor impairments are due to two main reasons:

Book Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

March 28, 2023March 31, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a beautiful book written by Rebecca Skloot in 2010. It is about a poor African American woman who came down with a rare cervical cancer in 1950s. After giving birth to her fourth child, Henrietta grew suspicious of a lump in her cervix. To clarify things, she went straight to Johns Hopkins Hospital. The doctor took a biopsy by extracting sample cells for examination. Although she couldn’t survive, after a few sessions of x-ray therapy and radium treatment. She died at the age…

Neuro-Stack to records Single Neuron Activity: Brain Mechanisms of Movement

March 8, 2023March 8, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

New technologies have revolutionized many fields, including medicine and neuroscience. Advances in engineering, materials science, and computer technology have enabled the development of increasingly sophisticated devices for recording and analysing biological signals, such as brain activity, with unprecedented precision and accuracy. For instance, electroencephalography (EEG) is a non-invasive technique that measures electrical activity in the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp. With the advancement in electronics and computing the EEG signals can now be recorded with greater precision and resolution.

Hydrogels Promote Neuronal Tissue Growth: Brain Healing

February 27, 2023February 27, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Degeneration of brain cells could be a natural aging process. However, destruction or deterioration of brain cells could occur due to a wide range of internal as well as external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating trauma-induced damage. Science has tremendously advanced when it comes to health care and disease control. There are new and radical developments in the field of neurology alone. One such progress is brain tissue reconstruction.

Exon Junction Complex controls mRNA: RNA Methylation

February 14, 2023February 14, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Our gene expression is regulated by RNA methylation. Same process also affects various cellular processes like differentiation and development. Lately, University of Chicago researchers, led by Chuan He, have uncovered new insights into how genes work by solving a long-standing mystery related to RNA methylation. Researchers in Chuan He’s lab have been studying RNA methylation and its potential impact on human health for over a decade.

Gas Entrapping Materials to Mitigate Tumor Hypoxia: GeM Technology

February 3, 2023February 3, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Cancer treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy have been shown to be less effective when exposed to a hypoxic environment. In fact, low oxygen levels in tumors can also escalate disease progression. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and microbubble infusion are the two techniques through which oxygen levels in tumors can be increased to improve treatment outcomes.

Compact Cas7-11 Enzyme for RNA Editing: CRISPR-Cas System

June 1, 2022June 1, 2022 Pooja Kashyap

The CRISPR CAS9 system famously known as genetic scissors was discovered by Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna in 2012. And since then, the new tool has been studied extensively across global academia. Initial studies of the genome editing tool altered only the DNA. However, lately the CAS system is also studied for editing RNA. What is CRISPR-CAS system? CRISPR-CAS system is an adaptive immune system of bacteria, which protects it from invaders. Also, it defends the bacterial host from renewed infection as it memorizes previous infections. DNA has the fingerprint.…

Multiple Modes of Dendritic Integration in Single Neurons: Brain Computation

March 11, 2022March 11, 2022 Pooja Kashyap

Dendrites, branch like extensions protruding from a single neuron, participate in computations and permutations to give a synchronized output to the neuron. Researchers at MIT have now demonstrated that not only different types of dendrites (of a single neuron) collect input from various regions of the brain, they also process that information in different customized ways.

Maneuvering Brain Astrocytes via Magnetic Field: Magnetomechanical Stimulation

March 3, 2022March 3, 2022 Pooja Kashyap

Researchers at University College London have discovered a new form of non-invasive therapy for neurological disorders. The technique called “magnetomechanical stimulation” (MMS) involves microscopic magnetic particles for remotely stimulating brain cells.

Bacterial Biofilm is a Complex Community: Selective Sporulation

January 7, 2022January 7, 2022 Pooja Kashyap

Structural organisation has always been the hallmark of complex organisms, this however is not the case anymore. Researchers at University of California, San Diego have discovered that bacterial biofilms are not at all simple but is a complex community, which has a direct relationship with its external settings.

Interview: Dr Nadac Reales, a Biotechnology Research Scientist at University of Antofagasta, Chile

October 18, 2021November 22, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

Dr Nadac Reales is Deputy Director of Innovator Services at University of Antofagasta, Chile. Additionally, she is running her own firm, the Rudanac Biotec Lab. Aim of her lab is to provide biotechnological solutions to real world problems.

Metal Eating Bacteria to Clean Up Metallic Waste: Green Mining

October 11, 2021October 11, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

A starving being can eat everything and anything and within minutes. While in the character of 19th-century trapper, Leonardo DiCaprio, a starving man in The Revenant eats raw bison liver. Survival instinct is what keeps the living beings away from extinction coz of hunger and this can be seen in microorganisms as well.

Skin Cells Reprogrammed into Early Embryos: Stem Cell Research

March 18, 2021March 18, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

In an interesting research, scientists made an unbelievable attempt of creating early human embryo from skin cells! An international team of researchers led by Monash University Australia has developed a model that resembles human embryo from skin cells.

One Epidermal Patch to track Cardiovascular and Multiple Biomarkers: Wearable Microelectronics

March 2, 2021March 2, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

Monitoring cardiovascular signals and multiple biochemical levels together on one tiny wearable patch has always been a far-fetched dream in the nanotech world. Scientists across the globe are still trying to figure it out however, researchers at the University of California San Diego have done something extraordinary in soft, stretchy skin patch.