News

• A new mouse model to study musculoskeletal genetic disorders

  

  A team of researchers at the Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB), Faridabad created a mouse model with a deleted MYH3 gene to study congenital musculoskeletal disorders. They found that the loss of this gene led to traits resembling spondylocarpotarsal synostosis syndrome (SCTS) in adult mice, shedding light on MYH3-associated conditions. This work holds promise for understanding rare genetic disorders.

  Posted on Sep 08, 2023 in Health & Medicine, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology & Research

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• Near-tumor injection of a new nano-drug exposes an “eat me” signal

  

  A research group working on packaging antitumour drugs from Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, and Amity University, Haryana, has successfully trained immune cells to attack tumour cells. They have developed a hydrogel-based anticancer drug delivery system that reduces toxicity and targets tumours directly. This innovation shows promise for more effective cancer treatment pending further research and clinical trials.

  Posted on Aug 18, 2023 in Health & Medicine, Biotechnology, Pharmacology & Research

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• Picolinic acid: A potential therapeutic against pandemic viruses

  

  Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, have demonstrated Picolinic acid's (PA) potential against pandemic viruses, specifically SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A, through broad-spectrum antiviral activity and immune response enhancement. The study emphasises PA's promising therapeutic role and its unique mechanism targeting viral entry and immune modulation.
  

  Posted on Aug 11, 2023 in Health & Medicine, Biotechnology & Research

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• From lab to mice: nanodrug offers hope for ulcerative colitis treatment

  

  In a collaborative study, researchers from the SN Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata, Uluberia College, University of Calcutta, and other institutes made an exciting discovery in treating ulcerative colitis, a prevalent chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). By using chitosan-capped trimanganese tetraoxide nanoparticles, they effectively treated the disease in mice, offering the potential for future therapeutic advancements in this debilitating condition.

  Posted on Jul 28, 2023 in Health & Medicine, Nanotechnology, Cell Biology & Research

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• Unravelling the intriguing partnership of GPCRs and β-arrestins

  

  A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, have identified a key determinant motif in the G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that facilitates its interaction with β-arrestins. The study provides crucial insights into the complex mechanism, opening new avenues for therapeutic interventions and advancing our understanding of GPCR-mediated signalling.

  Posted on Jul 21, 2023 in Health & Medicine, Cell Biology & Molecular Biology

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• Exploring the therapeutic potential of gut microbiota for treating liver diseases

  

  A recent study led by Partha Chakrabarti, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, explores the therapeutic potential of gut microbiota in preventing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The study found that butyrate, a metabolite produced by gut bacteria, effectively reduces inflammation in liver macrophages, suggesting a potential treatment approach for NAFLD.

  Posted on Jun 16, 2023 in Biochemistry, Health & Medicine, Cell Biology & Research

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• Exploiting one infection to control another: phages versus mycobacteria

  

  A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru has explored a new approach to treat mycobacterial infections, which are becoming increasingly drug-resistant. They found that a cocktail of mycobacteriophages – viruses that infect mycobacteria but not humans– were effective against slow- and fast-growing mycobacteria, in cultures. This has clinical significance in treating tuberculosis (caused by M.tuberculosis, a slow-growing mycobacterium), which is of concern, especially in developing countries. In this article, Edna George reports on this recent study by Rachit Agarwal’s team.

  Posted on Nov 08, 2021 in Health & Medicine & Microbiology

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