News

• A candid approach for probing a not-so-candid fungus

  

  Candida infections, caused by pathogenic fungi, pose a significant threat, especially to vulnerable individuals. Researchers from Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, have developed a gelatin-based platform that closely mimics human skin, aiding in the study of Candida biofilm formation and potentially speeding up drug development to combat these infections.

  Posted on Oct 06, 2023 in Health & Medicine, Biotechnology, Microbiology & Research

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• An advanced tool to diagnose tuberculosis beyond the lungs

  

  A team led by Avinash Bajaj develops a fluorescent probe to detect mycobacteria from human tissue samples. Lekha Bandopadhyay reports on this study.

  Posted on May 30, 2022 in Microbiology & 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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• The role of a toxin-antitoxin system in tuberculosis

  

  The tuberculosis bacteria is notorious for its ability to stay dormant for years within the human body, evading the immune system and always one step away from causing aggressive infection. Now, a study from researchers at Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, and Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTech), Chandigarh, has investigated a novel molecular pathway that helps the bacteria avoid the notice of the immune system.

  Posted on Feb 13, 2021 in Health & Medicine, Microbiology, Molecular Biology & Research

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• A new study explains how the tuberculosis bacteria activates HIV

  

  Tuberculosis is a common comorbidity in those infected with HIV/AIDS, and the two conditions are known to exacerbate one another. A new study from researchers at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru demonstrates that Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the tuberculosis bacteria, can reactivate dormant HIV within the human body, a process that can potentially be targeted by specific drugs.

  Posted on Sep 14, 2020 in Health & Medicine, Microbiology, Cell Biology & Research

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• Bug story: Looking at Indian Bison domestication through the lens of gut microbes

  

  The gut microbiome of wild animals can provide a plethora of information related to animal health. However, studies looking at evolutionary and animal health-related issues through the lens of gut microbes are currently lacking in India. A recent study reveals the gut bacterial diversity of Indian Gaur and its domesticated form Mithun.

  Posted on Sep 07, 2020 in Microbiology, Wildlife Biology & Research

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• The Pink Solution: “N-riching” rice plants

  

  A new collaborative study by researchers at University of Calcutta and University of Kalyani has found that a close symbiotic relationship between three species - a plant, a fungus, and bacteria - can be harnessed to promote the growth of rice plants by allowing them to take up more nitrogen from the environment.

  Posted on Mar 17, 2020 in Agriculture, Plant Biology, Microbiology & Research

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