Stem cells of an embryo are pluripotent – they can grow into almost any cell type in the body. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are artificially reprogrammed body cells that can be made to function like embryonic stem cells, offering therapeutic advantages. However, understanding the genetic machinations of pluripotent stem cells is vital to successfully culture iPSC and is an active research area. In an exciting breakthrough, scientists have identified the group of genes responsible for maintaining distinct states of human pluripotency.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers multiple funding schemes encouraging Indians across career stages to sojourn in Germany for internships, research projects, and networking. In this article, Manasvi CM highlights the salient features of these programs and their deadlines.

A team of researchers from the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, has revealed how crosstalk between two molecular pathways in the cells of the gut mediates the aberrant inflammation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

In a new study, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have demonstrated the functioning of a motor protein responsible for recycling material inside a cell. These findings are crucial since faulty recycling in cells is responsible for many disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and Cancer.

TNQ’s Inspiring Science Award 2022 is now open for entries and will close at midnight, on 15 October, 2021. The award is given annually to young researchers for the best paper in the life sciences published from India in the previous year. This article tells more about the award and summarizes the results of its 2021 edition.

Foetal bovine serum is a nutrient-rich additive widely used for in vitro cell culture studies. However, harvesting the serum involves inhuman methods, calling for replacing or reducing its use in experiments. Here is a report on one such ethical step by a team of researchers who found a novel technique to grow skin cells by drastically reducing bovine serum use.

A whopping twenty thousand people registered to participate in the Science Leadership Workshop held last June. The virtual event paved the way for aspiring science leaders across various fields of science to glean insights and avail an internship from a panel of prominent science leaders from India and abroad. Trishala shares a few takeaways from the week-long event.