BioTechniques

Switching gears: novel platform spills secrets of transcription’s speed regulation The mammalian elongation complex has remained a mystery – until researchers discovered how it controls its speed.

Thanks to an innovative single-molecule platform, we are starting to understand how the molecular engine responsible for transcription in mammals controls its speed >>> www.biotechniques.com/molecular-bi... 🧪

Lights, camera, action: molecular film captures an RNA molecule building itself Researchers have used cryo-EM and computational tools to visualize ribozyme assembly, shedding light on life's most versatile molecule.

Researchers have visualized how a large RNA molecule assembles itself into a functional machine >>> www.biotechniques.com/molecular-bi... 🧪

Flip the switch: phototherapy combats drug-resistant bacteria Researchers have designed a chemical phototherapy tool that when exposed to blue light damages an enzyme found in drug-resistant bacteria.

Researchers at The Francis Crick Institute have designed a chemical tool that when exposed to blue light damages an enzyme found in drug-resistant bacteria >>> www.biotechniques.com/microbiology... 🧪

Probing the brain for answers: a PET tracer for early Alzheimer’s diagnosis Yanyan Zhao shares an insight into the preclinical development of a PET imaging tracer for catching Alzheimer’s disease earlier.

At @elrig.org’s Drug Discovery 2025, we learned about how Yanyan Zhao and her colleagues at the University of Cambridge have approached the preclinical development of a PET imaging tracer to achieve earlier Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis >>> www.biotechniques.com/imaging/prob... 🧪

Cryo-EM captures the protein that recruits its own bodyguards Researchers have discovered how the GRP94 protein enlists the help of other proteins to shield it from glycosylation.

Researchers have used cryo-EM to capture how the GRP94 protein enlists the help of other proteins to ensure it forms properly and suggested a way to target it for future disease treatments >>> www.biotechniques.com/proteomics/c... 🧪

The biotech bi-weekly: nucleic acid purification, metabolic heart failure research and AI-designed bispecific binding proteins In this edition of the biotech bi-weekly, we highlight the latest exciting product launches, partnerships and company events.

The latest biotech industry updates >>> www.biotechniques.com/molecular-bi... 🧪

Tapping into the precision molecule-editing potential of halogenases We spoke to Rebecca Goss to learn more about her precision molecular editing platform and its potential for drug development.

At @elrig.org’s Drug Discovery 2025, we spoke with Rebecca Goss – Professor at the University of St Andrews and CEO of X-Genix – to learn more about her precision molecular editing platform and what it could mean for drug discovery >>> www.biotechniques.com/bioengineeri... 🧪

An innovative way to study astrocytes' signature star shape Researchers have developed a nanowire platform for studying astrocytes in their natural state, providing an insight into brain health.

Scientists have engineered a nanowire platform that mimics brain tissue to study astrocytes, the star-shaped cells critical for brain health, for the first time in their natural state >>> www.biotechniques.com/bioengineeri... 🧪

Could a vaccine prevent snakebite-induced muscle damage? Researchers have harnessed mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccines to deliver antibody fragments to prevent snakebite-induced muscle damage.

The same technology used in COVID-19 vaccines could help prevent muscle damage from snakebites >>> www.biotechniques.com/drug-discove... 🧪

Quantum questions have algorithmic answers: navigating a drug discovery network In this interview, Namshik Han explains the role quantum algorithms can play in drug discovery research and what makes a successful startup.

In this interview from @elrig.org’s #DD25, @namshik.bsky.social explains quantum algorithms with a London Tube analogy, how they can be applied to benefit drug discovery and his advice for researchers wanting to launch their own startups >>> www.biotechniques.com/computationa...

Probing precursor polymers for information about pathological proteins Researchers have demonstrated that dissolving precursor protein clusters hindered the formation of tau fibrils in solution.

Researchers have demonstrated that dissolving precursor protein clusters hindered the formation of tau fibrils in solution, offering an insight into neurodegenerative protein aggregation >>> www.biotechniques.com/neuroscience... 🧪

The physical cues coordinating childbirth Researchers have demonstrated that PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 play key roles in sensing physical forces during childbirth.

Researchers at @scripps.edu have demonstrated that PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 play key roles in sensing mechanical forces during childbirth >>> www.biotechniques.com/molecular-bi... 🧪

Regulating the gene essential to immune system balance Researchers have mapped the regulatory elements that control the FOXP3 gene, which is implicated in maintaining balance in the immune system.

Fine-tuning a gene centrally involved in regulating the immune system offers potential clues for future autoimmunity and cancer treatments >>> www.biotechniques.com/crispr/regul... 🧪

The coiled history of the chameleon optic nerve Researchers have shown that the chameleon has a coiled optic nerve, which they believe allows the lizard to increase their field of vision.

For the first time, researchers have captured the chameleon’s coiled optic nerve using contrast enhanced computed tomography >>> www.biotechniques.com/imaging/the-... 🧪

Manganese: a double-edged sword in Lyme disease Researchers uncovered that disrupting manganese in the bacteria that cause Lyme disease could be key to weakening the pathogen.

Researchers have discovered a vulnerability in the bacteria that cause Lyme disease >>> www.biotechniques.com/molecular-bi... 🧪

STEM Tea | Humans first, professionals second In this episode, AJ Hinton is joined by Lindsey Keith-Vincent, a first-generation college graduate who is passionate about STEM education.

In the STEM Tea podcast, @phdgprotein86.bsky.social sits down with Lindsey Keith-Vincent, Associate Dean at Louisiana Tech University, to explore her unique model for supporting faculty, mentoring students and fostering a culture of authenticity >>> www.biotechniques.com/podcasts/ste... 🧪

The biotech bi-weekly: protein quantification, AMR mutation characterization and automating single-cell transcriptomics In this edition of the biotech bi-weekly, read about recent product launches that are quantifying His-tagged proteins and characterizing AMR mutations.

The latest biotech industry insights >>> www.biotechniques.com/molecular-bi... 🧪

Targeting ABC to tackle AMR: taking advantage of bacterial membrane proteins Heather Pinkett tells us about her research investigating ABC transporters in pathogenic bacteria and what this could mean for tackling AMR.

At @elrig.org’s Drug Discovery 2025, we spoke to Heather Pinkett – President of The Protein Society – to learn more about ABC transporters and what targeting them could mean for combatting antimicrobial resistance >>> www.biotechniques.com/microbiology... 🧪

Enzyme scaffold restricts key pathway in DNA synthesis Researchers have discovered that the enzyme NUDT5 utilizes its structure to exercise metabolic control over a key pathway in DNA synthesis.

Researchers have discovered that the enzyme NUDT5 helps to switch off purine production – the chemical pathway that generates the building blocks of DNA – but does so without using its enzymatic activity >>> www.biotechniques.com/molecular-bi... 🧪

A synthetic regeneration cascade for genetically editing crops Researchers have developed a synthetic regeneration system for genetically editing crops, avoiding the challenging step of tissue culturing.

Researchers from Texas Tech University have developed a method that could allow scientists to bypass one of the most time-consuming and technically challenging steps in plant biotechnology – tissue culture >>> www.biotechniques.com/plant-climat... 🧪

CRISPR for improving memory in aging brains Researchers have used CRISPR gene editing to adjust age-related molecular mechanisms to target memory loss.

Two separate studies have identified age-related molecular changes in the rat brain and adjusted them to improve memory >>> www.biotechniques.com/neuroscience... 🧪

How will AI-first drug design transform human health? Find out how developments in AlphaFold 3, alongside new predictive models, are changing approaches to drug discovery and design.

How paradigm-shifting could an AI-first drug discovery company be?

At @elrig.org’s Drug Discovery 2025, we spoke to Miles Congreve, Chief Scientific Officer at @isomorphiclabs.bsky.social, to find out >>> www.biotechniques.com/drug-discove... 🧪

A cancer cell’s mRNA guide to self-sabotage Researchers have harnessed the cGAS-STING pathway using mRNA to slow tumor growth in mouse models of cancer.

By stimulating cancer cells to produce a molecule that activates a signaling pathway in nearby immune cells, researchers have found a way to force tumors to trigger their own destruction >>> www.biotechniques.com/cancer-resea... 🧪

Expanding our insights into the planktonic universe Researchers have utilized ultrastructure expansion microscopy to reveal more about the cytoskeletal characteristics of the planktonic universe.

A new study provides unprecedented insights into the cellular architecture of over 200 species of plankton using ultrastructure expansion microscopy >>> www.biotechniques.com/imaging/expa... 🧪

Neurons ‘kiss-shrink-run’ to relay information Cryo-ET reveals the 'kiss-shrink-run' fusion model to explain how neurons transmit signals across synapses.

Cryo-electron tomography has captured how synaptic vesicles transmit information across synapses > > > www.biotechniques.com/neuroscience... 🧪

Hunting zombie cells: novel technique for tagging senescent cells Researchers have developed a new technique for tagging senescent cells with DNA aptamers to identify and characterize these cells.

🧟 Researchers have developed a way to tag senescent ‘zombie’ cells that allows for both identification and characterization of these cells, which are often implicated in disease >>> www.biotechniques.com/cell-and-tis... 🧪

Molecular laser tag: identifying chromosomal abnormalities with AI Researchers have developed an AI-assisted technology that can identify and tag chromosomal abnormalities in cells.

An AI tool identifies cells that can shed light on the earliest origins of cancer through a game of molecular ‘laser tag’ >>> www.biotechniques.com/computationa... 🧪

Just like magic: the technique behind cellular levitation Researchers have developed a novel electromagnetic cell sorting technique for separating different cell types.

An electromagnetic device can gently sort cells by levitating them to different heights >>> www.biotechniques.com/cell-and-tis... 🧪

Meet the researcher behind the 2025 winning image Read the interview with this year's Image Competition winner to learn more about how he captured this scientific image.

🔬 Meet the researcher behind the image that won the BioTechniques Image Competition 2025 📸

In this interview, we learn more about Bruno Cisterna, his winning image, his favorite microscopy techniques and his advice for burgeoning microscopists >>> www.biotechniques.com/imaging/meet... 🧪

Leptin neural circuit restores balance after anxiety upsets it Research has shown that a brain circuit involving leptin helps mice execute vital behaviors even when anxious.

A brain circuit involving leptin allows mice to carry out vital behaviors, such as eating and sleeping, during anxious episodes >>> www.biotechniques.com/neuroscience... 🧪