Viruses, Diseases Author: Karen Young Kreeger Sidebar: Professional Resources for Viral Disease Researchers In the mid- to late 1980s, numerous correlations were discovered between viruses and various types of cancers. For example, Epstein-Barr virus was associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and B-cell lymphoma, hepatitis B virus with liver cancer, and human papillomavirus with cervical cancer. Now, a decade later, basic and clinical scientists are finding out that viruses may also play a r
The gene amplification technique invented by genetics researcher Kary Mullis on a moonlit drive through the northern California hills a decade ago--the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-- continues to revolutionize the life sciences. Uses in molecular biology research and in diagnostic tests are proliferating, and PCR is even bringing a new molecular approach to such fields as paleontology and epidemiology. The following companies are among those supplying PCR-related products for the resear
Rashmi Shivni, Drug Discovery News | May 20, 2023 | 10 min read
George Church is at it again, this time using multiplex gene editing to create virus-proof cells, improve organ transplant success, and protect elephants.
From a rapid molecular test for COVID-19 to tools that can characterize the antibodies produced in the plasma of patients recovering from the disease, this year’s winners reflect the research community’s shared focus in a challenging year.
What would you do if your research interests revolved around obtaining DNA from a bacterium preserved for millions of years in the gut of a bee stuck in amber, matching up a murderer to crime- scene blood half a century old, or cloning genes from a 1,000- year-old mummy? Most scientists would first consider PCR--the polymerase chain reaction--as a technique for approaching problems such as these. With PCR, minute quantities of nucleic acids can be amplified millions of times into sufficient qua
The Scientist and Jerome Siegel | Mar 1, 2016 | 10+ min read
Once believed to be unique to birds and mammals, sleep is found across the metazoan kingdom. Some animals, it seems, can’t live without it, though no one knows exactly why.