Tag - biotechnology

 
 

BIOTECHNOLOGY

WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 11, 2015
Drug genes transferred from plant to plant
Researchers on Thursday said they have identified the genes that enable an endangered Himalayan plant to produce a chemical vital to making a widely used chemotherapy drug, and inserted them into an easily grown laboratory plant that then produced the same chemical.
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 4, 2015
Plants may one day fight back against toxic TNT pollution: researchers
Scientists have discovered why TNT is so toxic to plants and intend to use the knowledge to tackle the problem of cleaning up the many sites worldwide contaminated by the commonly used explosive.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 15, 2015
Research on brain disorders leads to superclever mice
Scientists have genetically modified mice to be super intelligent and found they are also less anxious, a discovery that may help in the search for treatments for disorders such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 16, 2015
Genetic modification of diamondback moth brings hope of controlling pests
Scientists in Britain say they have developed a way of genetically modifying and controlling an invasive species of moth that causes serious pest damage to cabbages, kale, canola and other similar crops worldwide.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 3, 2015
Genome study reveals how the woolly mammoth thrived in the cold
Woolly mammoths spent their lives enduring extreme Arctic conditions including frigid temperatures, an arid environment and the relentless cycle of dark winters and bright summers.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 26, 2015
Scientists crack gene secret that lets poppies make morphine
Scientists have identified a key gene used by poppies to make morphine, paving the way for better methods of producing the medically important drug, potentially without the need for cultivating poppy fields.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 18, 2015
New drug compound may beat malaria with single $1 dose
Scientists have discovered a new anti-malarial compound that could treat patients with a single $1 dose, including those with strains of the mosquito-borne disease that are resistant to current drugs.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jun 10, 2015
China's big biotech bet starts to pay off
Years of pouring money into its laboratories, wooing scientists home from overseas and urging researchers to publish and patent is starting to give China a competitive edge in biotechnology, a strategic field it sees as ripe for "indigenous innovation."
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 14, 2015
How DNA sequencing is transforming the hunt for new drugs
Drug manufacturers have begun amassing enormous troves of human DNA in hopes of significantly shortening the time it takes to identify new drug candidates, a move some say is transforming the development of medicines.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 13, 2015
Scientists want DNA-changing tests on human embryos, eggs stopped
With rumors that scientists are about to announce they have modified the genes of human eggs, sperm, or embryos, five prominent researchers on Thursday called on biologists to halt such experiments due to fears about safety and eugenics.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 6, 2015
Spider venom may hold chemical keys to new painkillers
Scientists who analyzed countless chemicals in spider venom say they have identified seven compounds that block a key step in the body's ability to pass pain signals to the brain.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 2, 2015
Cyfuse said to raise ¥1.4 billion for human tissue printing
Cyfuse Biomedical K.K., the Japanese developer of a 3-D printer that produces human tissue, has raised ¥1.4 billion ($11.8 million) from investors including robotic-limb maker Cyberdyne Inc., people familiar with the matter said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 19, 2015
Map of 'epigenome,' a second genetic code, unveiled
Scientists for the first time have mapped out the molecular switches that can turn genes on or off in the DNA in more than 100 types of human cells, an accomplishment that reveals the complexity of genetic information and the challenges of interpreting it.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 18, 2015
Strongest biological material: limpet teeth
Spider silk may lose its claim as the strongest known natural material after researchers found that limpet teeth are tougher.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 10, 2015
Quantum wins $20.5 million funding to build a rapid DNA sequencer
Quantum Biosystems Inc., an Osaka-based company developing a faster genome sequencer, has raised ¥2.4 billion in venture-capital funding from firms including Jafco Co., people with knowledge of the matter said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Feb 9, 2015
3-D printers take center stage in Japan's regenerative medicine
As public expectations for regenerative medicine mount, scientists are turning to the vast potential of 3-D printing technologies in their quest to re-create skin, blood vessels, cartilage and other complex human tissue.
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 1, 2015
U.S. proposes effort to analyze DNA from 1 million people
The United States has proposed analyzing genetic information from more than 1 million American volunteers as part of a new initiative to understand human disease and develop medicines targeted to an individual's genetic make-up.
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 27, 2014
First gene therapy drug sets million-euro price record
The Western world's first gene-therapy drug is set to go on sale in Germany with a price of €1.1 million ($1.4 million), a new record for a medicine to treat a rare disease.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 26, 2014
S&P 500 sets record high but fails to hold 2,000 mark
The S&P 500 was unable to hold the 2,000 mark after moving above the milestone level for the first time on Monday, but still managed to close at a record high, buoyed by financials and biotechnology stocks.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 24, 2014
Tire-makers race to turn dandelions into rubber
Dutch biologist Ingrid van der Meer often meets with disbelief when she talks about her work on dandelions and how it could secure the future of road transport.

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.