Tag Archive for 'polymerase chain reaction'

Scientists Grow New Lungs Using ‘Skeletons’ of Old Ones

For someone with a severe, incurable lung disorder such as cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung transplant may be the only chance for survival. Unfortunately, it’s often not a very good chance. Matching donor lungs are rare, and many would-be recipients die waiting for the transplants that could save their lives.

Reducing the Toxicity of Lithium

Lithium is the most effective treatment for bipolar disorder. However, its use is limited because of neurological side effects and a risk for overdose-induced toxicity. Many of the beneficial effects of lithium are mediated by its inhibition of GSK-3 proteins, but whether this is the mechanism underlying its negative effects has not been determined.  However, [...]

Frontal Cortex Dysfunction may contribute to Compulsive Sexual Behavior

Sex “addiction” is a concept that has had particularly high visibility recently with the publicity associated with Tiger Woods. Persons with addictive or compulsive disorders frequently display an inability to inhibit behaviors once they become maladaptive, despite adverse consequences of their behavior. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a brain region involved in decision-making and [...]

Studying Altered Brain Cells Sheds Light on Epilepsy

Neuroscience researchers have zeroed in on a novel mechanism that helps control the firing of electrical signals among neurons. By isolating the molecular and electrical events that occur when this control is disrupted, the new research sheds light on epileptic seizures and potentially on other prominent diseases involving poorly regulated brain activity.

More Evidence on Benefits of High Blood Pressure Drugs in Diabetic Eye Disease

Scientists in Massachusetts are reporting new evidence that certain high blood pressure drugs may be useful in preventing and treating diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of vision loss in people with diabetes. The study, the largest to date on proteins in the retina, could lead to new ways to prevent or treat the sight-threatening disease, [...]

Genetic Link between Misery and Death Discovered; Novel Strategy Probes ‘Genetic Haystack’

In ongoing work to identify how genes interact with social environments to impact human health, UCLA researchers have discovered what they describe as a biochemical link between misery and death. In addition, they found a specific genetic variation in some individuals that seems to disconnect that link, rendering them more biologically resilient in the face [...]

Biotechnology Applications of Biochip Technology

Biotechnology is currently making use of DNA biochip/microarray technology in the research sector, and industrial applications are in development. Diagnostic applications of biochips in health care require a time-consuming and expensive validation process. Nevertheless, the potential applications in health care provide the greatest area of potential growth with an emphasis on the point-of-care and personalized [...]

PCR And Its Relationship To Biochip Technology

PCR, as polymerase chain reaction is known, was one step on the way to the current status of biochip technology. A Nobel-prize winning discovery, Kary Mullis’s polymerase chain reaction (PCR), first described in 1983, allowed researchers to amplify minute amounts of DNA to quantities where it could be detected by standard laboratory methods. A further [...]

Artificial Intelligence And Biochips in Robotics Engineering

Artificial intelligence as allowed by biochips is important in robotics engineering. A large amount of research and development has contributed to the rapid evolution of biochip technology. Combining semiconductor technology with molecular biology, biochips supplement electronic circuits with biological material. Composed of DNA, RNA or protein, a biochip holds these materials to the surface of [...]

Biotechnology And The Development of the Biochip Industry

Biotechnology took a dramatic turn In the 1980’s following the invention of the DNA sequencing approach in 19080 and the discovery of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 1983. Biochips emerged as a novel micro technology platform for analysis of bio-molecules. This has culminated in a lively biochip industry with biotechnology company Amersham at the forefront. [...]