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Data from a new Nature study shows the feasibility of engineering a quantum mechanical process inside biological proteins. The study, which was led by an engineering team at the University of Oxford, describes how an engineered protein, dubbed MagLOV “exhibits optically detected magnetic resonance in living bacterial cells at room temperature” with a high enough signal for “single-cell detection.”  Full details are published in an open access paper titled “Quantum spin resonance in engineered proteins for multimodal sensing.”   That paper builds on an earlier report of the creation of a new class of biomolecules dubbed magneto-sensitive fluorescent proteins or MFPs, that can…

Credit: fcafotodigital/ E+/ Getty Images Vitamin­ B1 plays a critical role in how food moves through the gut, and its metabolism is affected by a person’s genetic makeup, researchers have discovered. Their findings, in Gut, could lead to personalized food or drug interventions for gut disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome or constipation. The team found that the way in which vitamin B1—also known as thiamine—was metabolized was linked with how often a person opened their bowels, otherwise known as their stool frequency. Consumption of the vitamin, through foods such as fish, avocados, nuts and seeds, was also strongly associated…

New kit aims to quantify internal exposure in 7–10 days, offering a noninvasive way to track microplastic particle counts over time. Microplastics have been detected in air, water and food, and increasingly in human biological samples, raising questions about what chronic exposure might mean for long-term health. Yet for most people, the conversation has remained abstract – a concern in headlines rather than a measurable personal variable. California-based longevity and environmental health company Lumati says it is aiming to change that with Lumati Detect, which it describes as the first at-home saliva test designed to measure microplastic exposure inside the…

Neural tissue normally dies quickly without oxygen. Yet bird retinas—among the most energy-demanding tissues in the animal kingdom—function permanently without it. An international research team has now discovered how birds have solved this biological paradox. The scientists’ study showed that the inner parts of the bird retina operate under chronic oxygen deprivation, relying instead on anaerobic energy production. Their findings also overturn a long-standing assumption about a mysterious structure in the bird eye—the pecten oculi—that has puzzled scientists since the 17th century. The collective findings may be relevant in future treatment of stroke patients, the authors suggest. “In conditions like…

Credit: Westend61/Getty Images An investigational immunotherapy vaccine for people with Lynch syndrome has shown early promise in a Phase Ib/II study at provoking an immune response that intercepts the development of cancer. The findings, published in Nature Medicine, showed that NOUS-209, an off-the-shelf cancer vaccine designed to train the immune system to recognize and eliminate precancerous and cancerous cells before invasive disease develops, showed that it safely induced immune responses in 100% of patients treated involving both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. “Current management strategies for Lynch Syndrome patients—frequent screenings or elective preventive surgery—are life-changing interventions that help prevent cancer…

Genetic analyses of in vitro fertilized embryos reveal new insights into improper chromosome segregation (aneuploidy), one of the key reasons why so many pregnancies fail.Image credit:Thom Leach/Amoeba StudiosAbout 50 percent of pregnancies fail, and one of the main reasons is aneuploidy, a genetic condition in which cells do not have the correct number of chromosomes.1 Aneuploidy commonly arises when chromosomes segregate improperly during meiosis, particularly in the genetically female parent.2 Rajiv McCoy, an evolutionary geneticist at Johns Hopkins University, wondered if specific genetic variants in the maternal genome are associated with the production of aneuploid embryos. By studying in vitro…

Credit: SIphotography/Getty Images People who show attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits in childhood are more likely to experience physical health problems and health-related disability by midlife, according to a large longitudinal study led by researchers at University College London (UCL). Using data based on following patients for more than 40 years, the researchers found that higher levels of ADHD traits at age 10 were associated with a greater number of physical health conditions, increased odds of multimorbidity, and higher levels of physical health–related disability by age 46. The team’s findings are published in JAMA Network Open. “Here we have added to…

Danish researchers have created new cell lines that need a less tailored feeding schedule and produce fewer waste products. The team, from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), says they’ve designed Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines that produce two essential amino acids and produce no lactate and little ammonia, both key waste metabolites. “Process optimization right now involves fine-tuning the feeding schedule and composition so the cells remain happy, but if a cell can produce everything on its own, then that’s a leaner process,” explains Hooman Hefzi, PhD, an associate professor in DTU’s Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine. According…

After seeing how self-explanatory a comic-style poster was for younger audiences, Vincy Wilson explored using this format for a research presentation and found it also improved communication.Image credit:©iStock.com, DrAfter123Vincy Wilson, a forest ecologist at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, studies the abiotic factors that influence how seedlings survive. However, when she had to discuss her research with school-age children, she realized that she needed a more approachable format to talk about the science that she did. Brainstorming ideas to make her research more accessible, she landed on transforming her scientific project and findings into a comic.Vincy Wilson studies abiotic…

Credit: EmiliaUngur/Shutterstock Research led by Johns Hopkins University shows some women may carry genetic variants that increase their risk for pregnancy loss. As reported in Nature, the team showed that genetic variation that impacted the way egg cells divide during meiosis influenced the number of embryos with abnormal numbers of chromosomes. “Despite their critical role in encoding genetic information, chromosomes frequently mis-segregate during human meiosis, producing abnormalities in chromosome number—a phenomenon termed aneuploidy,” explain lead author Rajiv McCoy, PhD, a Johns Hopkins computational biologist focused on the genetics of human reproduction, and colleagues. “Aneuploidy is the leading cause of human…