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Originally published by by Emily Packer, George Litchfield, eLife , on March 25, 2025   A necrotic Drosophila wing imaginal disc undergoing regeneration, showing NiA/NiCP (white) cells at a distance from the injury (green: GFP-labeled wing pouch cells, red: necrotic wound, white: caspase activity). Credit: Robin Harris (CC BY 4.0) Researchers have shed new light on how tissues in the body are repaired following the damage and premature death of tissue cells. Their study in fruit flies, which first appeared in eLife as a Reviewed Preprint and is now published as the final version, describes what the editors call fundamental discoveries with solid evidence for how dying (or necrotic ) cells contribute to tissue regeneration through a previously uncharacterized mechanism. It suggests that these cells play a role in signaling for the body to produce other types of cells that are involved in controlling natural cell death and inflammation , with findings that may have implica...

Originally published by Cyrus Moulton at Northeastern Global News on March 14, 2025 A doctoral student extracts antibiotics compound from bacterial cell extracts in a lab which contributed to the discovery of teixobactin. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University The antibiotic teixobactin — developed a decade ago by Northeastern University professors Kim Lewis and Slava Epstein in collaboration with university startup NovoBiotic — has already proven itself against MRSA and pneumonia . Now, anthrax can be added to the list , according to new research published in the journal ACS Infectious Diseases . “This is the first realistic countermeasure against an engineered bioweapon , since there is no resistance to the drug,” says Lewis, university distinguished professor and director of the Antimicrobial Discovery Center at Northeastern.  Teixobactin is unique as an antibiotic that has shown no detectable resistance .  The drug comes from an uncultured so...

Originally published by Priyanka Naik, The Conversation , on March 10, 2025 The three domains of GRKs resemble a Pac-Man with a ponytail. Shown here is GRK2. Credit: Priyanka Naik, CC BY-ND Each cell in your body relies on precise communication with other cells to function properly . At the center of this process are the molecular switches that turn communication signals in the body on and off. These molecules are key players in health and disease . One such molecular switch is G protein-coupled receptor kinases , or GRKs for short. From vision to heart function and cell growth, GRKs play a vital role in maintaining physiological balance . When they go awry , they can contribute to cardiovascular disease , inflammatory illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's , and multiple types of cancer . Their involvement in a broad range of diseases makes GRKs an attractive drug target . Around 30% to 40% of all drugs ...

The biosensor uses an enzyme-based biofuel cell, antibodies called aptamers and a bacterial elimination mechanism to make water decontamination faster and easier. Originally published by Christopher McFadden at https://interestingengineering.com on Mar 02, 2025           Stock image of a biosensor.                                                  grechina/iStock A team of researchers has developed a new self-powered biosensor that can detect Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria in drinking water and destroy them in situ (on site). This discovery could have enormous ramifications for providing s afe drinking water worldwide . Traditional methods , such as culturing or polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are time-consuming and labor-intensive . They also require specialized equipment and trained sta...