Category Archives: Biochemistry

Biochemistry

Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) Market 2021 Global Future Growth, Leading Players and Forecast to 2027| HANERCHEM, Zhejiang Guoguang Biochemistry,…

Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4)-market

Report Overview (2021-2027)

United States:AlgoroReports shared a latestmarket report on the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market is published to provide the overall analysis of the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market. The Report consists of information such as market value, market share, market revenue, and the capacity of the market. The report provides historical market values for the period 2021, along with the market value for the upcoming year 2027. The report also consists of information about the market capacity of the various companies that are present at the global and regional levels. The rising CAGR percentage is also mentioned in the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market report for the forecast period 2021-2027. The report highlights the future growth of the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market at global, regional, and company levels.

Top Key Players/ Manufacturers in the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4)Market:

HANERCHEM, Zhejiang Guoguang Biochemistry, ESIM Chemicals, Qingdao Kehai Biochemistry, MP Biochemical

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Note: The final report will add the analysis of the Impact of Covid-19 in this report industry.

Market Dynamics

Even the smallest factors are sometimes responsible for changing the dynamics of the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market. The report provides information on key market trends and changing customer choices. These two factors are always depended on each other, the change in the customer choices can directly affect the market trends. The market trends are always decided based on customer choices. The other factors that are responsible for causing changes in the market scenario have been precisely analysed in the market report. The Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market report provides information about the production and apparent consumption in the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market. The non-economic factors also play the main role in causing a change in the dynamics of the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market. The report provides data about the various challenges that are faced by the market players operating in the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market. The whole market has been analysed at regional, global, and company levels.

This report segments the market on the basis of Types are:

Ester content 97%Ester content 97%

On the basis of Application, the market is segmented into:

PlasticizerCrosslinker

Segmentation

The report incorporates the different portions the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market is separated into. This incorporates item classifications, income age openings from these items, and customer drifts that drive the item interest. Topographical division of the market coversNorth America, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific area, essentially. The critical focal point of the investigation that structures a reason for the division is to achieve exhaustive and viable bits of knowledge into the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market.

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Research Methodology

The market experts have analyzed the historical data of the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market along with the future aspects to provide the overall market size of the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market in the market report. The tools such as Porters Five Force Model have been used for data collection and analysis. The collected data can be further used in various research methodologies. Some of the research mechanisms used in the Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) market report are the primary research mechanism and Secondary research mechanism.

Key questions answered in the report include:What will the market size and the growth rate be in 2027?What are the key factors driving the Global Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) Market?What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the Global Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) Market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in the Global Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) Market?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the Global Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) Market?

Reasons for Buying this Report

This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to growIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments

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Dibutyl Itaconate (Cas 2155-60-4) Market 2021 Global Future Growth, Leading Players and Forecast to 2027| HANERCHEM, Zhejiang Guoguang Biochemistry,...

Biochemistry

Food Addiction: A Disorder To Watch – Outlook India

Food addiction, although controversial, has recently gained attention in scientific literature and falls into the realm of atypical eating disorders. It has been implicated in craving, bingeing and obesity. Its recognition may be useful in management of complications like diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other chronic conditions.

Food addiction implies there is a biochemical condition in the body that creates a physiological craving for specific foods. This craving, and its underlying biochemistry, is comparable to an alcoholic's craving for alcohol" (a refined carbohydrate). Just as alcohol is the substance that triggers the alcoholic's disease, there are substances that trigger a food addict's out-of-control eating.

It suggests that specific foods, especially those which are rich in fat and /sugar and/or salt are capable of promoting addiction- like behaviour and neural changes under certain conditions. These foods seem to affect the same addictive brain pathways that are influenced by alcohol and drugs.Perhaps, eating carelessly, loading up on high fat, high carbohydrate and salt can also trigger hormonal imbalance, mood swings and lethargy, ultimately leading to chronic food addiction and piled pounds. These foods although highly palatable are not addictive per se but become addictive following prolonged restriction / bingeing. These could be as diverse as refined carbohydrates, processed foods, cheese, chocolates, sugars and milk proteins. Such eating behaviour has been associated with increased risk of obesity, early weight gain, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse as well as with relapses in treatment. Relevance of food addiction may be path- breaking in the treatment of overeating and obesity, which so-far have been associated with eating disorders caused from emotional problems that could be treated by psychotherapy or counseling. While, this may be true for many individuals who have used food to manage their emotions or deal with stress, the problem is more complex for the true food addict.

The key feature of any addiction is loss of control. In food addiction, loss of control is manifested by either more frequent and / larger meals. Although anecdotal reports are abundant, few studies have been able to document addictive properties of foods meeting rigorous scientific criteria. While some may argue, that all foods are addictive, it is proposed that some foods are more addictive than others.

However, recent findings suggest that it may also be the way in which foods are consumed (e.g., alternating access and restriction) rather than their sensory (taste, smell etc.) properties that leads to an addictive eating pattern. In other words, palatable foods alone are not responsible, because even non-palatable foods can come to be desired and potentially overconsumed.

In animal studies, withdrawal from high fat diets leads to neuro-chemical changes like those induced by withdrawal from drugs. There is also convincing evidence that bingeing on sugar induces behaviour and neural changes similar to those induced by drugs. Studies have further revealed that external stimuli such as cues, good or great smelling, looking, tasting, and reinforcing food stimulate seeking that food and modifying intake similar to that of drugs of abuse.

Recognising and identifying food addiction may help treatment modalities for chronic food cravings, compulsive overeating, and binge eating that may represent a phenotype of obesity. Screening for food addiction has the potential to identify people with eating difficulties that seriously compromise weight management efforts. Future research should include a focus on human food addiction.

Ms. Ishi Khosla is a practicing clinical nutritionist, columnist, author, an entrepreneur and researcher.

She is actively involved in clinical practice at the Centre for Dietary Counseling in Delhi, where she deals with a wide range of nutrition related health problems including obesity, diabetes, cardio-vascular disease, digestive disorders, food allergies etc. To scale up her practice and reach out to a global audience Ms. Khosla has founded a unique score-based nutrition app, which has helped people across the world to not only lose weight scientifically but also understand the science and art of eating right.

Passionate about nutrition and a strong believer in the power of foods, she spearheaded, the first of its kind, a health food company in India 'Whole Foods', in the business of producing and retailing health foods and operating Health Cafe's.

As part of her commitment towards public health and community nutrition, Ms. Khosla founded 'The Celiac Society Of India', the first of its kind in India, to spread awareness about gluten related disorders in India and Internationally. She is also involved in community service through the All India Womens Association and Delhi Commonwealth Womens Association. Ms Khosla has been listed among the 25 most powerful women in the country by the India Today Group.

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Food Addiction: A Disorder To Watch - Outlook India

Biochemistry

Resilient researchers: UW-La Crosse students adapt their research amid COVID-19 – University of Wisconsin System

Nico Lang and Cullen Schull, both May 2021 graduates, found success adapting their biochemistry research amid COVID-19.

A pair of UW-La Crosse biochemistry students didnt let COVID-19 stand in the way of their research.

Cullen Schull and Nico Lang, who each graduated with abachelors degree in biochemistryin May, had spent the past couple years researching greener routes of synthesis for high-purity curcumin, a powdery orange chemical produced by certain plants. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has been used as a cooking ingredient and alternative medicine for centuries but also has numerous biological applications as a wonder drug.

Lang had been working on the synthesis and isolation of curcumin compounds using a green methodology and microwave energy. Typical industrial synthesis and isolation procedures are based on a report from the 1960s, taking a greater toll on the environment.

Unable to work in the lab due to COVID-19, Lang demonstrated the effectiveness of his greener approach using recently developed software the Environmental Assessment Tool for Organic Synthesis. He also completed a bibliography on the synthesis of curcumin and similar chemicals, placing his green methodology in perspective.

Schull had been working on a combinatory study to develop a simple and versatile method to obtain curcuminoids (analogues of curcumin) using a blend of synthetic and computational modeling.

From a biomedical standpoint, curcuminoids are shown to be even more effective than curcumin. However, a lack of knowledge about curcuminoid synthesis has resulted in a limited commercial availability of curcuminoids, as well as high prices.

Schulls synthetic work was put on hold during COVID-19. Instead, he used molecular modeling to better understand the mechanism of curcuminoid synthesis, gaining valuable data and experience conducting online research.

This summer, Schull is finishing his project and hoping to publish his manuscript.

His work helped earn a WiSys Spark grant, which was funded for the spring 2021 semester and summer 2021.

It is particularly remarkable that these two students felt the substantial impact of COVID-19 on their research but were able to use the forced online transition as an opportunity to take their research to a new level, saysValeria Stepanova, an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry and the students research advisor.

Lang has been accepted into the University of Utahs graduate chemistry program. Schull plans to pursue a doctorate in organic chemistry at Northwestern University.

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Resilient researchers: UW-La Crosse students adapt their research amid COVID-19 - University of Wisconsin System

Biochemistry

Genetics and Biochemistry | Clemson University, South Carolina

The Department of Genetics and Biochemistry is dedicated to Clemsons overall mission of discovery, learning and engagement. Genetics and biochemistry are keys to understanding the natural world. Our faculty and students use these keys to solve complex challenges and work with all types of organisms, including microbes, plants and humans. Major foci of research include genetic disorders, genetic improvement of crops, strategies for drug development and eukaryotic pathogens. Our academic programs lead to degrees at the undergraduate, masters and doctoral (Ph.D.) levels.

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Genetics and Biochemistry | Clemson University, South Carolina

Biochemistry

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of …

Rising Greenhouse Gases Pose Continued Threat to Arctic Ozone Layer

New study shows climate change is increasing ozone depletion over the Arctic There is a race going on high in the atmosphere above the Arctic, and the ozone layer that protects Earth from damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation will lose the race if greenhouse gas emissions arent reduced quickly enough.

2021 Undergraduate Awards Ceremony

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Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of ...

Biochemistry

Three Unconnected COVID-19 Cases Reported in the UCSB Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry – Daily Nexus

Three fully vaccinated individuals within the UC Santa Barbara Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have tested positive for COVID-19 as of July 27. All three cases are unconnected, according to an email sent by the department.

University spokesperson Andrea Estrada said that the university has no current outbreaks.

In the email obtained by the Nexus, Professor Mattanjah S. de Vries, the chemistry and biochemistry department chair, said that the infected individuals were fully vaccinated and had each separately been in contact with someone who had tested positive outside of the department.

Everyone involved is fully vaccinated, which reminds us that vaccination may limit the risk for infection and reduce severity but clearly it does not eliminate the risk, de Vries said in the email.

With that in mind and with cases increasing everywhere, I would like to reiterate the urgent request that everyone in the building use masks, whether vaccinated or not. I know it is uncomfortable but I hope you will do so out of caution and out of respect for others. It is also in line with the county recommendation.

According to de Vries email, the infected individuals currently have mild symptoms, including dizziness, a fever and a mild sore throat.

Currently, the UCs are planning for in-person instruction come fall. Santa Barbara County has a case rate of 8.7 per 100,00 people as of July 22, according to the Santa Barbara County Community Data Dashboard.

This is an ongoing story, and this article will be updated.

Atmika Iyer

Atmika Iyer is the County News Editor for the 2021-22 school year. She's a lover of loud music, loud laughs and loud prints.

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Three Unconnected COVID-19 Cases Reported in the UCSB Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry - Daily Nexus

Biochemistry

Support and inspiration for undergrads pursuing careers in health care | Penn Today – Penn Today

Last spring, when the pandemic prompted Penns courses to go virtual, Alejandra Bahena, now a rising senior, faced a range ofchallenges.

Being a first-generation, low-income student, I had to figure out where I would be living, how I would be learning,says Bahena, who is from Kissimmee, Florida, but was born and spent her first 12 years in Mexico. I struggled academically that semester and started questioning my potential as a future doctor.

The biochemistry major and French minor didnt lack a support network. She reached out to contacts in Penns Johnson Scholars Program, of which she is a part, as well as to Career Services and the Weingarten Learning Resources Center.

Just talking to them really inspired me to stay with this path and stay resilient, regardless of the challenges,she says.

It struck Bahena, however, that she was far from the only student feeling this way, especially students on the competitive pre-med track. She was particularlyconcerned about fellow students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine and other health fields.

What emerged from that difficult period is an initiativethat stands to inspire many others. Working with her longtime friend Alexia Childress, a rising senior at Arizona State University, and a growing team, Bahena envisioned and created a virtual event in the summer of 2020 that brought together more than 1,000 students from around the United States and 10 other countries to learn about careers in health care, strategies for applying for advanced degrees, and fostering self-confidence and resilience throughout the journey.

And theyre about to do it again.

From Aug. 4 to 6, the National Pre-Health Conference (NHPC) will offer programming on various career paths in health care, applying to graduate school, and special topics from expert guest speakers. The event, free and online, aims to welcome as many people into medical and health care fields as possible, while giving them the tools they need to continue on a challenging academic and professional path.

There are a lot of perceived barriers to careers in fields like medicine and dentistry, Bahena says. Particularly for students from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds, we want to make these resources as accessible as possible to avoid what a lot of people refer to as the leaky pipeline of students as they progress from high school to college to professional school.

Since the first iteration of the conference last year, Bahena and her peers have been keeping the NHPC network they established going, sending out a monthly newsletter and engaging their audience with social media posts and guest speakers on Instagram Live. They also wanted to revisit the conference, ideally making it an annual event.

While last years conference focused solely on medical careers,Bahena and her peers wanted to make this years offering broader. So the first day of this years event will feature talks from guest speakers in fields as diverse as public health, psychiatry, rehabilitation, occupational therapy, and nursing.

The second day will include talks on the admissions process to medical and other health care schools, with sessions on preparing for the interview, crafting a personal statement, preparing for the MCATs, and more. Participants will be able to work in small breakout groups on a case study,collaborating to understand, diagnose, and treat a hypothetical medical problem.

The groups will go over how to look at a patient case and the different aspects that can play into arriving at a diagnosis, Bahena says. They will look at lab information, brain scans, radiology. Its emphasizing a theme of the conference, which is unity in health care, showing how different fields come together.

On the third and final day, guests will make presentations on subjects including mindfulness, advocacy, branding, and scientific communication.

In addition, conference sponsors will offer support and resources, and a research expo will allow students who have participated in scientific and health-related research to share their work.

For Bahena, who plans to take a gap year to pursue research after graduating from Penn and before attending medical school, an overarching goal is to create a welcoming, supportive community.

Sometimes pre-health schools can be a little bit competitive or even cutthroat, Bahena says. But we want to emphasize that well all need to collaborate as we go into these professions. So we want to start building that friendly, nonjudgmental community now.

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Support and inspiration for undergrads pursuing careers in health care | Penn Today - Penn Today

Biochemistry

Kennesaw State graduate blends arts and science, evolves as researcher – News

Hope Didier

KENNESAW, Ga. (Jul 30, 2021) Hope Didier forged her own path at Kennesaw State an academic journey that blended divergent passions in dance and the sciences.

The July graduate will earn two bachelors degrees this week in fields not typically paired: dance and molecular and cellular biology. Didier intertwined the two degrees seamlessly, serving as stage manager in multiple dance productions and spearheading cancer cell research that led to scholarly recognition at state and national levels. This fall, she will continue her education at Wake Forest University in a molecular medicine doctoral program.

I would take certain biological principles or ideas and use them as a foundation for a piece I was choreographing or to better educate my peers on what our bodies are actually doing as we move and dance in space, said Didier, who has been dancing since age 3.

As a scientist and dancer, I can appreciate the movement of the often unseen aspects of life under a microscope, in a way that Im not sure many would, and then translate that work in a manner that could be understood by more individuals, no matter their background or expertise.

Didier credits her parents, who teach middle school math and science, for her biology enthusiasm. She added that her parents encouraged creativity and curiosity, and also have a strong interest in music, which likely led to her dance involvement at an early age. Like many of her friends, Didier contemplated a ballet career, having danced with the Atlanta Ballet throughout high school and performed at the Fox Theatre and the Cobb Energy Centre.

Didiers interest in KSU Journey Honors College led her to apply to its Presidents Emerging Global Scholars (PEGS) program, an initiative that challenges Honors students to grow as scholars, leaders and innovators. She was impressed by the faculty who interviewed her for the program and the opportunity to study abroad in both Costa Rica and Italy during her first year.

A friend from the PEGS program introduced her to Jonathan McMurry, a biochemistry professor in the College of Science and Mathematics, since Didier was eager to explore scientific research as an undergraduate.

Hope was so obviously driven, intelligent, and genuinely interested in research, McMurry said. I saw untapped potential in her as a freshman, and thats the type of student researcher every professor wants to encounter.

Didier evolved into an accomplished and disciplined researcher, focusing on using cell-penetrating peptides, or short chains of amino acids, to deliver biomolecular cargo into cervical cancer cells to stop cell growth and catalyze cell death.

She presented aspects of her work at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research twice, and Posters at the Georgia State Capitol in 2020. She won the Top Poster Award at the Birla Carbon Symposium, in which she spent the entire summer conducting research, and received the Anthony Shuker Scientific Award at the Georgia BioInnovation Summit, both in 2018.

Didiers research interests in the healthcare field carried over into volunteering and conducting research at the Emory Winship Cancer Institute and working in the trauma/surgery ICU at Wellstar Health Systems Kennestone Hospital as an operating room surgical technician.

I witnessed firsthand the frontlines of the global pandemic and had the terrifying privilege of holding the hands of critically ill and dying patients, Didier said. It was physically and emotionally challenging, but also made it increasingly clearer to me that I am meant to serve patients and advocate for the very best healthcare practices.

Ultimately, the Peachtree City, Ga. native knew that her trajectory would lean more toward a career in medicine.

Classes like kinesiology and nutrition and learning the way the body moves and works has opened my eyes to how I could meld my two passions, she explained. Im going to keep dancing as part of my life, whether Im teaching on the side or doing small work for studios or companies.

As part of KSU Journey Honors College, Didier completed two Honors theses one in biology on the deterioration and death of cervical cancer cells and the other in dance, focused on a kinesiological approach for understanding the biological phenomenon of programmed cell death.

Didier credits the dance program for expanding her knowledge and techniques, preparing her for any aspect of dance. She learned about the production side of dance from part-time instructor David Tatu, and worked alongside him last spring on a unique production, Moon Dust, a collaboration between the College of the Arts and the College of Computing and Software Engineering.

As an artist and a scientist, I have found that there is this shared zeal for inquiry and constant curiosity, which makes solving problems and creating art so exciting, she said. My two worlds have a lot to learn from one another, and I look forward to future opportunities in which my passions can come together to create something beautiful and share knowledge in an innovative way.

Now Didier is ready to take on the next challenge, pursuing a doctorate in molecular medicine and translational science at Wake Forest University. She will then transition into the physician assistant program in the Wake Forest School of Medicine.

My entire time at KSU has been a massive highlight of my life and always will be, Didier said. The people are what make KSU amazing, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Jolle Walls

Photos by David Caselli

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The universitys vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.

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Kennesaw State graduate blends arts and science, evolves as researcher - News

Biochemistry

UV Fingerprint Developed By Scientists From Mendel University May Help With Criminal Investigations – Brno Daily

The Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry of Mendel University in Brno has developed a simple procedure for identifying liquids, including food and drugs. The technique has promising implications for criminal investigations.Photo Credit: Mendelu.cz.

Brno, Jul 30 (BD) Scientists from the Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry of Mendel University in Brno have developed a simple technique for identifying samples of food and drugs according to their fluorescence, known as a UV fingerprint. This allows detection of cases where, for example, the technological process has changed during the production of juices, and also allows analysts to determine the origin of wine or drugs.

This new procedure has a wide application, said Luk Nejdl, the head of the bioanalysis and imaging laboratory at Mendel Universitys Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and also has promising implications for criminal investigators.

The technology is based on a simple principle, using the spectral characteristics of the sample.We illuminate the sample with UV radiation and thus cause a number of interesting photochemical reactions that are specific to the sample, said Nejdl. After a few minutes, it is possible to say from where and what it originated, depending on the spectral characteristics, for example, whether its a variety of wine or a type of juice.

Based on this principle, virtually any liquid sample can be illuminated, including biological samples, pesticides, food, clinical samples such as urine, serum, plasma, blood, or medicine, including drugs.

We test individual samples and try to find applications in practice.We are also looking for partners in the commercial and public spheres,said Nejdl. His team is so far working mostly with wines, specifically analyzing white wine varieties. From just a drop of commonly sold white wine, theUV fingerprint canidentify the wine by comparison with the database.The new method can assist significantly in the area of wine authentication, identification, and fingerprinting.

Researchers are also starting cooperation with the Czech Police, who have a new department trying to develop new analytical procedures from the work of forensic scientists, which could be used in the course of their investigations.The method is also suitable for detecting counterfeit drugs or profiling addictive substances in order to determine who prepared the drug.

This method could have a very interesting future in forensic practice, as we would be able to detect different types of poisons and certain groups of drugs in the field.An interesting idea may be its use in the biological sector,said Radim Pernick from the Prague Police Presidiums Department for Science, Research and Innovation.

As with penicillin, the original discovery of the Mendel University scientists was an accident.When they needed orange juice for their experiments, they noticed that samples of this drink always behaved differently. What seemed like a complication for the original experiment raised the unexpected question: what if someone needed to detect differences in seemingly identical substances?

Scientists are now expanding their efforts to include material chemistry, specifically the UV synthesis of a number of interesting nanomaterials.

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UV Fingerprint Developed By Scientists From Mendel University May Help With Criminal Investigations - Brno Daily

Biochemistry

New cancer treatments can be tested in artificial cells on tiny chips the size of a postage stamp – The Conversation CA

It usually takes 10 to 15 years to develop a new drug, and they cost around US$2.6 billion each. Because its difficult to predict how a drug candidate will interact with human cells, many drugs never pass clinical trials. Testing new drugs on human cells is expensive and complicated, so it is difficult to do early in the development of a drug.

To help solve this problem, my research group has built designer artificial cells on a chip the size of a postage stamp. These artificial cells mimic how cells degrade during cancer. This makes it possible to test new drugs early in drug discovery (the process of drug development), and see whether theyre likely to work.

Our artificial cells are designed to give us early insight into how new cancer drugs behave in cells, and why certain kinds of cancer are more resistant to chemotherapy treatment.

My research group at the University of Victoria builds artificial cells and tissues for drug discovery using microfluidic chips. Elanna Stephenson, one of my graduate students, performed the cancer cell research that this story is based on. We work at the interface of engineering, biochemistry and pharmacology, and as a result, our research is very interdisciplinary.

Cells are complex and made up of many different components. Even the cell membrane (the skin of the cell) is composed of many different types of molecules.

Given this complexity, it is difficult to reverse-engineer a cell from the top down to examine each type of molecule and its effect. Instead, our research aims to build artificial cells from the bottom up, to determine in isolation how each kind of molecule that makes up the cell membrane affects the ability of drugs to enter the cell.

We manipulate fluids on much smaller scales than in traditional laboratories using microfluidic devices called chips. Manipulation of fluids at these small scales generally measured in micrometres (one thousandth of a millimetre) is referred to as microfluidics.

Our microfluidic chips are made of a transparent polymer in which we imprint pipes. These pipes are the size of a human hair (100 micrometres, or one tenth of a millimetre), and in many ways are like miniaturizing a chemical manufacturing plant.

Read more: Microfluidics: The tiny, beautiful tech hidden all around you

In our microfluidic chip we create tiny droplets of water that are around the size of human cells, a process called droplet microfluidics. We design our chips so that we may manipulate and analyze each droplet independently. This is the engineering side of our research.

We cover the droplets with molecules that are similar to those found in the cell membrane of human cells to create artificial cells known as droplet interface bilayers (DIBs). Although these types of artificial cells have been around for over a decade, this is the first time theyve been used to mimic the breakdown in the composition of cell membranes that occurs during cancer.

This allowed us to reveal new insights into the behaviour of the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin when it is being absorbed by cells. This is the biochemistry side of our research.

Cell membranes are composed of two layers of molecules called phospholipids. Generally, these layers are not the same, which is called membrane asymmetry.

Cancer causes this membrane asymmetry to degrade, and the two layers become much more similar in terms of their composition. We were able to model this breakdown of the membrane using our artificial cells. We tested how well doxorubicin was able to enter these artificial cells when they were asymmetric, and when they were symmetric.

We found that the degree of asymmetry of the artificial cells affects how fast doxorubicin enters the artificial cell. This highlights another possible reason why drugs stop working effectively (chemoresistance) against some forms of cancer. This is the pharmacology side of our research.

Our research demonstrates the importance of closely replicating both the composition and the structural features of cell membranes when studying a new drug.

The current approach to research for drug development means that we dont understand how drugs will behave in the human body until far too late in the drug discovery process. This is costly in terms of the money and time required for drug development, and ultimately may postpone potentially life-saving treatments for patients.

Our artificial cells could be a new method to accurately predict drug behaviour in the human body very early in the drug discovery process.

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New cancer treatments can be tested in artificial cells on tiny chips the size of a postage stamp - The Conversation CA