Biology
Explore Biology
Dr Brian D. Tait | The Impact of Haplotyping on Disease Inheritance and Clinical Treatment
Humans inherit a version of each gene – an allele – from each parent. Through standard DNA analysis, it is not possible to know which allele of a given gene came from the mother and which came from the father. Understanding which allele came from which parent is known as ‘haplotyping’ or ‘genetic phasing’. This is particularly important when a gene has multiple changes in the gene sequence – called mutations.
Dr Youzhong Guo | Accelerating Our Understanding of Cell Membranes
Cell membranes are an essential constituent of all living organisms. They protect and organize cells, and perform a range of vital functions that ensure an organism’s survival. The two fundamental components of cell membranes are proteins and lipids, which form a diverse and complex system connecting the membrane to the wider cell. Interactions between cell-membrane proteins and between proteins and lipids play vital roles in myriad biological processes. Understanding these interactions is critical for identifying the mechanisms behind many medical disorders, in order to find ways of treating them. In-depth knowledge of these interactions is also crucial for drug design.
Professor Thomas Feuerstein | Using Mathematical Modelling to Understand Acute Heart Failure Treatment
Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death around the globe. Heart failure is a particular type of cardiovascular disease, which occurs when the heart is not able to pump blood around the body as well as it should. Over 26 million people in the world are currently affected by heart failure and this number is increasing every year.
Dr Matthew Hoare | Understanding Gene Mutations in Chronic Liver Disease
The liver plays a vital role in keeping us healthy, by controlling levels of sugars and fats in our blood, as well as clearing the blood of toxins. Chronic liver disease affects around 25% of the population and is reported to be the third largest cause of premature death in the UK. Liver disease can occur as the result of long-term consumption of alcohol or viral hepatitis, but the fastest growing cause is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Dr Peter Palese | Developing a Universal Flu Vaccine
The influenza virus – commonly known as flu – is a serious public health concern. There are an estimated 1 billion cases of influenza each year, causing approximately 650,000 deaths globally.
Dr John Fairbrother | Redefining High Risk Clones in Animal Populations
Antimicrobial drugs treat infections by killing or slowing the growth of the responsible pathogens. However, antimicrobial resistance occurs when the bacteria develop defence mechanisms against the very drugs intended to kill them. Infections due to resistant bacteria can be extremely difficult and even impossible to treat, meaning that antimicrobial resistance presents a major threat to animal, environmental and human health.
Taher Saif | Dr Andrew Holle – Mechanobiology – Exploring the Mechanics of Cell Behaviour
Extracellular biophysical cues have a profound influence on a wide range of cell behaviors, including growth, motility, differentiation, apoptosis, gene expression, adhesion, and signal transduction. Cells not only respond to definitively mechanical cues from the extracellular matrix (ECM) but can also sometimes alter the mechanical properties of the matrix and hence influence subsequent matrix-based cues in both physiological and pathological processes. Interactions between cells and materials in vitro can modify cell phenotype and ECM structure, whether intentionally or inadvertently. Interactions between cell and matrix mechanics in vivo are of particular importance in a wide variety of disorders, including cancer, central nervous system injury, fibrotic diseases, and myocardial infarction. Both the in vitro and in vivo effects of this coupling between mechanics and biology hold important implications for clinical applications.
Associate Professor Yukihiko Toquenaga | Sequencing the Genome: Two Heads are Better than One
The genome comprises the entire set of DNA instructions for each cell in all living things. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the hereditary material found in humans and other organisms. The genome contains all the information needed to build any individual living thing, and for it to grow and develop.
Professor Ksenija Gasic | Keeping Orchards Peachy with Armillaria Root Rot Solutions
What do peaches, cherries, and almonds all have in common? They are all delicious, nutritious, and loved by consumers around the world. They all grow on trees. And all of them may disappear from our supermarket shelves because of a persistent and destructive replant disease called Armillaria or oak root rot. Armillaria root rot is caused by fungi commonly called ‘honey fungi’, because of the golden colour of the mushrooms that sprout from the base of infected trees. However, the mushrooms signal internal devastation for the tree.
Dr Xiushan Yin | Developing Accurate and Rapid COVID Tests for People with Colour Blindness
Diagnosing viral infections, such as COVID-19, can be challenging. The most accurate way to identify a virus is by detecting its genetic information, but viruses are merely a tiny packet of genes encased in a protein shell. When a virus has infected a host, such as a human body, identifying viral genes amongst the host’s genes is like finding a needle in a haystack. However, scientists have a trick – to make copies of the needle, until needles outnumber the hay straws. This is called nuclear acid amplification, which forms the basis for the gold-standard PCR test for COVID-19. Dr Xiushan Yin and his colleagues at the Shenyang University of Chemical Technology have been further refining this amazing technology to help tackle COVID-19.
Dr Alexandra (Sasha) Pavlova – Professor Paul Sunnucks | Genetic Rescue Saves Species from Extinction
When a species’ habitat shrinks, its populations decline. Individuals that persist in remaining islands of habitat have no choice but to breed with their relatives, reducing the health and fertility of their offspring. Researchers at Monash University seek to increase genetic diversity in small populations, helping them rebound. They have established ‘genetic rescue’ methods to save many endangered species from extinction, collaborating with wildlife agencies to test solutions.
Dr Helen Greenwood Hansma | Energy: A Clue to the Origins of Life
Before the first living organisms were brought into being, molecules were already moving and changing. Many energy sources, including light and heat from the sun, were available to provide the energy needed to drive chemical reactions. Mechanical energy, which describes the energy of motion, was also readily available before life’s emergence. Dr Helen Greenwood Hansma from the University of California in Santa Barbara explores how mechanical energy could have driven the processes that gave rise to early life.
Stay Up To Date With SciTube