The microbiota is a community of bacteria that colonize the body and can influence metabolism, physiology, nutrition and immune function. An ever-growing body of research indicates that the microbiota plays a critical role in regulating host homeostasis, and changes to the bacterial diversity of the microbiota may lead to increased susceptibility to disease. The bacteria
At the Rockefeller University, a team of researchers studying stem cell differentiation in early embryos have identified a new mechanism of cell communication involved in the process. The results, published in Cell, may have implications for skin cancer treatments. Laboratories across the globe are studying adult stem cells, undifferentiated cells which are dispersed among the differentiated
In April 2013 President Barack Obama announced the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative, a 12-year research program aimed at unlocking the secrets within the human brain and facilitating the development of practical neurological applications. To achieve this goal, the Obama administration sought to harness the country’s collective creative power by forming private-public partnerships between
At Kerafast, our mission is to create a global community of scientists advancing research by facilitating access to unique bioreagents. The upcoming Leap Day has us thinking about how scientific research will advance before the next Leap Year in 2020. We therefore are asking the Kerafast community: “What do you think will be science’s greatest
Antibiotics have been effectively utilized for decades in the treatment against infectious agents. However, antibiotic use has been known to have detrimental effects, including the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria and alterations to the microbiota. The microbiota is a community of bacteria that colonize the body and can influence metabolism, physiology, nutrition, and immune function.
3D Enzyme Imaging Could Help Scientists Create New Antibiotics Antibiotics are drugs that fight bacterial infections, either by killing the bacteria or impeding their reproduction. First discovered in the early 20th century, antibiotics transformed medicine and have saved countless lives. However, an increasing number of bacteria have developed antibiotic resistance and no longer respond to
The Zika virus has been in the news lately as a recent outbreak in Brazil has been linked to cases of microcephaly (smaller than usual head and brain) in newborn babies. Leading to travel advisories for pregnant women by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and recommendations by Brazilian authorities that pregnant women stay
At Kerafast, our mission is to advance life science research by facilitating access to unique laboratory-made reagents. In 2015, we continued our rapid growth, adding new institutions, investigators and research tools to our global community while reinvesting a portion of our proceeds back into research. To keep our community updated on this progress, we developed
In nature, adenoviruses and lentiviruses can be dangerous – HIV is a lentivirus, and adenoviruses can cause ailments such as the common cold, bronchitis and pneumonia. But in research, the two viruses are extremely useful, serving as powerful gene delivery tools that can introduce genes of interest into target cells. Here you’ll find an
Hilary Koprowski, MD Many advances in the fields of virology and immunology came during the 30-plus year period when Hilary Koprowski, MD was the Wistar Institute’s director and then in the years following when he was a Professor Laureate and on the Board of Trustees. During this illustrious scientific career, Dr. Koprowski published more than