Mycology is the branch of biology devoted to the study of fungi (mushrooms), which, we're increasingly learning, are truly astonishing in what they can do. With the support of a grant from the EPA, a team of Washington State University scientists is developing a mycofiltration system to purify storm water of bacteria before it re-enters the urban water supply. Professor Marc Beutel is an environmental engineer who has joined forces with renowned mycologist Paul Stamets of Fungi Perfecti, a research laboratory and retail company also in Washington State. Together they have completed the first phase of a study titled Mycofiltration Biotechnology for Pathogen Management, wherein they have successfully used fungi to create a "living net" to filter effluent bacteria. The project was funded by an EPA Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) award.
Tags: 2014, 2013, Washington, WashU, mycofiltration, WA, Northwest, WSU, Washington State University, BioResearch Product Faire Event, Biotechnology, biotech industry, Front Line event, Northeast Region, Pullman
Nerves play a vital role in the well-being of our body. Nerve damage is among the most crippling physical damage we can sustain, which is why it is in our best interest to protect them when at all possible. So when new bioresearch from Washington University in St. Louis lays out a method to prevent the body from destroying axons, which transmit nerve signals throughout the body, it’s a sure signal of improvement in the field of nervous studies.
Tags: 2014, Midwest, 2013, Washington University, Missouri, WashU, WUSTL, BioResearch Product Faire Event, MO, St Louis
In an effort to better combat the infamous human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a solution that carries quite a sting. Utilizing a toxin found in bee venom, they have developed a nanoparticle that is quite effective at destroying the virus.
Tags: 2014, Midwest, 2013, Washington University, Missouri, WashU, WUSTL, nanoparticle, HIV, bee venom, melittin, BioResearch Product Faire Event, MO, St Louis, laboratory equipment, laboratory equipment suppliers
The National Eye Institute, an NIH agency dedicated to vision research, recently announced the winners of their Challenge to Identify Audacious Goals in Vision Research and Blindness Rehabilitation, or the Audacious Goals Challenge for short. The competition was open to professionals and members of the public and called upon them to think big and bold about vision research goals for the next decades. The prize money was nominal ($3,000) but included an invitation and travel money to attend and present their ideas at the NEI Audacious Goals Development Meeting in Maryland later this month. The real prize, of course, was the opportunity to help set research and funding goals for the next 10-12 years. Of the 500 or so proposals submitted, 10 visionaries were selected as winners.
Tags: University of Michigan, 2014, CA, Harvard University, Midwest, 2013, Northeast, university of utah, Washington University, Missouri, WashU, UUtah, St. Louis Bioresearch Product Faire Event, Oregon Health and Science University, Northwest, crowdsourcing, Vision Sciences Research, National Eye Institute (NEI), Blindness Rehabilitation, Southwest, University of Alabama, Southern, UT, Ann Arbor, Boston, BioResearch Product Faire Event, Funding, MI, MA, NIH, Harvard, OR, Salt Lake City, Birmingham, AL, UCSB, Santa Barbara, OHSU, Portland, UMich, UC Santa Barbara, Rehabilitation
Missouri has a rich market of potential buyers of lab supplies and biotechnology products, according to recent NSF and NIH research funding statistics for Washington University in St. Louis. In 2012, the NSF awarded the university $14.4 million in research funding. The NSF-funded projects are located within a number of programs in the life sciences, including evolutionary processes clusters, molecular biophysics, cellular dynamics and function, neural systems clusters, behavioral systems clusters, macrosystem biology and bioinformatics. We have spotlighted the top five-funded projects below:
Tags: 2014, Midwest, 2013, Washington University, Missouri, WashU, WUSTL, BioResearch Product Faire Event, Research Funding, NIH, science researchers, MO, St Louis, NSF, lab supplier, funded
In the game of life, cheating doesn’t pay off. Laws, karma, and conscience all work towards keeping things just and fair. However, in the world of bacteria, these rules don’t seem to apply. Researchers from the Washington University at St. Louis have reported a strain of amoeba that favors selfishness over fairness, and doesn’t seem to even pay a price for it.
Tags: 2014, Midwest, 2013, Washington University, WashU, BioResearch Product Faire Event, MO, St Louis, laboratory equipment, Dictyostelium discoideum
We're finding out that there's a lot more to malnutrition among infants and children than just not getting enough to eat, or enough high-quality food. Individuals may develop malnutrition as a result of what is or isn't growing in their gut, where food gets processed. It's a fascinating insight with significant implications for treating a deadly world problem. In addition to getting sufficient good food, malnutrition could be addressed with novel dietary and microbial therapeutics, effectively optimizing a person's ability to draw nutrients and calories from the food and drink they take in, as well as making sure the immune system is being supported rather than compromised in the process.
Tags: CA, Bioscience research, Midwest, Washington University, WashU, University of Colorado, microbiome, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Northwest, Biofrontiers Institute, Southwest, UCDMC, BioResearch Product Faire Event, Funding, Genomics, CO, St Louis, Sacramento, Boulder, UCO, UC Davis