“The integration of robotics and AI is poised to revolutionize science labs”

By automating routine tasks, scientists can focus on higher-level research questions, paving the way for faster breakthroughs

28-Oct-2024 - Science laboratories across disciplines—chemistry, biochemistry and materials science—are on the verge of a sweeping transformation as robotic automation and AI lead to faster and more precise experiments that unlock breakthroughs in fields like health, energy and electronics, according to ...

How a cancer gene protects genome organization

15-Jun-2017 - UNC School of Medicine researchers have cracked a long-standing mystery about an important enzyme found in virtually all organisms other than bacteria. The basic science finding may have implications for understanding cancer development and how to halt it. Researchers have known that the enzyme ...

Autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder may share common underlying factors, study suggests

04-Jul-2012 - New research led by a medical geneticist at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine points to an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) among individuals whose parents or siblings have been diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.The findings were based on a ...

Smaller and Sharper: Nanoscale Metal–Organic Frameworks (NMOFs) as MRI Contrast Agents

12-Jul-2010 - Developing more sensitive methods of biomedical imaging that are effective with minimal amounts of contrast agents is an important challenge in the early and accurate diagnosis of illnesses. A new class of materials that appear promising in this quest were introduced in 2006 by Prof. Wenbin Lin ...

Technique enables precise control of protein activity in living cells

28-Jun-2010 - Cancer occurs when human cells move and multiply inappropriately. Within cells, a process called phosphorylation serves as an on/off switch for a number of cellular processes that can be involved in cancer, including metabolism, transcription, configuration, movement, cell death and ...

Key protein aids in DNA repair

13-Apr-2010 - Scientists have shown in multiple contexts that DNA damage over our lifetimes is a key mechanism behind the development of cancer and other age-related diseases. Not everyone gets these diseases, because the body has multiple mechanisms for repairing the damage caused to DNA by aging, the ...

A single atom controls motility required for bacterial infection

06-Jan-2010 - Bacteria can swim, propelling themselves through fluids using a whip-like extension called a flaggella. They can also walk, strolling along solid surfaces using little fibrous legs called pili. It is this motility that enable some pathogenic bacteria to establish the infections – such as ...

Study points to new uses, unexpected side effects of already existing drugs

06-Nov-2009 - Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco have developed and experimentally tested a technique to predict new target diseases for existing drugs. The researchers developed a computational method that compares ...

Study shows that a combination of common genetic variations can lead to schizophrenia

03-Jul-2009 - A multi-national group of investigators, including a scientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has discovered that nearly a third of the genetic basis of schizophrenia may be attributed to the cumulative actions of thousands of common genetic variants. The effects of each of ...

Without enzyme, biological reaction essential to life takes 2.3 billion years

12-Nov-2008 - All biological reactions within human cells depend on enzymes. Their power as catalysts enables biological reactions to occur usually in milliseconds. But how slowly would these reactions proceed spontaneously, in the absence of enzymes – minutes, hours, days? And why even pose the question? One ...