Can Fungi Help Clean Up Environmental Contaminants? 

Fly agaric or Fly amanita (Amanita muscaria) is a basidiomycete of the genus Amanita.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread environmental pollutants found in industrial waste, fossil fuel combustion and creosote-treated wood, to name a few. Due to these industrial activities, there are multiple pathways for human exposure. These compounds pose significant health risks due to their carcinogenic, teratogenic and mutagenic properties yet removing them from contaminated sites remains a challenge. Traditional remediation techniques, such as dredging and chemical treatment, are costly and can further disrupt ecosystems (1).  

Mycoremediation—using fungi to break down pollutants into intermediates with lower environmental burden—offers a sustainable, low-cost alternative for PAH degradation. While past research focused on basidiomycete fungi like white rot fungi, these have been unreliable in large-scale field applications. This study investigates an alternative approach: leveraging naturally occurring ascomycete fungi from creosote-contaminated sediments to enhance PAH degradation (1). 

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Reprogramming T Cells with DCA: A Metabolic Breakthrough

T cell-based immunotherapies, including CAR-T and TCR-T therapies, have transformed cancer treatment.

T cell-based immunotherapies, including CAR-T and TCR-T therapies, have transformed cancer treatment. T cells are a type of white blood cell that plays a central role in the immune system, recognizing and eliminating abnormal or infected cells. These therapies train T cells to attack tumors; however, a major hurdle remains: most lab-grown T cells fail to persist after an infusion in a patient. Despite transferring millions of tumor-targeting cells, many quickly die off, limiting their effectiveness inside the body. But why?

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Do Zebrafish Hold the Key to Heart Regeneration? 

Heart regeneration after heart attacks can stop poor health outcomes, read for more research

The human body has an incredible capacity for self-repair. Our skin can regenerate after a small cut, bones can heal after fractures and even the liver can regrow to its original size after 70% is lost or removed (3). However, when it comes to the heart, the story is very different. As Miley Cyrus once sang, “nothing breaks like a heart” – and science agrees. Unlike other organs, the heart has almost no ability to regenerate itself after injuries. In instances like myocardial infarctions, more commonly known as heart attacks, large amounts of cardiomyocytes (CMs)—the cells responsible for heart muscle contraction—are lost and cannot be regenerated, causing the formation of non-regenerative fibrotic scar tissue and, ultimately, decline in heart function (1).  

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Ice Age Secrets: The Discovery of a Juvenile Sabretooth Cat Mummy 

In the permafrost of Siberia, a remarkable discovery has been made—a mummified juvenile sabretooth cat, Homotherium latidens, frozen in time for over 35,000 years. This discovery, made along the Badyarikha River in the Indigirka River Basin of Yakutia, Russia, offers an exciting glimpse into a species that has no modern analog (a living equivalent of something extinct) (1). For paleontologists and evolutionary biologists, it provides an unprecedented look at an ancient predator that roamed the Earth during the Ice Age. So, how is this cub mummy truly fascinating scientists?  

A Rare Find  

Homotherium Sabretooth mummy
The frozen mummy of Homotherium latidens: (A) external appearance; (B) skeleton, CT-scan, dorsal view (1).

The permafrost of Siberia is a treasure trove of Ice Age fossils, but the discovery of a mummified Homotherium cub stands out for its rarity and significance. While bones can tell us a lot about the history of an extinct species, mummies—where the animal’s soft tissues, such as fur, skin and sometimes internal organs, are preserved—offer far more detailed information. ‘Mummies’ refer to animals (or humans) that have been preserved with their soft tissues intact, often through natural or intentional processes like drying or embalming. This preservation allows scientists to gain insights into the organism’s diet, health, development and adaptations—details that bones alone can’t reveal! 

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Thanksgiving Cooking: Lessons in Chemistry

Thanksgiving dinner

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, kitchens across the country will soon be alive with the sights, smells and sounds of cooking. But what if we dove deeper into those recipe books and looked beyond the instructions? You might find you’re more than just a cook; you’re quite the chemist!  

Inspired by the popular show Lessons in Chemistry, an adaptation of Bonnie Garmus’s bestselling novel, cooking is presented as applied science, encouraging viewers to think critically about their cooking and the chemical reactions that create the flavors and textures they love. In this blog, we’ll explore the chemistry behind Thanksgiving cooking, revealing how different techniques bring out the best in each dish. 

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Extreme Makeover, Epidemic Edition: Can Ants Modify Their Nests for Survival?  

Ants on a hill

Imagine if your first instinct during an epidemic wasn’t to wear a mask or stock up on groceries, but instead to start rearranging and remodeling your house. As it turns out, researchers have found that black garden ants (Lasius niger) do exactly that when confronted with the threat of disease. These tiny architects instinctively spring into action, redesigning their nests in various ways to slow the spread of infection and protect their crowded colonies where diseases can easily spread.  

Read more about the research and see how these findings offer insights into how spatial changes – both in ants and potentially in human environments – can help limit the risks of infection.  

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Taking the Plunge: How the Seine Became Olympic-Ready

What would the Olympics be without a little controversy? From spy drones to air conditioning battles and debates over the bronze medal in women’s floor exercises, the 2024 Games had their fair share. Yet, amidst all the drama, one story stood out—the transformation of the Seine River. After being off-limits to swimmers since 1923, the Seine made a historic comeback this summer, hosting Olympic swimming events for the first time in modern history, including a 10K marathon, the aquatic portion of the triathlon and a Paralympic swimming event (4). With nearly 1 billion people watching, the Seine needed to be more than just swimmable – it had to be media-ready, as even a small misstep could have tarnished the river’s new image. 

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What do Exosomes have to do with Cancer Research?

microRNA that is inside exosomes

Discovered in 1983 and initially dismissed as ‘cellular dust,’ exosomes have since emerged as pivotal players in biomedical research due to their roles in intercellular communication, potential as drug delivery vectors and as biomarkers for various diseases. These small extracellular vesicles, measuring 30–150nm, are crucial for transferring proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids — including microRNA (miRNA), mRNA, and non-coding RNA– between cells (1). miRNAs are particularly critical as they regulate gene expression and offer insights into the cellular mechanisms underlying diseases like cancer, enhancing the value of exosomes in cancer research.

Beyond exosomes importance in understanding intracellular communication and organ cross-talk, exosomes can also alter the functions of recipient cells based on their cargo. This capability makes them extremely valuable in providing insights into alterations in cellular communication, tumor microenvironments, metastasis and immune evasion.

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SLIM Chances: Upside-down, but not Out on the Lunar Surface

The lunar surface

The moon has perpetually been a beacon of curiosity to humankind, always in the sky urging us to look up and beyond. In the mid-20th century, this fascination sparked a historic rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, known as the Space Race. This era was marked by extraordinary milestones: satellites orbiting Earth, humans venturing into space and the landmark event of a man setting foot on the moon – a moment etched in history with the phrase, “One small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.” It was an era where the impossible became possible – though some still question if it was a monumental human achievement or an elaborately crafted façade.

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Uniting Diverse Minds, Vibrant Ideas, and Collaborative Spirit at the 2023 Biologics Symposium

Biologics Symposium

On Thursday November 9th, 2023, Promega held its 7th Biologics Symposium at the Babraham Research Campus in Cambridge. For the first time, participants had the option to attend the event either in person or experience it via live stream, creating an inclusive and dynamic environment where the latest breakthroughs and ideas could be showcased. Moreover, the event was organized into a morning and afternoon session, enabling ample time for networking and the exchange of ideas beyond formal presentations.

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