Tag Archives: gerard wong

Bacteria can pass on memory to descendants, UCLA-led team discovers

Findings are a major step toward understanding persistent infections that affect people with cystic fibrosis

Led by scientists at UCLA, an international team of researchers has discovered that bacteria have a “memory” that passes sensory knowledge from one generation of cells to the next, all without a central nervous system or any neurons. (more…)

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UCLA scientists engineer antibiotics to catch up to bacteria in race against drug resistance

‘Souped-up’ antibiotics could give doctors an advantage over bacteria that develop immunity to medicines

We face an urgent global health problem because scientists are not developing new antibiotics as fast as bacteria are developing antibiotic resistance. (more…)

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Earthquakes, Glue and Grappling Hooks: Scientists Dissect the Movement of Bacteria

A team led by researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has discovered that microscopic bacteria have a lot in common with earthquakes — when it comes to their jolting movements.

In a new study published in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists also report that a molecular “glue” produced by the bacteria to help them adhere to surfaces also acts as a sort of transportation lubricant, helping them move and organize into rudimentary social structures. These discoveries, they say, could lead to new ways to combat harmful microbes in the long term. (more…)

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UCLA Study Shows Cell-Penetrating Peptides for Drug Delivery Act Like A Swiss Army Knife

Cell-penetrating peptides, such as the HIV TAT peptide, are able to enter cells using a number of mechanisms, from direct entry to endocytosis, a process by which cells internalize molecules by engulfing them.

Further, these cell-penetrating peptides, or CPPs, can facilitate the cellular transfer of various molecular cargoes, from small chemical molecules to nano-sized particles and large fragments of DNA. Because of this ability, CPPs hold great potential as in vitro and in vivo delivery vehicles for use in research and for the targeted delivery of therapeutics to individual cells. (more…)

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