Using a novel type of chemical reaction, MIT researchers have shown that they can modify antibiotics in a way that could potentially make them more effective against drug-resistant infections.

By chemically linking the antibiotic vancomycin to an antimicrobial peptide, the researchers were able to dramatically enhance the drug’s effectiveness against two strains of drug-resistant bacteria. This kind of modification is simple to perform and could be used to create additional combinations of antibiotics and peptides, the researchers say.

Even though the first medical description of cancer was written in Egypt around 1600 BC, scientists all over the world are still looking at a comprehensive treatment to treat this often-fatal disease. One major challenge is that drugs used in chemotherapy affects healthy cells too as they do not selectively attack cancer cells, and many of them fail to penetrate into all the cells of a tumour. In a recent study, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) have proposed a new method of combination therapy where they can target solid tumours using an ultrasound image guide, deliver the drug deeply, and enhance killing of tumour cells using a naturally occurring lipid, all at the same time. 

Imagine a herd of deer grazing in the forest. Suddenly, a twig snaps nearby, and they look up from the grass. The thought of food is forgotten, and the animals are primed to respond to any threat that might appear.

MIT neuroscientists have now discovered a circuit that they believe controls the diversion of attention away from everyday pursuits, to focus on potential threats. They also found that dopamine is key to the process: It is released in the brain’s prefrontal cortex when danger is perceived, stimulating the prefrontal cortex to redirect its focus to a part of the brain that responds to threats.

As quantum technology continues to come into its own, investment is happening on a global scale. Soon, we could see improvements in machine learning models, financial risk assessment, efficiency of chemical catalysts and the discovery of new medications.

As numerous scientists, companies and governments rush to invest in the new era of quantum technology, a crucial piece of this wave of innovation is the quantum sensor. Improving these devices could mean more powerful computers, better detectors of disease and technological advances scientists can’t even predict yet.

An international research team involving UCL scientists has mapped the genome of the mosquito that carries the Zika, dengue fever and yellow fever viruses.

For the past decade, researchers attempting to study the mosquito’s DNA had only fragments to work with, that didn’t come together to form a cohesive whole. The latest study, led by scientists at The Rockefeller University, has produced a new blueprint of the Aedes aegypti genome that vastly improves upon its predecessor.

The study, published in Nature, describes important applications of this new resource, including multiple strategies for reducing mosquito-borne illnesses.