Regular science news
- CSIRO researchers locate stem rust resistance genes
- Queensland research centre receives AU$22 million funding boost
- Scientists develop smart plastic drug coating
CSIRO researchers locate stem rust resistance genes
14 September – An Australian research team has identified the DNA markers that flag the location of four powerful stem rust resistance genes in wheat plants. Led by Dr Rohit Mago of CSIRO Plant Industry, the scientists plan to combine the genes to breed a 'super' wheat variety that will at least quadruple the chances of the plant being stem rust resistant. Stem rust is one of the biggest disease threats to the Australian wheat industry and could potentially cause AU$300 million damage if widespread. Dr Mago indicated that each of the four stem rust resistance genes has a different operation, and that it is highly unlikely that a new stem rust strain could evolve with the strength to counter all four resistance genes at once. Wheat varieties combining two of the genes have already been developed and the team now hopes to combine three and four genes in the one wheat breeding line for field testing.
[Source: CSIRO]
Queensland research centre receives AU$22 million funding boost
8 September – The Queensland Government and Griffith University will each contribute AU$11 million to the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith University to expand its work in researching carbohydrates as potential drug delivery agents. The funding will allow for the construction of a new purpose-built facility on campus, as well as an international recruiting effort for another 100 research staff. The Institute was founded in 2000 under the leadership of Professor Mark von Itzstein, and is the only one of its kind in Australia. Professor von Itzstein said that carbohydrate pathways play a key role in a range of clinically important diseases, ranging from cancers to influenza. Research at the Institute may lead to the development of new generation drugs that fight disease by obstructing these pathways.
[Source: Griffith University]
Scientists develop smart plastic drug coating
7 September – A US-based team has developed a new polymer film that could be applied to drugs to allow a programmed, timed release of a sequence of medication. The researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Winconsin-Madison have found a way of coating an object with alternatively negatively and positively charged polymers. This polymer film could embed drugs, which would be leached out on contact with water. The cross-linking of the polymers and the composition of the barriers between layers can be 'tuned' to allow precise control of the rate of release of the embedded medication. The film could be used to coat bone implants, allowing phased release of medication over a period of hours or weeks.
[Source: http://www.newscientist.com]
