“Glass sponges” have silica-based skeletal elements with an astonishing behavior: their spicules behave better than any current optical fiber. Scientists from the CEAB-CSIC are involved in an international research to understand the properties that would explain the optical properties of these sponges and to apply in the future generation of computers and optical fiber.

Scientists at the Barcelona Molecular Biology Institute of the CSIC research to unveil the secrets of heterochromatin, the most silenced part of the human genome. Factors related to its regulation or misregulation can be involved in growing, development and diseases. Two recent works unveil the essential role of one of these factors, the intriguing histone H1.

The nanogenerator creates a small electric field surrounding the cell without any external power source The development, led by the IMB-CNM and the UAB, is aimed at developing electrical stimulation therapies at cellular scale.

Marine sponges and the deepest oceanic ecosystems are a source of molecules with potential biomedical uses. Three European projects are aimed at developing genomic tools to use them as a resource in a sustainable way avoiding therefore over-exploitation.

Search strategies of living organisms or cells can help to develop of technology aimed at rescuing people, locating animals or detecting pathogens, among others. At the Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC) scientists work in this research field. In a recent work, they have studied the search strategy of T-cells to find pathogens.

Este mes de abril hay cambios relevantes en la ley española de patentes. La nueva norma, que reemplaza la de 1986, pondrá a España al mismo nivel que los países de su entorno. Entre los cambios más relevantes está la supresión de la admisión de patentes por el procedimiento de concesión sin examen previo, lo que reforzará la seguridad jurídica de los titulares.

A new technique, developed by scientists from several public research institutions, improves the Transcription Activator-like Effector Nucleases (TALENs) strategy. Two biotech companies will develop the applications.

The device has been tested with human serum. It makes possible to have analysis results in 5 hours. The technology, which has been patented by the CSIC, is being applied also for the early detection of some cancers.