The formation of persisters is an important feature of bacteria like Escherichia coli (E. coli). These noxious cells, being able to go dormant, are highly resistant to antimicrobial treatments and crucially account for various relapsing chronic infections with common symptoms such as severe stomach pain, vomiting and bloody diarrhea.Formation of persister cells is thought to be one of the most ...

​The genetic talents of a marine microalga are now unlocked, to produce medium-chain triacylglycerols, which is a kind of plant oil with a variety of health benefits, according to a study led by researchers from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).This study was published in Plant Physiology on August 30.A mechanistic model o...

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), the bacteria that can cause human gastritis, peptic ulcers and stomach cancer, infects about half of the world's population. It is essential to quickly identify the infection and select the right combination of sensitive antibiotics. Current tools, however, are limited, mainly because H. pylori are slow growing and hard to cultivate.Researchers from the Qingdao ...

Children are easily to become a vehicle for germs with less than perfect hygiene habits and a penchant for putting their hands and toys in their mouths.In a first-of-its-kind analysis of two kindergartens in China, researchers determined the proportion and species of microbes across a variety of surfaces and children’s palms. The most active sites, and likely routes of transmission, were the k...

When treating acute infections in patients, health care providers must be able to quickly and accurately identify the best antibiotics for fighting the infection.A research team led by researchers from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Peking Union Medical College Hospital has developed an automated system that pro...

Microalgae, algae that cannot be seen by the naked eye, absorb carbon dioxide and produce oils that can be used as biofuels. These biofuels, which can be carbon negative, offer promise as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels. However, the biological processes that allow these microalgae to produce oils are not fully understood.Now, a research team led by Prof. XU Jian from the Qingdao In...

A Chinese research team has devised a ramanome-based technique to catch pathogens that are still present and metabolically active in a tooth about to undergo root canal treatment even after they appear to have stopped growing.The technique could limit re-infections while reducing the amount of disinfectant required, in turn dialling down the chance of side-effects.The technique and its applicat...

A research team led by the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has developed a low-cost metagenome sequencing technique. It enables high-resolution revelation of the full 'landscape' of organisms in a microbiome, even from low-biomass, degraded or contaminated samples.Their study was published in Genome Biology on Jan. 26.The 2bRA...

Researchers with the Single-Cell Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have developed a fast, low-cost and high-throughput technique capable of profiling dynamic metabolic features from just one isogenic sample of cells.The study was published in mBio on August 31.​New Ramanome Technology Unveils Metabolite Conversio...

A single cell can reveal much about the biological world through genomic sequencing. Scientists can compare a single, isolated cell to other samples, analyzing the differences and similarities to better understand how the organisms originated and evolved — or even to discover entirely new species.However, despite the rapid development ofsingle-cellsequencing technologies, sample preparation is...