Uncategorized, Page 7 // Bond Life Sciences Center

Aug. 17, 2022

Cutting into CRISPR: Walking through the process driving plant research

Gene-editing is the pinnacle of a biologist’s toolbox, but often left unexplained it seems more magic than science. Growing rice from a small cluster of cells to 4-foot stalks can take six-months or more of planning and careful nurture. But how do scientists change the intricate genetic material in each cell of the plants? The…

June 9, 2022

Stacked stress: climate escalation increasingly compound plant mortality

By Karly Balslew | Bond LSC If the world can be taxing on a person as pressure mounts, just think about how stress must feel to plants. Humans can add a layer of clothing when cold or get a glass of water when thirsty, but plants do not share this simple luxury and must endure…

May 12, 2022

Picture-Perfect Science: Contest highlights best microscopic images of the year

By Cara Penquite | Bond LSC One step into the Advanced Light Microscopy Core (ALMC) sounds an automated bell prompting Alexander Jurkevich, the core’s director, to step out of his corner office into the open square room. With a friendly smile, Jurkevich coordinates biologists across MU’s campus to reveal the wonders of the microscopic world.…

April 8, 2022

#IAmScience: Dong Xu

Data connects all: ‘Champion collaborator’ Xu bridges research disciplines with bioinformatics By Cara Penquite | Bond LSC Dong Xu extracts wonder from numbers with a keyboard and eager teams of scientists at his fingertips. With his salt-and-pepper hair visible above the cubicle walls and his voice softly but steadily articulated, the beauty of bioinformatics takes…

March 24, 2022

Bond Welcomes New Private Investigator John Driver

Bond Welcomes New Principal Investigator John Driver

Photo by Roger Meissen By Karly Balslew | Bond LSC Pigs may have a reputation for being lazy and dirty but to immunologist John Driver, they are the key to understanding influenza in humans. “Pigs are a great animal to study influenza in because they are susceptible to getting the flu,” Driver said. “They are…

March 18, 2022

#IAmScience: Jiude Mao

By Cara Penquite | Bond LSC Learning has no borders for Jiude Mao. His inquisitive mindset drives him to cross research disciplines and countries chasing the answers to his questions. Mao studies mutations in the gene Ighmbp2 that result in spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type one (SMARD1) and Charcot Marie Tooth 2S (CMT2S)…

March 16, 2022

Competing with COVID: Researcher suggests varying from vaccines to fight virus

COVID-19 virus particles have spike proteins, represented in red, that attach to receptors on host cells. Antivirals block the receptors on host cells so the virus cannot infect more cells. | Creative Commons Photo By Cara Penquite | Bond LSC Vaccines were the light at the end of the tunnel throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but…

March 4, 2022

#IAmScience: Lynden Voth

By Cara Penquite | Bond LSC Invested in two to three hobbies at a time, Lynden Voth is not afraid to try something new. His flexible mindset – applied equally in his personal life and research – led Voth to discover his passion for molecular pathogenesis and therapeutics. “I was kind of in a completely…

March 3, 2022

Protecting Plants: Researchers identify genes responsible for vital antimicrobial proteins

DNA is the genetic material that determines the characteristics of plants and animals. Using CRISPR gene editing, researchers altered the characteristics of rice plants. | Creative Commons Photo by Pixabay By Cara Penquite | Bond LSC A tickle in the throat, a stuffy nose, congestion . . . the tell-tale signs of a cold are…

Feb. 17, 2022

Pancreatic tumor composition provides insight on treatment response

Jing Zhou focuses the microscope through her computer. The microscope feeds its view directly to her screen so Zhou can see the pancreatic cells. | Photo by Cara Penquite, Bond LSC By Cara Penquite | Bond LSC Not all tumors are created equal, and potential treatments aren’t universal. When it comes to pancreatic cancer, surgery…

Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center

University of Missouri