Lab+Life Scientist - December 2017-January 2018.pdf

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dec 2017/jan 2018
Contents
6
THE FUTURE IS FROZEN
17
Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-
EM) may not yet have revolutionised
the world of medicine but it has
definitely transformed structural
biology.
30
LOSE THE JARGON, WIN
THE WAR
Using novel experimental
approaches, involving whole
genome DNA sequencing,
researchers have identified
strategies that bacteria use to
protect themselves from antibiotics.
17
A MINIATURE
LABORATORY IN A
PLASTIC BAG
Researchers have developed an
all-in-one system in the form of
a transparent bag that provides
a cheap, fast and sterile way for
scientists to grow, differentiate and
freeze stem cells.
34
CREATING RADIOACTIVE
MOLECULES
A new method has the potential to
bring new medicines to patients
faster than before.
26
21
THE SCIENCE BEHIND A
BETTER BREW
How do you make a great beer with
just the right flavour, consistency,
aroma and colour? The answer is in
the yeast — the microbe that makes
grain, hops and water into beer.
38
WHEN THE CAT’S AWAY,
THE MICE WILL TRAIN
It’s an almost inevitable part of
working in a lab that, at one point or
another, you’re going to find yourself
training mice — a necessary evil
that can take up a substantial
amount of time. But what if there
was an easier way?
36
22
IT WAS THE KILLER T
CELLS
For the first time ever, US
researchers have caught killer
T cells red-handed in the act of
microbial murder.
45
NUCLEIC ACIDS AND
IMMUNITY
Dr Michael Gantier reflects on the
latest developments in the field of
infection and immunity.
26
SKIP, WALK AND JUMP
Rare diseases and the power of
precision medicine.
47
TRANSITIONING FROM
PHD TO INDUSTRY
An unclear path with significant
challenges and rewards
38
cover image: © stock.adobe.com/au/mgkuijpers
READ ONLINE!
www.LabOnline.com.au | www.LifeScientist.com.au
This issue is available to read and download at
www.labonline.com.au/magazine
LAB+LIFE SCIENTIST - Dec 2017/Jan 2018
|
3
editorial
Welcome to
Lab+Life Scientist’s
final issue for 2017.
US scientists recently made the first ever attempt to
edit a gene inside the human body, with the hopes
to cure Hunter syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.
CRISPR was earlier used to correct mutation
implicated in a heritable heart condition in
preimplantation human embryos using the
CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technique. The
technology has been used in a variety of applications
— to make superbugs kills themselves, turn bacteria
into a molecular tape recorder, improve crop
efficiency and provide sustainable biofuel. It holds
great promise for medical sciences; however, with
different regulatory frameworks around the world
there are fears about potential misuse of technology.
This issue features items on a range of topics,
from lab automation to cryo-electron microscopy
and exon skipping. The lead article provides insights
on the current state and future of cryo-EM from
Professor Richard Henderson, the winner of 2017
Noble Prize for Chemistry. Henderson is visiting
Australia in February to present at the 43rd Lorne
Conference on Protein Structure and Function
(5–8 February). The conference is a part of the
five-event series to be held in Lorne, Victoria.
Other conferences are: 22nd Lorne Proteomics
Symposium (2–5 February); 29th Lorne Cancer
Conference (9–11 February); 38th Lorne Genome
Conference (12–14 February); and 7th Lorne
Infection and Immunity Conference (15–17
February). The annual three-week conference series
will feature a number of leading international and
local experts across a range of fields. Two other
Lorne presenters covered in this issue include:
Professor Steve Wilton, the Foundation Chair in
Molecular Therapies at Murdoch University and
Director of the Perron Institute for Neurological
and Translational Science and co-head of Molecular
Genetic Laboratory, and Dr Michael Gantier, an
ARC Future Fellow, Research Group Head, Nucleic
Acids and Innate Immunity at the Hudson Institute
in Melbourne.
In this issue we also learn about a high-
throughput system to study mouse behaviour and
physiology at a much faster rate than that achieved
via manual methods. The system aims to deliver
large, standardised datasets, a reduction in the
number of experimental animals and time savings
through complete automation.
There is also an article about a new ‘LabBag’
— an all-in-one system in the form of a transparent
bag that provides a cheap, fast and sterile way for
scientists to grow, differentiate and freeze stem cells.
Inside this bag, artificially produced stem cells are
able both to grow and to form 3D aggregates in
a sterile environment. These cells can be used by
the pharmaceutical industry as patient- or disease-
specific test systems for drug development and
research into active ingredients. To learn more,
go to page 17.
Regards,
Mansi Gandhi
LLS@wfmedia.com.au
Mansi Gandhi
www.LabOnline.com.au | www.LifeScientist.com.au
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LAB+LIFE SCIENTIST - Dec 2017/Jan 2018
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