H7N9_CDC, Cynthia Goldsmith and Thomas Rowe

Tracking bird flu: Jiming Liu discusses how to model the risk of H7N9 infection

Avian flu virus H7N9 has been detected in humans, highlighting the need to better predict its spread to prevent a pandemic

Scanning electron microscopy image through a freeze fractured section of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Image source: flickr, Carl Zeiss Microscopy

Yeast factories: engineering bioethanol production through evolution

To create truly sustainable biofuels, researchers are investigating methods to produce bioethanol from waste plant dry matter, such as wood and straw

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera)_flickr_Irene Grassi

Popping perceptions on wine: climate effects on the grapevine transcriptome

The yearly climate in which grapevines grow affects grape berry gene expression and metabolism more than the specific vineyard environment

Cacao tree with pods_Wellcome_N0032781

The joy of chocolate: genomics tackles cacao pod colour and flavor

David Kuhn and colleagues describe a genomics-based approach to solving the genetic basis of important cacao traits

Tablets_Wellcome_C0021284

Antibiotic treatments: are patients willing to wait?

The rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria poses a great threat to human health; one of the main causes is antibiotic overuse

Crystal structure of the MET receptor (yellow, orange) in complex with bacterial ligand internalin B used by Listeria monocytogenes (purple, cyan) to infect normally non-phagocytic host cells. Image source: Dietz et al, BMC Biophysics 2013, 6:6. Crystal structure data: RSCB PDB file 2UZY.

To bind or not to bind: intricacies of ligand-induced receptor dimerization

For a receptor to become active, the ligand must bind to two domains. Do the domains exist as two inactive monomers, single preformed dimers or both?

An Alzheimer's disease plaque in the brain, captured using a confocal microscope. Image source: Wellcome Images

Marguerite Prior discusses neurotrophic compound J147 in Alzheimer’s therapeutics

The greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is age. Compounds targeting age-associated pathologies of the brain may improve current treatments

Research awards crest

Julia Oh, Julia Segre and Heidi Kong win BioMed Central’s category Research Award in Microbiology, Immunology, Infection and Inflammation

Winners: Julia Oh and Julia Segre from the National Human Genome Research Institute, Maryland and Heidi Kong from the National Cancer Institute

B0006626 MRSA

Maturing microbiomes: Julia Oh discusses the age-dependent differences between human skin microbiomes

Differences in skin microbial communities of children and adults may have implications for managing microbe-based diseases

DNA strand (glowing)

ChIPing away at transcription: Peggy Farnham discusses DNA binding factor Kaiso

The Farnham lab explores the role of DNA binding factor Kaiso in regulating transcription