Recent Patents on Biotechnology - Volume 12, Issue 3, 2018

Background: Research on natural bioactive compounds has increased exponentially over the last decades. The discovery of new phytochemicals that possess pharmaceutical properties is useful in the development of therapeutic alternatives. The nerolidol (3,7,11-trimetil-1,6,10-dodecatrien-3-ol or 3,7,11-trimetildodeca-1,6,10-trien-3-ol) has been extensively studied for its therapeutic potential because of its pharmacological ac Read More

Background: Chronic diseases are becoming more serious and widely spreading and this carries a heavy burden on doctors to deal with such patients. Although many of these diseases can be treated by bacteriophages, the situation is significantly dangerous in patients having concomitant more than one chronic disease, where conflicts between phages used in treating these diseases are very closer to happen. Method: This Read More

Background: Vegetable proteins have widespread application in the food industry as functional ingredients in food formulations according to the recent patents. Requirement to develop less expensive protein-rich supplementary foods has resulted in shift of emphasis towards lesser known wild than popular legumes. Objective: The aim of this study is to expose seeds of two coastal sand dune wild legumes of the Southwest I Read More

Background: Polyhydroxyalkanoates are bio-based, biodegradable naturally occurring polymers produced by a wide range of organisms, from bacteria to higher mammals. The properties and biocompatibility of PHA make it possible for a wide spectrum of applications. In this context, we analyze the potential applications of PHA in biomedical science by exploring the global trend through the patent survey. The survey sugg Read More

Background: Genomic islands (GIs) are discrete segments of mobile DNA with defined boundaries according to recent patents, acquired in the bacterial genome from another organism by horizontal gene transfer during the course of evolution. GIs contribute significantly to virulence, disease development, antimicrobial resistance and metabolic process. Objective: The present study focuses on the development of a ve Read More

Background: The Eurasian grapevine is the most widespread fruit crop in the world. Numerous studies have focused on clarifying the events of domestication and the geographical areas in which they occurred. Objectives: In order to add upon information on the process of grapevine domestication, the distribution and genetic diversity of a small, wild population localized in Poggio Ghiaccio Forte, an archaeological site i Read More

Background: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine that plays a crucial role not only in the immune system but also in numerous biological processes. Elevated IL-6 levels have been observed in many types of cancer and inflammatory diseases. Among the techniques that have been used to quantify IL-6, a Lateral Flow Assay (LFA) is one of the most promising. Objective: The objective of this study was to perform a tec Read More