Molecular Biology

WSU, PNNL convert biofuel waste into commodity, now targeting sewage sludge

By Maegan Murray, WSU Tri-Cities RICHLAND, Wash. – A method of converting a biofuel waste product into a usable and valuable commodity has been discovered by researchers at Washington State University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

WSU researchers see popular herbicide affecting health across generations

By Eric Sorensen, WSU News PULLMAN, Wash. – First, the good news. Washington State University researchers have found that a rat exposed to a popular herbicide while in the womb developed no diseases and showed no apparent health effects aside from lower weight.

WSU receives NIH grant to study heart problems at molecular level

By Tina Hilding, Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University researchers have received a $1.57 million National Institutes of Health grant to understand the molecular-scale mechanisms that cause cardiomyopathy, or heart muscle disease.

WSU researchers deliver first “nanotherapeutics” to tumor

By Eric Sorensen, WSU News SPOKANE, Wash. – For the first time, WSU researchers have demonstrated a way to deliver a drug to a tumor by attaching it to a blood cell. The innovation could let doctors target tumors with anticancer drugs that might otherwise damage healthy tissues.

Toxic effects of mercury persists for generations

PULLMAN, Wash. – Zebrafish exposed to very low levels of methylmercury as embryos not only passed on toxic effects of the chemical exposure to their offspring, but also to the third generation, according to a study that investigated both epigenetic changes – chemical modifications to the DNA – and abnormal neuro-behavior associated with exposure.

Plant inner workings point way to more nutritious crops

By Eric Sorensen, WSU science writer PULLMAN, Wash. – Almost every calorie that we eat at one time went through the veins of a plant. If a plant’s circulatory system could be rejiggered to make more nutrients available – through bigger seeds or sweeter tomatoes – the world’s farmers could feed more people.

Fat in feces points to early presence of colorectal cancer

By Rebecca Phillips, University Communications PULLMAN, Wash. – Scientists at Washington State University and Johns Hopkins Medical School have discovered a fast, noninvasive method that could lead to the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Illuminating sulfides’ roles in the body

By Will Ferguson, College of Arts & Sciences PULLMAN, Wash. – For the first time, researchers at Washington State University have created an injectable compound or “probe” that illuminates hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen polysulfides in different colors when they are present in cells.