Muto’s BioTech Insight Series #20 Dendrocnide moroides, commonly known as the Australian stinging tree from the nettle family, are covered with numerous tiny needles that contain one of nature’s most painful and long-lasting toxins, called moroidin. However, there is another side to moroidin. This chemical compound can bind to a…

#Muto BioTech Insight Series #19 Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder, shared by 1 million patients in the United States and 10 million worldwide. It is a serious affliction with symptoms such as slow movement, poor coordination, and memory deterioration, which become progressively worse with time. …

Muto’s BioTech Insight Series #18 Litchi chinensis, a sweet tropical fruit in the Sapindaceae family also known as lychee, is one of the economically important crops commonly cultivated in Eastern Asia. It is a very difficult crop to store due to its short maturation period. …

Muto’s BioTech Insight Series #17 Plants are divided into two categories, dicotyledonous or monocotyledonous, depending on various distinguishing factors, such as embryonic structure. This is a possible explanation as to why their immunological responses to certain external threats are different. A research group from Tokyo University of Science, led by…

Muto’s BioTech Insight Series #16 Imagine you do not have salt when making a cake, so even with the missing ingredient, you put the cake batter in the oven expecting a similar product. However, you get a medium-cooked steak instead. …

Muto’s BioTech Insight Series #15 It is widely known that plants have one large central cavity or vacuole in their cells. However, a recent study indicates that there could be several of them, each serving a different function. …

Muto’s BioTech Insight Series #14 Arachis hypogaea L., more commonly known as peanuts, suffers from a wide range of biotic and abiotic stress, due to its narrow genetic base. …

Muto’s BioTech Insight Series #13 KODA, or 9-hydroxy-10-oxo-12(Z),15(Z)-octadecadienoic acid, is an agrochemical classified as plant oxylipin. Oxylipins are a large group of oxidized fatty acids, mostly derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as linoleic, linolenic, and roughanic acids. Oxylipins, including KODA, are known to help plants recover from stresses like…

Muto’s BioTech Insight Series #12 Restoring lost human bone and tissue has been a challenging yet popular topic for many researchers for its potential to help millions of people. …