Protein design aims to create customized antibodies for therapies, biosensors for diagnostics, or enzymes for chemical reactions. An international research team has now developed a method for designing large new proteins better than before and producing them with the desired properties in the laboratory. Their approach involves a new way of using the capabilities of the AI-based software Alphafold2, for which the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded in 2024.

FetTech, the inventors of multiple FDA-cleared regenerative medicine devices used for trauma, wound care, and aesthetics, has recently transitioned all ReyaGel manufacturing from Florida to Winston-Salem’s Novex Innovations, a specialized contract development and manufacturing firm. This strategic move is a part of FetTech's growth plan to broaden its geographic reach, tapping into Novex Innovations as a trusted partner of the NSF-funded Piedmont Triad Regenerative Medicine Engine (PTRME) to support the company’s expansion. The deal is expected to stimulate local economic growth by creating new job opportunities at Novex and FetTech.

Using satellite imagery, Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers comprehensively analyzed drought dynamics over five years to reveal short and long-term climate trends in Arkansas. The Delta, a regional powerhouse for Arkansas agriculture built by river flows, is showing a trend of increasing droughts.

Hamdi Zurqani, an assistant professor of geospatial science for the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, developed the Arkansas Vegetation Drought Explorer v.2.0 as part of a drought mapping study. The user-friendly web app gives users access to maps showing drought levels in Arkansas by county, year and month.

A new comprehensive survey by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology has highlighted an urgent need to enable more farmers and contractors to revive England’s hedgerows to meet national restoration targets. While agri-environment schemes (AES) have improved the condition of these iconic landscape features, the overall length of hedgerows remains unchanged, says the report for Natural England.