Climate warming influences the population size, body size, and diversity of bumblebees, important pollinators in agriculture and ecosystems. Increases in developmental temperatures due to climate warming lead to reduction in bumblebee body size, particularly among the worker caste, resulting in reduced pollination activity. However, how reduced body mass resulting from warm conditions influences mate choice between new queens and males remains unclear. This interaction has a major role in viability of subsequent generations, and we investigated male-male competition and queen mate choice in Bombus terrestris at optimal and elevated mating temperatures (23 °C and 32 °C, respectively). At both temperatures, large males had a significantly higher mating rate than small males. Small males exhibited slightly prolonged mating, while large males transferred more sperm to queens' spermathecae owing to their higher sperm count. In mating experiments with queens of different body weights, no significant difference was observed in the mating rate between large and small queens at 23 °C, but at 32 °C, large queens had a significantly higher mating rate than small queens, indicating strong male preferences for large queens. Additionally, the survival of mated queens after hibernation was positively correlated with their body weight prior to hibernation. These results demonstrate the changes in the mating preferences of queens and males under warm conditions, suggesting that mate choice shapes subsequent generations in such environments.

2025-06-03·PLANT DISEASE

First Report of Apple Bitter Rot Caused by Colletotrichum orientalis in South Korea.

Article

作者: Hassan, Oliul ; Kim, Hyo-Suk ; Hong, Sung Kee ; Ryu, Hyunjoo ; Choi, Hyo-Won ; Ju, Hyeon-Yeong

Apple bitter rot is a significant fungal disease affecting apple (Malus domestica) orchards globally, including South Korea, and is known for causing severe yield losses and economic damage in apple orchards. In the summer of 2023, apple fruits (cv. Hongro) exhibiting typical bitter rot symptoms were collected from orchards in Jangsu, Korea (GPS: 35.625260° N, 127.516693° E). The Disease incidence ranged from 30% to 40% across 2 surveyed orchards. Infected apple fruits exhibited initial symptoms of small, circular, sunken lesions. Under humid conditions, pink to orange spore masses were visible on the lesion surface. Lesions were excised, surface-sterilized, and cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) to isolate the causal agent. Pure cultures were obtained by single-spore isolation. A total of four Colletotrichum isolates were obtained from the four affected fruits. Morphologically, seven-day old colonies on PDA (incubated at 25°C in the dark) were gray to pale pink with a cottony texture, and conidia were cylindrical to fusiform, measuring 12.6 - 18.6 × 3.9 - 6.3 μm (mean ± SD, 14.6 ± 1.4 × 5.1 ± 0.5 μm, n = 70), hyaline, and smooth-walled. Appressoria were dark brown, round to oval, measuring 7.0 - 12.9 × 5.5 - 10.2 μm (mean ± SD, 9.3 ± 1.3 × 6.9 ± 1.9 μm, n = 70). The morphological characteristics of the present isolates align with those of Colletotrichum species within the Colletotrichum acutatum species complex, including C. orientalis and C. fioriniae (Damm et al. 2012; Chen et al. 2022). The molecular identification involved PCR amplification and sequencing of the ITS, GAPDH, TUB, ACT, CHS-1, and HIS3 using ITS1/ITS4, GDF1/GDR1, T1/Bt2b, ACT 512F/ ACT-783R, CHS-79F/CHS-345R, and CYLH3F/CYLH3R, respectively (Damm et al. 2012). The resulting sequences were deposited in NCBI with GenBank accession numbers LC863958 to LC863977. The maximum likelihood tree was constructed based on the concatenated ITS, GAPDH, TUB, ACT, CHS-1, and HIS3 sequences using MEGA X software. The phylogenetic tree positioned three isolates within the C. orientalis clade and one isolate within the C. fioriniae clade. Pathogenicity tests were conducted by inoculating either wounded apple (a wound made with sterile pin) or un-wounded apple surface sterilized healthy fruits with the spore suspension (1 × 106 conidia/mL) of the isolates. Control fruits were mock-inoculated with sterile water. Fruits were incubated in a plastic box at 25°C with high humidity. Symptoms identical to those observed in the field developed on inoculated fruits within 7 d, while control and un-wounded fruits remained symptomless. C. orientalis was re-isolated and identified from the lesions, fulfilling Koch's postulates. Seven healthy fruits (cv. Hongro) were used per treatment, and the experiment was repeated twice. In Korea, Colletotrichum species associated with apple bitter rot include C. gloeosporioides, C. aenigma, C. acutatum, C. fructicola, C. fioriniae, C. gloeosporioides, C. greavilleae, C. nymphaeae, and C. siamense (Oo et al. 2018; Kim et al. 2022; Lee et al. 2021; Nam et al. 2024). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of apple bitter rot caused by C. orientalis in South Korea. The outcome highlights the need for vigilant monitoring and help to develop integrated disease management practices to deal with C. orientalis.

2025-03-01·ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Sub-lethal exposure to 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid disrupts nursing and foraging behaviors in honey bees

Article

作者: Frunze, Olga ; Kwon, Hyung-Wook ; Kim, Kwang-Ho ; Kim, Hyunjee

A popular herbicide from the chlorophenoxy group, 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) effectively controls broadleaf weeds in agricultural environments. However, its application threatens honey bee habitats and has been implicated in colony collapse disorder (CCD) due to its toxic effects. While the general hazards of 2,4-D to honey bees are recognized, its specific impact on nursing and foraging behaviors remains poorly understood. This study quantified the lethal dose (LD₅₀) of 2,4-D for honey bees across developmental stages, finding LD₅₀ values of 104.1 μg/bee for newly emerged bees, 456.6 μg/bee for nurse bees, and 221.6 μg/bee for foragers. We further investigated sub-lethal effects on nursing and foraging, observing that exposure led to significant reductions in hypopharyngeal gland (HG) acini size, essential for brood care, and decreased expression of AmGr10, an amino acid receptor gene linked to nursing behavior. For foragers, sub-lethal 2,4-D exposure impaired gustatory responsiveness to key feeding stimuli, such as sucrose and glucose. This impairment corresponded with a decrease in AmGr1 expression, a taste receptor gene critical for resource detection. Additionally, affected foragers showed reduced olfactory learning and memory, likely due to decreased expression of the octopamine receptor AmOA1, essential for associative learning processes. These findings provide compelling evidence that sub-lethal abdominal exposure to 2,4-D disrupts both nursing and foraging behaviors by impairing physiological and cognitive functions, ultimately jeopardizing colony health and resilience.

项与 National Academy of Agricultural Sciences 相关的新闻（医药）

2025-08-20

·PRNewswire

Somite.ai Announces Strategic Investment from AMD Ventures to Accelerate Foundation Models for Cell Therapy

BOSTON, Aug. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Somite.ai, a company pioneering foundation models for human stem cells, today announced a strategic investment from AMD Ventures, following Somite's $47M Series A closing led by Khosla Ventures in May. The collaboration pairs Somite's capsule-based data generation platform with industry-leading AMD Instinct™ GPUs, significantly boosting compute power to accelerate training of Somite's foundation models. Continue Reading Somite is transforming cell therapy by building large-scale foundation models to rapidly accelerate the development of novel cell therapies, significantly compressing timelines and potentially benefiting millions of patients. The company's proprietary capsule technology generates differentiation data at approximately one-thousandth the cost of traditional methods, unlocking unprecedented scale and precision for training powerful predictive models. Somite.ai Announces Strategic Investment from AMD Ventures to Accelerate Foundation Models for Cell Therapy Post this "We are on the cusp of a true breakthrough in data generation for cell-state transitions. Our capsule-based platform provides dense, causal datasets essential for training transformative foundation models. AMD is uniquely positioned to help us deliver on our promise," said Dr. Micha Breakstone, Co-Founder and CEO of Somite.ai. "Biology is experiencing a computational revolution similar to language and vision. Somite is clearly leading the way, and AMD Instinct GPUs are built for the demands of their ambitious models," said Sagi Paz, Head of AMD Ventures. "We are excited to collaborate with a company converting cutting-edge compute capabilities into meaningful therapies." The collaboration will explore optimization of software tools for biological data and joint efforts to develop solutions tailored for next-generation foundation models. About Somite.ai Somite.ai is developing AI foundation models for human stem cells to drive novel cell therapies at scale. Somite takes a full-stack approach—generating data at 1,000x lower cost, training large-scale models with unmatched predictive power, and using these models to discover, refine, and optimize high-impact applications in cell therapy. The founding team includes repeat AI entrepreneur Dr. Micha Breakstone (Chorus.ai, acquired for $575M), the Head of the Fundamental AI Group at MIT (pioneered foundational research on scaling laws), and three National Academy of Science members. Based in Boston and launching operations in January 2024, Somite has raised approximately $60M to date. Media Contacts [email protected] SOURCE Somite Therapeutics WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

并购细胞疗法

2025-07-22

·PRNewswire

Codagenix Awarded PATH Subcontract to Develop Stabilized Novel Oral Polio Vaccine Candidates

Codagenix will develop nOPV-maxSD vaccine candidates with its proprietary synthetic biology to further improve genetic stability FARMINGDALE, N.Y., July 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Codagenix Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, today announced a collaboration agreement with PATH funded by a grant from the Gates Foundation to apply its proprietary synthetic biology technology to fortify novel oral poliovirus vaccine (nOPV) strains against recombination with other enteroviruses, thereby further reducing the risk of emergence of potentially neurovirulent vaccine-derived polioviruses. For this initial phase, Codagenix will synthetically modify the genomes of nOPV strains to produce new nOPV-maxSD strains with intent to establish in vitro proof of concept for their reduced rate of recombination. Surveillance during the global rollout of >1.8 billion doses of nOPV2 has continued to support the enhanced genetic stability that was demonstrated in preclinical and clinical testing of this innovative vaccine, compared to traditional Sabin oral polio vaccine type 2 (OPV2) use. This has importantly included an estimated ~80% reduction in emergence of new type 2 variant polio virus strains. However, it has also revealed that nOPV2 does retain a residual capacity to recombine with close genetic relatives, including Sabin strains and C-cluster non-polio enteroviruses (NPEV-C). Codagenix looks forward to working in partnership with PATH and the Gates Foundation to further reduce this potential risk for recombination and VDPV emergence, by driving even greater genetic stability of nOPV2 and of nOPV type 1 and type 3 candidates that are currently in development. About Codagenix Inc. Codagenix is a clinical-stage biotechnology company leading a new era of live vaccines and viral therapeutics. The company's breakthrough platform brings together live-attenuated virus design with cutting-edge codon deoptimization for powerful synthetic biology-based solutions to take on our biggest threats in infectious disease, cancer and animal health. Codagenix was founded based on technology developed in the laboratory of National Academy of Science member Dr. Eckard Wimmer at Stony Brook University; is supported by Adjuvant Capital, TopSpin Partners, and Euclidean Capital. Codagenix has ongoing research and license programs with various federal agencies. For more information, visit codagenix.com. Investor Relations Contact Jeffrey Fu, Ph.D. [email protected] SOURCE Codagenix Inc. WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

疫苗

2025-04-10

·Business Wire

Cellares and University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health to Automate Clinical-Scale Production of CRISPR-Edited CAR-T for Solid Tumors

Strategic collaboration aims to facilitate the manufacturing of UW–Madison’s internally developed CAR-T investigational therapy Partnership seeks to address cell therapy manufacturing bottlenecks and accelerate development towards clinical trials Clinical scale manufacturing of cell therapy assets provides latest validation of Cell Shuttle’s ability to empower partners to seamlessly scale production SAN FRANCISCO & MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cellares, the pioneering Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO), has announced a strategic collaboration with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health to automate the manufacturing of a CRISPR-edited GD2 CAR-T investigational therapy. By collaborating with researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on their CRISPR-edited GD2 CAR-T product, we remove the manufacturing barriers that can hinder promising research. Cellares’ Cell Shuttle™ supports early-phase biotechnology and academic cell therapy developers by providing an integrated, automated solution enabling immediate economies of scale and up to 50% lower batch prices compared to conventional CDMOs. As cell therapy assets mature, the platform ensures a seamless transition from clinical development to commercial-scale manufacturing, eliminating the need for costly process redesigns and multiple technology transfers and accelerating time-to-market for innovative therapies. The collaboration highlights Cellares’ commitment to empowering principal investigators and researchers in academic institutions by providing access to an automated, reproducible, and scalable manufacturing platform at the earliest stages of clinical development. By leveraging the Cell Shuttle’s ability to simultaneously manufacture multiple cell therapy products in parallel, this partnership overcomes longstanding manufacturing bottlenecks caused by limited manufacturing capacity. This approach shortens the journey from proof-of-concept in the lab to an investigational therapy suitable for clinical trials, ultimately aiming to improve care for patients with solid tumors. It also demonstrates how the Cell Shuttle is an automated solution for cell therapy developers of all stages, allowing them to seamlessly scale up as their manufacturing needs evolve. “Solid tumors can be challenging to treat, and many patients have limited therapeutic options,” said Fabian Gerlinghaus, Co-founder and CEO of Cellares. “By collaborating with researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on their CRISPR-edited GD2 CAR-T product, we remove the manufacturing barriers that can hinder promising research. Our Cell Shuttle automates and scales production to a clinical level, which accelerates the transition from academic innovation to investigational therapy and brings hope to those who need new treatment options.” By enabling the CRISPR-edited GD2 CAR-T project at University of Wisconsin–Madison to achieve clinical-scale manufacturing earlier, the partnership can help unlock potential investment into the experimental therapy and expedite its path to initial human trials. The Cell Shuttle automates key steps that traditionally slow down development, thus enabling life-saving discoveries to advance more quickly. Cellares encourages collaboration with researchers, academic institutions, and commercial partners at all stages of their projects, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to advancing the field of cell therapy and expanding patient access to next-generation treatments. For more information on the Cell Shuttle and Cellares’ scalable manufacturing solutions, please visit cellares.com. About University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is recognized as one of the nation’s leading institutions in health sciences education, research, and service. Founded in 1907 as the medical school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, in 2005 it became the nation’s first school to integrate the disciplines of medicine and public health. With a deep commitment to a vision of healthy people and healthy communities, we translate discovery into application and interconnect clinical care, education and research. The school employs more than 5,400 faculty and staff and provides educational opportunities for nearly 2,400 students and postgraduate trainees. Grants awarded to School of Medicine and Public Health principal investigators in fiscal year 2023 totaled $641 million in federal and non-federal awards. Some of the nation’s leading researchers, educators, and clinicians are among the faculty, including several National Medal of Science recipients and National Academy of Science honorees. For more information, visit med.wisc.edu. About Cellares Cellares is the first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO) and takes an Industry 4.0 approach to mass manufacturing the living drugs of the 21st century. The company is developing and operating integrated technologies for cell therapy manufacturing to accelerate access to life-saving cell therapies. The company’s Cell Shuttle™ integrates all the technologies required for the entire manufacturing process in a flexible and high-throughput platform that delivers true walk-away, end-to-end automation. While the Cell Shuttle™ automates cell therapy manufacturing, the Cell Q™ automates quality control at high throughput, both for in-process and batch release QC, addressing both manufacturing and QC bottlenecks. Cell Shuttles and Cell Qs will be deployed in Cellares’ IDMO Smart Factories around the world, enabling each Smart Factory to produce 10 times as many cell therapy batches as conventional CDMOs with the same facility size and number of employees. Partnering with Cellares enables academic medical centers, biotechnology companies, and pharmaceutical companies to accelerate cell therapy development, scale-out manufacturing, lower process failure rates, lower manufacturing costs, and meet global patient demand. The company is headquartered in South San Francisco, California with its first commercial-scale IDMO Smart Factory in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Cellares is building a global network of IDMO Smart Factories with additional facilities under construction in Europe and Japan. The company is backed by world-class investors and has raised over $355 million in financing. For more information about Cellares, please visit cellares.com.

细胞疗法免疫疗法

100 项与 National Academy of Agricultural Sciences 相关的药物交易

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100 项与 National Academy of Agricultural Sciences 相关的转化医学

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