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Category: bioengineering – Page 19

The emerging armamentarium of cognitive warfare with Dr. James Giordano | CSI Talks #19

Convergent engagement of neural and computational sciences and technologies are reciprocally enabling rapid developments in current and near-future military and intelligence operations. In this podcast, Prof. James Giordano of Georgetown University will provide an overview of how these scientific and technological fields can be — and are being — leveraged for non-kinetic and kinetic what has become known as cognitive warfare; and will describe key issues in this rapidly evolving operational domain.

James Giordano PhD, is the Pellegrino Center Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Biochemistry; Chief of the Neuroethics Studies Program; Co-director of the Project in Brain Sciences and Global Health Law and Policy; and Chair of the Subprogram in Military Medical Ethics at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC. Professor Giordano is Senior Bioethicist of the Defense Medical Ethics Center, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences; Distinguished Stockdale Fellow in Science, Technology, and Ethics at the United States Naval Academy; Senior Science Advisory Fellow of the SMA Branch, Joint Staff, Pentagon; Non-resident Fellow of the Simon Center for the Military Ethic at the US Military Academy, West Point; Distinguished Visiting Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Health Promotions, and Ethics at the Coburg University of Applied Sciences, Coburg, GER; Chair Emeritus of the Neuroethics Project of the IEEE Brain Initiative; and serves as Director of the Institute for Biodefense Research, a federally funded Washington DC think tank dedicated to addressing emerging issues at the intersection of science, technology and national defense. He previously served as Donovan Group Senior Fellow, US Special Operations Command; member of the Neuroethics, Legal, and Social Issues Advisory Panel of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); and Task Leader of the Working Group on Dual-Use of the EU-Human Brain Project. Prof. Giordano is the author of over 350 peer-reviewed publications, 9 books and 50governmental reports on science, technology, and biosecurity, and is an elected member of the European Academy of Science and Arts, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (UK), and a Fulbright Professorial Fellow. A former US Naval officer, he was winged as an aerospace physiologist, and served with the US Navy and Marine Corps.

Yale scientists recode the genome for programmable synthetic proteins

The landmark advance builds on a 2013 study by the team, published in Science, which described the construction of the first GRO. In that study, the researchers demonstrated new solutions for safeguarding genetically engineered organisms and for producing new classes of synthetic proteins and biomaterials with “unnatural,” or human-created, chemistries.

Ochre is a major step toward creating a non-redundant genetic code in E. coli, specifically, which is ideally suited to produce synthetic proteins containing multiple, different synthetic amino acids.

Ep-09-Aubrey de Grey: Can We Reverse Aging? Rapamycin, mTOR & Longevity Science

43:10 Aubrey talks about costs.

In this episode of Becoming Young, Josh and Janae sit down with legendary longevity researcher Aubrey de Grey to explore the future of aging science and what it means for human lifespan. They dive deep into the latest breakthroughs in mTOR, rapamycin, senescence, and cellular rejuvenation, uncovering how cutting-edge research is redefining what’s possible for human healthspan.

Things we discussed…

The history of aging research and why scientists once believed aging was inevitable.
Aubrey de Grey’s new mouse studies and what they reveal about reversing aging.
Rapamycin, mTOR, and autophagy—how this pathway influences longevity.
The role of senolytics and clearing aging cells to extend healthspan.
What the future holds: Are we on the verge of radically extending human lifespan?
This is a must-watch for anyone interested in biohacking, anti-aging science, and longevity breakthroughs.

Subscribe for more expert interviews on longevity, biohacking, and peak performance!

Continue reading “Ep-09-Aubrey de Grey: Can We Reverse Aging? Rapamycin, mTOR & Longevity Science” | >

Colossal Biosciences raises $200M at $10.2B valuation to bring back woolly mammoths

Awesome that Colossal is doing so well — and this is from before they announced their wooly mice accomplishment!

Colossal Biosciences, the company that’s famously on a mission to bring back the woolly mammoth and two other extinct species, has raised a $200 million Series C at a $10.2 billion valuation from TWG Global, the investment company of Guggenheim Partners co-founder Mark Walter and the billionaire Thomas Tull. The funding comes two years after the company closed its previous round at a reported valuation of $1.5 billion.

Why did investors pour so much capital at an eye-popping valuation for a company that has yet to generate any revenue and whose flagship projects, resurrecting an extinct mammoth and Tasmanian tiger, are not expected to be completed until 2028?

“The investor base has been very impressed with the speed at which we’ve created new technologies,” Ben Lamm, Colossal Biosciences’ co-founder and CEO, told TechCrunch.

The Power of DNA: Unlocking the Secrets of Genetics, Medicine, and the Future of Human Health

DNA holds the key to understanding life itself… From genetics and the human genome to gene editing, it shapes our health, evolution, and future… Discover how CRISPR, forensic science, and genetic engineering are transforming medicine… Explore the mysteries of ancient DNA, the role of the microbiome, and the promise of gene therapy… Personalized medicine is revolutionizing healthcare, allowing treatments tailored to our genetic code… Learn how hereditary diseases are being decoded and cured through biotechnology and DNA sequencing… The future of medicine depends on genetic research, but genetic ethics raise profound questions… The genome project has paved the way for DNA fingerprinting, cloning, and synthetic biology… With genetic modification, we are reshaping evolution itself… Will genetic testing lead to designer babies or eliminate genetic disorders? As gene therapy advancements push the limits of precision medicine, are we ready for these medical breakthroughs and DNA discoveries?

Sources.
Watson, J. D., & Crick, F. H. C. (1953). Nature, 171(4356), 737–738.
Collins, F. S., & McKusick, V. A. (2001). Science, 291(5507), 1215–1220.
Jinek, M., Chylinski, K., Fonfara, I., Hauer, M., Doudna, J. A., & Charpentier, E. (2012). Science, 337(6096), 816–821.
Pääbo, S. (2014). Annual Review of Genetics, 38, 645–679.
Lander, E. S., Linton, L. M., Birren, B., et al. (2001). Nature, 409(6822), 860–921.

#DNABreakthroughs #GeneticsRevolution #HumanGenome #GeneTherapy #FutureOfMedicine.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZWKW53XA0o.

New capabilities in DNA nanostructure self-assembly eliminate need for extreme heating and controlled cooling

University at Albany researchers at the RNA Institute are pioneering new methods for designing and assembling DNA nanostructures, enhancing their potential for real-world applications in medicine, materials science and data storage.

Their latest findings demonstrate a novel ability to assemble these structures without the need for and controlled cooling. They also demonstrate successful assembly of unconventional “buffer” substances including nickel. These developments, published in the journal Science Advances, unlock new possibilities in DNA nanotechnology.

DNA is most commonly recognized for its role in storing genetic information. Composed of base pairs that can easily be manipulated, DNA is also an excellent material for constructing nanoscale objects. By “programming” the base pairs that make up DNA molecules, scientists can create precise structures as small as a few nanometers that can be engineered into shapes with intricate architectures.

Mapping DNA’s hidden switches: A methylation atlas

A new study has been published in Nature Communications, presenting the first comprehensive atlas of allele-specific DNA methylation across 39 primary human cell types. The study was led by Ph.D. student Jonathan Rosenski under the guidance of Prof. Tommy Kaplan from the School of Computer Science and Engineering and Prof. Yuval Dor from the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Hadassah Medical Center.

Using machine learning algorithms and deep whole-genome bisulfite sequencing on freshly isolated and purified cell populations, the study unveils a detailed landscape of genetic and epigenetic regulation that could reshape our understanding of gene expression and disease.

A key focus of the research is the success in identifying differences between the two alleles and, in some cases, demonstrating that these differences result from —meaning that it is not the sequence (genetics) that matters, but rather whether the allele is inherited from the mother or the father. These findings could reshape our understanding of gene expression and disease.

Epstein-Barr Virus’s Molecular Mimicry Reveals a Key Site of Vulnerability

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a common virus that causes mononucleosis, or mono for short, and is associated with some types of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Despite EBV’s known effects and potential to cause disease, there are few therapeutic options and no licensed vaccines targeting the virus. Looking for ways to counter EBV, NIAID researchers are examining how the virus recognizes and interacts with cells at the molecular level. New research published in Immunity reveals the high-resolution crystal structure of a protein on the surface of EBV in complex with the receptor it binds to on the surface of human immune cells, called B cells. The researchers also discovered antibodies that potently neutralize EBV and found that they recognize the viral surface protein using interactions similar to those between EBV and its receptor on host cells. This research identifies a vulnerable site on EBV that could lead to the design of much-needed interventions against the virus.

EBV, also known as human herpesvirus 4, is one of the most common human viruses—nine out of ten people have or will have EBV in their lifetime. After being infected with EBV, many people experience no symptoms, but some experience symptoms of mononucleosis, such as fever, sore throat and fatigue. These symptoms are often mild but can be more severe in teens or adults. After the early stages of infection, the virus hides in the body and can emerge later in life or when the immune system is weakened. Recent studies have also found that EBV is linked to several types of cancer, autoimmune diseases including lupus, and other disorders.

A key step in EBV infection is for the virus to enter a cell in the body, which begins with the virus binding to a protein on the cell’s surface. The researchers, led by Dr. Masaru Kanekiyo, chief of the Molecular Immunoengineering Section at NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center, examined the atomic-level structure of an EBV surface protein called gp350 when bound to a protein on the surface of B cells called complement receptor type 2 (CR2). Usually, CR2 binds to a protein fragment, or ligand, called complement component C3d as a part of the immune response following a viral infection. The researchers found that the EBV protein precisely bound to the cell surface protein CR2 at the region where its natural ligand C3d binds, revealing that there is structural similarity between EBV and C3d in recognizing CR2 and how the virus exploits this interaction to enter and infect a cell.

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