The gene therapy success with Baby KJ, along with a new FDA program, have companies more interested in treating rare disease.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 13
System can diagnose infections in 20 minutes, aiding fight against drug resistance
A new technique which slashes the time taken to diagnose microbial infections from days to minutes could help save lives and open up a new front in the battle against antibiotic resistance, researchers say.
Engineers and clinicians from the UK and China are behind the breakthrough system, called AutoEnricher. It combines microfluidic technology with sophisticated analysis and machine learning to enable the diagnosis of pathogens in just 20 minutes.
The team’s paper, titled “Rapid culture-free diagnosis of clinical pathogens via integrated microfluidic-Raman micro-spectroscopy,” is published in Nature Communications.
A traditional Brazilian plant shows unexpected strength against arthritis
A humble Brazilian coastal plant used in folk medicine is now backed by science as a potential natural fighter against inflammation and arthritis.
A research team in Brazil has found strong evidence that the Joseph’s Coat plant (Alternanthera littoralis) is both safe and effective at reducing inflammation, easing pain, and protecting against arthritis. The study was carried out by scientists from the Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), and São Paulo State University (UNESP).
Joseph’s Coat grows naturally along Brazil’s coastline and has long been used in traditional medicine to treat inflammation, infections, and parasitic illnesses. Despite its widespread use, there had been little scientific research confirming whether these benefits were real or whether the plant was safe.
Groundbreaking visuals capture how our bodies repair damaged DNA
A dazzling visualisation of how the body’s specialised proteins repair damaged DNA by using an intact copy as a template
US CDC Says 2025–26 Flu Season ‘moderately Severe’ as Cases Hit 11 Million
Seasonal influenza activity remained high and increased in late December, prompting the CDC to classify the 2025–26 flu season as “moderately severe.” The agency estimates at least 11 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths so far—substantially higher than the same point last season. Experts note flu cases are underreported and expect the peak in the coming weeks.
Jan 5 (Reuters) — Seasonal influenza activity remained elevated and rose in the final week of December, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showed on Monday, as the agency for the first time classified the 2025–26 season as “moderately severe.”
CDC estimates the season’s toll so far at least 11 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.
In the 2024–25 season, CDC estimated at least 5.3 million illnesses, 63,000 hospitalizations and 2,700 deaths in the week ended December 28, 2024.
Statins in Genetic MyopathiesA Retrospective Analysis of Safety and Tolerability
Statins in genetic myopathies: a retrospective analysis of safety and tolerability.
ObjectivesStatins are widely prescribed lipid-lowering agents, but their safety and tolerability in patients with underlying genetic myopathies remain uncertain. We aimed to study statin safety and tolerability in genetic myopathies using a large retrospective cohort.
Research shows how immune system reacts to pig kidney transplants in living patients
Novel research led by Brazilian scientists describes the immune system’s reactions in detail in the first living patient to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant. This paves the way for the search for therapies that can prevent organ rejection.
The study demonstrates the feasibility of this type of graft but indicates that controlling initial rejection alone is insufficient. This is because even with immunosuppressants, continuous activation of innate immunity—the body’s first line of defense, especially macrophages, which react to any threat—can compromise long-term survival.
Through transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and spatial analyses, the scientists have determined that new strategies are necessary to achieve long-term survival and favorable clinical outcomes. They recommend combining therapies that target innate immunity with advanced genetic engineering in donor pigs. They also suggest preventing early T lymphocyte-mediated rejection and implementing more sensitive monitoring approaches.
How major nuclear protein complexes control specialized gene regulation in cancer and beyond
Precision and timing of gene expression is essential for normal biological functions and, when disrupted, can lead to many human diseases, including cancers. However, how molecular machines—protein complexes—that control gene expression locate to specific genes at specific times within the nuclei of our cells has remained a mystery.
Now, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered a new protein domain, SWIFT, found on a major chromatin remodeling complex family called mammalian SWI/SNF (mSWI/SNF or BAF) complexes, which helps these regulatory machines target particular genes to activate their expression.
The findings, published in Science, reveal how the SWIFT platform on mSWI/SNF complexes engage transcription factors (TF) to enable specialized cellular functions during both normal development and cancer. Particularly in human cancers, SWIFT-TF engagement sustains cancer-promoting gene expression and cell growth. Notably, breaking interactions with mutations halts cancer cell growth, flagging this new SWIFT-TF platform as a promising target for small molecule development.