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Archive for the ‘biotech/medical’ category: Page 1930

Oct 10, 2019

ABB Says This Mobile Autonomous Laboratory Robot Can Work Alongside Humans

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, robotics/AI

Today, ABB showcased a mobile autonomous laboratory robot that can work alongside humans at its global healthcare research hub on the Texas Medical Center campus in Houston, Texas.

Oct 9, 2019

Tau-mediated RNA splicing errors linked to Alzheimer’s disease

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, neuroscience

A collaborative study published today in the journal Cell Reports provides evidence for a new molecular cause for neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. The study, led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, integrates data from human brain autopsy samples and fruit flies to reveal a novel mechanistic link between alterations in RNA splicing and tau-mediated neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease.

“Cells carry out their functions by producing specific proteins encoded in their genes. To produce proteins, genes encoded in the DNA are first transcribed into RNA molecules, which subsequently are translated into proteins,” said corresponding author Dr. Joshua Shulman, associate professor of neurology, neuroscience and molecular and human genetics at Baylor and investigator at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute.

In this study, Shulman and his colleagues investigated a molecular mechanism called RNA splicing that is involved in the production of mature RNA molecules necessary to produce working proteins. They looked into the possibility that aggregates of within neurons, a key marker of Alzheimer’s disease, interfered with RNA splicing.

Oct 9, 2019

Humans Have a ‘Salamander-Like’ Ability to Regenerate Damaged Body Parts, Study Finds

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Salamanders are renowned for their regenerative capabilities, such as growing back entire limbs. We can’t pull off this biological trick, but new research highlights a previously unknown regenerative ability in humans—one held over from our evolutionary past.

Our bodies have retained the capacity to repair injured or overworked cartilage in our joints, says new research published today in Science Advances. Remarkably, the mechanics of this healing process are practically the same as what’s used by amphibians and other animals to regenerate lost limbs, according to the study.

Oct 9, 2019

After 5 Years Of Trials, Doctors Create Human Liver From Scratch

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, innovation

Doctors at the Pittsburgh Liver Research Center have made a significant breakthrough in creating a human liver for trials.

Oct 9, 2019

GenSight Biologics Releases Further Trial Data

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

GenSight Biologics has recently released data showing the effectiveness of GS010, the company’s gene therapy for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a mitochondrial disease that can lead to blindness. Like in previous studies, this therapy had a bilateral effect.

Gene Therapy

In LHON, the mitochondrial protein ND4 is poorly expressed through mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). GS010 is a gene therapy that causes this protein to be allotropically expressed in the nucleus, after which it is shuttled to the mitochondria through messenger RNA. This makes GS010 a partial treatment for mitochondrial dysfunction, which is one of the hallmarks of aging.

Oct 9, 2019

How Close Are We to Harnessing Synthetic Life?

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, genetics, health

Scientists are exploring how to edit genomes and even create brand new ones that never existed before, but how close are we to harnessing synthetic life?
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Scientists have made major strides when it comes to understanding the base code that underlies all living things—but what if we could program living cells like software?

Continue reading “How Close Are We to Harnessing Synthetic Life?” »

Oct 9, 2019

Cervical cancer ‘cure’ closer with gene-editing breakthrough, scientists say

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, genetics

Queensland researchers say they can cure cervical cancer in mice using gene editing technology and are now working towards human trials.

Oct 9, 2019

Klotho: Queen of Anti-Aging Proteins

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension, neuroscience

Klotho, named after one of the Fates of Greek mythology, is the queen of anti-aging proteins. There are no close contenders at this time. Klotho gene therapy, like the one offered by Integrated Health Systems, has tremendous benefits. While it is produced primarily in the kidneys and brain, its soluble form circulates throughout the body. Many of the investigations so far have been done nephrologists interested in its prominent role in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), yet over the last decade its multifaceted role in the aging process has become a topic of intense research.

Klotho deficient mice show premature aging in multiple organs.

Inducing KL overexpression with a viral vector, like AAV, not only reverses this premature aging, but also enhances resistance to oxidative and ischemic damage. More impressive, KL outright extends the lifespans of mice, likely be inhibiting IGF and insulin signalling. Dubbed an “aging suppressor gene,” it can yield results similar to caloric restriction – what is, at this time, the most tried and true method of extending the lifespans of a variety of model organisms.

Oct 8, 2019

Germ transplant helps women with tough-to-treat vaginal infections

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Bacterial vaginosis is a common infection in women that’s usually easily treated with antibiotics. But for those who develop recurrent infections, treatment options have been limited.

Now, Israeli researchers report they were able to put recurrent infections into remission in four out of five women who received a “vaginal microbiome transplant.” The transplant consisted of healthy bacteria collected from the vaginal fluid of donors without the condition, the researchers explained.

“Bacterial vaginosis, while not life-risking, is an exceedingly common female disorder that bears a severe toll on women’s lives, including severe discomfort, reduced , problems in , social segregation and a variety of risks of developing infectious gynecological and obstetric complications,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. Eran Elinav.

Oct 8, 2019

Expert: “Zombie Deer Disease” May Have Already Spread to Humans

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

This could be “mad cow disease” all over again.