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Archive for the ‘biotech/medical’ category: Page 2287

Sep 22, 2017

Listen up: the easiest place to use CRISPR might be in your ear

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

Scientists are hopeful they can inject the gene-editing technology directly into the ear to stop hereditary deafness.

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Sep 22, 2017

Too few antibiotics in pipeline to tackle global drug-resistance crisis, WHO warns

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, policy

Ed Whiting, director of policy at the Wellcome Trust agreed and said: “There is no doubt of the urgency – the world is running out of effective antibiotics and drug-resistant infections already kill 700,000 people a year globally. We’ve made good progress in getting this on the political agenda. But now, a year on from a major UN agreement, we must see concerted action – to reinvigorate the antibiotic pipeline, ensure responsible use of existing antibiotics, and address this threat across human, animal and environmental health.”

The report’s authors have found 51 new antibiotics and biologicals currently in development that may be able to treat the diseases caused by these resistant bugs. But that will not be anywhere near enough because of the length of time it takes to get drugs approved and onto the market, and because inevitably some of the drugs will not work.

“Given the average success rates and development times in the past, the current pipeline of antibiotics and biologicals could lead to around 10 new approvals over the next five years,” says the report. “However, these new treatments will add little to the already existing arsenal and will not be sufficient to tackle the impending antimicrobial resistance threat.”

Continue reading “Too few antibiotics in pipeline to tackle global drug-resistance crisis, WHO warns” »

Sep 21, 2017

Scientists discover ‘master gene’ crucial for successful pregnancy

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

S cientists have edited human embryos for the first time in the UK to discover a “master gene” that underpins successful pregnancies. The “game-changing” research promises improved IVF outcomes and a breakthrough in understanding why so many pregnancies fail.

The Government-funded investigation, undertaken by the Francis Crick Institute, is the first to prove that gene editing can be used to study the genetic behaviour of human embryos in their first few days of life.

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Sep 21, 2017

Four Ways We Can “Swallow the Doctor”

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

Summary: Nanodocs? #Swallow #the #doctor? The authors of a recent research study, says soon we will be able to “swallow the surgeon.” Using medical #nanobots to diagnose and treat disease from inside the body. Study authors documented recent advances in nanotechnology tools, such as nanodrillers, microgrippers, and microbullets – and show how #nanodocs have tremendous potential in the areas of precision surgery, detection, detoxification and targeted drug delivery.


Summary: Nanodocs? Swallow the doctor? The authors of a recent research study, say the concept of “swallow the surgeon” – or using medical nanobots to diagnose and treat disease from inside the body – may be closer than we think. Study authors document recent advances in nanotechnology tools, such as nanodrillers, microgrippers, and microbullets – and show how nanodocs have tremendous potential in the areas of precision surgery, detection, detoxification and targeted drug delivery. Cover photo: The old way to swallow the surgeon. Credit: R. Collin Johnson / Attributed to Stanford University.

Imagine that you need to repair a defective heart valve, a major surgery. Instead of ripping your chest cut open, a doctor merely injects you with a syringe full of medical nanorobots, called nanodocs for short. You emerge from the ‘surgery’ unscathed, and your only external wound is the puncture hole from the injection.

Continue reading “Four Ways We Can ‘Swallow the Doctor’” »

Sep 21, 2017

The Immune System Is Critical to Tissue Regeneration

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

One of the most intriguing questions in biology is how can some animals regenerate their major body parts like hearts and limbs and others cannot?

A new study led by Dr. James Godwin from the MDI Biological Laboratory suggests that the innate immune system could be the answer.

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Sep 21, 2017

German Party for Health Research: Together Against Age-related Diseases

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

German Party for Health Research is calling for more funding for studies on aging and age-related diseases! Nice initiative! Good luck!


It seems the only reason why the situation with state funding for medical research has not improved over time in a given country is the lack of well-organized public initiatives to support the necessary changes.

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Sep 21, 2017

Mum begged doc to ‘chip’ daughter in case ‘radical’ dad takes her to Syria

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, cyborgs, transhumanism

Transhumanism discussion of using implants in children is in The Sun today, one of UK’s largest sites/papers.


A DOCTOR known as a “human cyborg” has revealed parents are bombarding him with requests to implant chips into their children.

Dr Patrick Kramer, who work under the job title of “chief cyborg officer”, receives harrowing messages from parents desperate for him to implant tracking chips under their children’s skin.

Continue reading “Mum begged doc to ‘chip’ daughter in case ‘radical’ dad takes her to Syria” »

Sep 21, 2017

Nanotechnology to treat cancer?

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, nanotechnology

The therapy has been approved by the FDA for phase one clinical trials at three U.S. institutions: the Greenebaum Cancer Center of the University of Maryland, the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of Virginia Cancer Center.

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Sep 21, 2017

Discovery helps engineer more accurate Cas9s for CRISPR editing

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Detailed study of how Cas9 protein domains move when they bind DNA leads to re-engineered Cas9 with fewer off-target effects.

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Sep 20, 2017

How AI can Help Reduce the Cost of Drug Discovery

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

The cost of drug discovery and subsequent development is a massive challenge in the pharmaceutical industry. A typical drug can cost upwards of $2.5 billion and a decade or more to identify and test a new drug candidate[1].

These costs have been increasing steadily over the years, and pharmaceutical manufacturers are constantly seeking ways to improve efficiency to save time and money and speed up research progress.

Automation in the lab is one example; tasks that were traditionally carried out by technicians can now be done by machines. Increasingly sophisticated assays to detect new drug candidates have also helped to slash development time. Now a new ally has arrived to aid drug development – artificial intelligence – and a powerful ally it is.

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