Archive for the ‘biotech/medical’ category: Page 2599
Jun 2, 2016
Ageing breakthrough: Scientists create “hyper-long” telomeres without gene editing
Posted by Dan Kummer in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, genetics, life extension
Scientists have successfully created mice with significantly longer telomeres than normal, resulting in a drop in molecular ageing, without using genetic manipulation.
Telomeres, which are found at the end of all animals’ chromosomes, are thought to be vital to ending ageing, as their shortening as we age is a key factor in cellular ageing and the onset of age-related disease. However, when they are lengthened beyond normal levels in mice, they have the precise opposite effect, protecting against ageing and related diseases, and increasing lifespan.
The mice, which are chimeras carrying both regular and “hyper-long” telomeres, were created using a technique based on epigenic changes, where embryonic stem cells are expanded in vitro, prompting changes to telomeres.
Jun 2, 2016
Scientists create mice with hyper-long telomeres without altering the genes
Posted by Montie Adkins in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, life extension
The cells with hyper-long telomeres in these mice appear to be perfectly functional. When the tissues were analysed at various moments (0, 1, 6 and 12 months of life), these cells maintained the additional length scale (they shortened over time but at a normal rhythm), accumulated less DNA damage and had a greater capacity to repair any damage. In addition, the animals presented a lower tumour incidence than normal mice.
These results show that pluripotent stem cells that carry hyper-long telomeres can give rise to organisms with telomeres that remain young at the molecular level for longer. According to the authors, this “proof of concept means that it is possible to generate adult tissue with longer telomeres in the absence of genetic modifications”.
The Telomeres and Telomerase Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), in collaboration with the Centre’s Transgenic Mice Core Unit, has succeeded in creating mice in the laboratory with hyper-long telomeres and with reduced molecular ageing, avoiding the use of what to date has been the standard method: genetic manipulation. This new technique based on epigenetic changes that is described today in the pages of Nature Communications, avoids the manipulation of genes in order to delay molecular ageing. The study also underlines the importance of this new strategy in generating embryonic stem cells and iPS cells with long telomeres for use in regenerative medicine.
Continue reading “Scientists create mice with hyper-long telomeres without altering the genes” »
Jun 2, 2016
A Sci-fi Cyberpunk Thriller HD: “Temple”
Posted by Sean Brazell in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, media & arts
ENJOY!!! 2045 A.D. Cybernetically enhanced beings are in control of society. A new genetic disease is making humans reject their own organs, forcing one man to steal cybernetic implants from others to survive. By director Nguyen-Anh Nguyen.
Temple is a concept for a feature film project, produced by the team of the Akira Project.
Continue reading “A Sci-fi Cyberpunk Thriller HD: ‘Temple’” »
Jun 2, 2016
US Doctors Call for Universal Healthcare: “Abolish the Insurance Companies”
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: biotech/medical, government, health
A group of more than 2,000 physicians is calling for the establishment of a universal government-run health system in the US, in a paper in the American Journal of Public Health.
According to the proposal released Thursday, the Affordable Care Act did not go far enough in removing barriers to healthcare access. The physicians’ bold plan calls for implementing a single-payer system similar to Canada’s, called the National Health Program, that would guarantee all residents healthcare.
The new single-payer system would be funded mostly by existing US government funding. The physicians point out that the US government already pays for two-thirds of all healthcare spending in the US, and a single-payer system would cut down on administrative costs, so a transition to a single-payer system would not require significant additional spending.
Continue reading “US Doctors Call for Universal Healthcare: ‘Abolish the Insurance Companies’” »
Jun 1, 2016
World’s First Human Head Transplant Will Take Place in 2017
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in category: biotech/medical
Italian neurosurgeon Dr. Sergio Canavero is firm on his promise to deliver the first human head transplant to the world. He says a Chinese man will be the first patient in 2017, and now all he needs is approval and funding. Other experts are highly skeptical.
Last year, Dr. Sergio Canavero created quite the ruckus (to put it mildly) when he vowed to be the first person to transplant a human head onto a deceased donor’s body. Yes, he is planning on attempting the world’s first human head transplant (or body transplant, depending on how you look at it).
In fact, it has been about a year since his initial proclamation, and the Italian neurosurgeon still stands firm on his declaration, despite claims from other experts that it is nothing but a PR Stunt (at best) or a hoax. Some have even hypothesized it’s all just a plot meant to promote Metal Gear Solid.
Continue reading “World’s First Human Head Transplant Will Take Place in 2017” »
Jun 1, 2016
DARPA Sees US Fighter Jets as First Thought-controlled Weapon
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: biotech/medical, cyborgs, military, neuroscience
Imagine these fighter jets being equipped with the DARPA death laser that is being worked on. Very deadly mix.
The size of a matchstick, the stentrode can provide the “brain-machine interface” or BMI necessary for thought-controlled devices. Neural implants currently in use require invasive surgery.
Stentrodes can be attached to the brain using catheter angiography. This procedure passes the device through blood vessels in the neck and into the brain without cutting open the skull.
Continue reading “DARPA Sees US Fighter Jets as First Thought-controlled Weapon” »
Jun 1, 2016
Vitamin Found To Increase Lifespan and Halt Aging In Muscle Tissues
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: biotech/medical, life extension
Scientists have long used NAD+ as a powerful anti-aging tool. While trying to find a cure for aging, scientists increased the levels of NAD+ within the mitochondria. The mitochondria responded by increasing their performance and energy, which effectively neutralizes the effects of aging.
Lead researcher Johan Auwerx explained that “this work could have very important implications in the field of regenerative medicine,” adding that it may one day be possible to bypass surgery and repair the body with a dietary supplement.
Specifically, nicotinamide riboside “effectively delayed early- and late-stage disease progression, by robustly inducing mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle and brown adipose tissue, preventing mitochondrial ultrastructure abnormalities and [mitochondrial DNA] deletion formation.”
Read more
Jun 1, 2016
Israeli 3D printing startup pivots to print stem cells
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: 3D printing, biotech/medical, nanotechnology
In an unusual move Nano Dimension, an Israeli company called focused on printing electricity-conducting nano-material ink, is expanding into the biotech sector.
Gedalyah Reback 1 day ago.
Nano Dimension, a 3D bioprinting company located in Ness Ziona, Israel, has successfully tested a prototype for a new type of printer that uses stem cells to produce 3D models. The trial was done in conjunction with Haifa-based Accellta.
Continue reading “Israeli 3D printing startup pivots to print stem cells” »
Jun 1, 2016
Researchers create high-speed electronics for your skin
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: biotech/medical, electronics, habitats, internet, mobile phones, wearables
Make no mistake, today’s wearables are clever pieces of kit. But they can be bulky and restricted by the devices they must be tethered to. This has led engineers to create thinner and more powerful pieces of wearable technology that can be applied directly to the skin. Now, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, led by Zhenqiang “Jack” Ma, have developed “the world’s fastest stretchable, wearable integrated circuits,” that could let hospitals apply a temporary tattoo and remove the need for wires and clips.
With its snake-like shape, the new platform supports frequencies in the .3 gigahertz to 300 gigahertz range. This falls in what is set to become the 5G standard. For a mobile phone, 5G enables faster speeds and greater coverage, but with epidermal electronics, engineers have discussed the possibility that wearers could transmit their vitals to a doctor without having to leave their home.
While the idea isn’t unique, the integrated circuits created by Ma and his team have a much smaller footprint than those developed by other researchers. Earlier transmission lines can measure up to 640 micrometers (or .64 millimeters), but UW–Madison’s solution is just 25 micrometers (or .025 millimeters) thick. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research also supports Ma’s research, suggesting that his wearable breakthroughs may help pilots of the future.
Continue reading “Researchers create high-speed electronics for your skin” »
