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Category: biotech/medical – Page 2,658

Recoding Human Cells to Make them Virus Proof

On May 1, around 200 scientists from the Genome Project-write (GP-write) met in Boston and announced the first target of their project: the creation of cells that cannot be infected by viruses.

What is the Genome Project-write?

GP-write includes sub-projects like the Human Genome Project-write (HGP-write), which was formally announced on June 2, 2016, and is an extension of the Genome Projects, which were launched in 1984. These projects were created to develop ways to read DNA in microbes, plants and multiple animal species, including humans.

DARPA Wants to Jolt the Nervous System with Electricity, Lasers, Sound Waves, and Magnets

Viewing the body as a chemical system and treating maladies with pharmaceuticals is so 20th century. In 21st century medicine, doctors may consider the body as an electrical system instead, and prescribe therapies that alter the electrical pulses that run through the nerves.

The defense agency announces funding for 7 projects under its new ElectRx program.

How cholesterol in the brain may accelerate the onset of Alzheimer’s disease

A landmark study has revealed that cholesterol in the brain may play a fundamental role in catalyzing the formation of amyloid beta clusters, thought to be a central mechanism leading to the devastating degenerative symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

An international team of researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, set out to uncover what causes amyloid beta proteins to cluster into the plaques that slowly accumulate and cause the primary degenerative symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

“The levels of amyloid-beta normally found in the brain are about a thousand times lower than we require to observe it aggregating in the laboratory – so what happens in the brain to make it aggregate?” asks Michele Vendruscolo, lead on the new research.

Decoding the Brain’s Learning Machine

Summary: A new study sheds light on how the cerebellum is able to make predictions and learn from mistakes, especially when it comes to completing complex motor actions. The findings could help in the development of new machine learning technologies.

Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine.

In studies with monkeys, Johns Hopkins researchers report that they have uncovered significant new details about how the cerebellum — the “learning machine” of the mammalian brain — makes predictions and learns from its mistakes, helping us execute complex motor actions such as accurately shooting a basketball into a net or focusing your eyes on an object across the room.

Fasting might boost intestinal stem cell function

A relatively easy way to boost intestinal stem cell (ISC) function might simply be fasting, according to a new study by a team of MIT biologists.

Stem cells supply the specialized cells that make up our tissues and organs; every time existing cells are lost for whatever reason, stem cells that can differentiate into that particular type of cell jump into action to compensate for the loss. However, this ability declines over time as aging progresses; indeed, stem cell exhaustion is one of the hallmarks of aging, and it affects our body by decreasing the regenerative capacity of its tissues, leading to immune dysfunction, muscle wasting, and even neurodegenerative diseases.

The lining of your intestine suffers from this problem as well. It consists of a fast-renewing tissue that typically renews itself entirely in a handful of days, and it is responsible for absorbing nutrients as well as keeping away unwanted substances; maintaining its regenerative abilities is therefore important for everyone, old or young; however, for older people, this is more challenging. However, a relatively easy way to boost intestinal stem cell (ISC) function might simply be fasting, according to a new study by a team of MIT biologists [1].

The study

The fact that caloric restriction yields health and longevity benefits in different kinds of organisms, possibly including humans, has already been known for a while. However, it is as of yet unclear what mechanisms cause this effect and to what extent people may benefit from it.