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In a groundbreaking study, researchers have unlocked a new frontier in the fight against aging and age-related diseases. The study, conducted by a team of scientists at Harvard Medical School, has published the first chemical approach to reprogram cells to a younger state. Previously, this was only achievable using a powerful gene therapy.

On July 12, 2023, researchers from Harvard Medical School, University of Maine and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) published a new research paper in Aging, titled, “Chemically induced reprogramming to reverse cellular aging.”

The team’s findings build upon the discovery that the expression of specific genes, called Yamanaka factors, could convert adult cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This Nobel Prize-winning discovery raised the question of whether it might be possible to reverse cellular aging without causing cells to become too young and turn cancerous.

In a groundbreaking study, researchers have unlocked a new frontier in the fight against aging and age-related diseases. The study, conducted by a team of scientists at Harvard Medical School, has published the first chemical approach to reprogram cells to a younger state. Previously, this was only achievable using a powerful gene therapy.

Researchers from Harvard Medical School, University of Maine and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) published a new research paper in Aging, titled, “Chemically induced reprogramming to reverse cellular aging.”

One of the main ways cells “talk” to each other to coordinate essential biological activities such as muscle contraction, hormone release, neuronal firing, digestion and immune activation is through calcium signaling.

Rice University scientists have used light-activated molecular machines to trigger intercellular calcium wave signals, revealing a powerful new strategy for controlling cellular activity, according to a new study published in Nature Nanotechnology. This technology could lead to improved treatments for people with heart problems, digestive issues and more.

Continue reading “Light-activated molecular machines get cells ‘talking’” »

Last year, the chemist – who is an emeritus professor at the University of Strasbourg – published a book titled The Elegance of Molecules. In the pages, he lets his imagination run wild. “Over time, most of the chemical reactions that govern nature could be controlled or imitated by a nanorobot: counter-offensives by the immune system, the production of antibodies, hormones on demand, the repairing of damaged cells and organs [or] the correction of anomalies in the genetic text,” Sauvage writes. “None of this will belong in the realm of science fiction in the long-term.”

Sitting in the hotel’s restaurant, however, the researcher’s realism contrasts with his futuristic fantasy. “Today, we can’t do much. Molecular machines are a somewhat new concept: we can make molecules that move as we choose [and] we can make a fairly complex molecule perform a rotary motion. Or we can make it behave like a muscle, stretching and contracting. The applications will arrive in the future, but we’re not there yet,” he stresses.

The French researcher has been developing these molecular muscles since 2002 alongside a Spanish chemist – María Consuelo Jiménez – from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. “The first thing was to show that we can make a molecule that contracts and stretches. Now, you can think of making materials – especially fibers – that can contract and stretch. Perhaps artificial muscles could be made to replace damaged muscles in people, but that will be in the future. At the moment, there are no real applications,” Sauvage clarifies.

Organic electronic devices enhance biocompatibility, but have to rely on silicon-based technologies to improve limited speed and integration. This problem is overcome by creating a stand-alone, wireless, conformable, fully organic bioelectronic device with high electronic performance, scalability, stability and conformability in physiologic media.

Japanese scientists have discovered a compound, ethylammonium lead iodide, which can store and release ammonia safely and efficiently. This finding holds potential for ammonia’s role as a carbon-free hydrogen carrier, contributing to the transition towards a decarbonized society.

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) in Japan have discovered a compound that uses a chemical reaction to store ammonia, potentially offering a safer and easier way to store this important chemical. This discovery, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on July 10, makes it possible not only to safely and conveniently store ammonia, but also the important hydrogen is carries. This finding should help lead the way to a decarbonized society with a practical hydrogen economy.

For society to make the switch from carbon-based to hydrogen-based energy, we need a safe way to store and transport hydrogen, which by itself is highly combustible. One way to do this is to store it as part of another molecule and extract it as needed. Ammonia, chemically written as NH₃, makes a good hydrogen carrier because three hydrogen atoms are packed into each molecule, with almost 20% of ammonia being hydrogen by weight.

Initial staging of prostate cancer (PCa) is usually performed with conventional imaging (CI), involving computed tomography (CT) and bone scanning (BS). The aim of this study was to analyze the role of [18F]F-choline positron emission tomography (PET)/CT in the initial management and outcome prediction of PCa patients by analyzing data from a multidisciplinary approach. We retrospectively analyzed 82 patients who were discussed by the uro-oncology board of the University Hospital of Ferrara for primary staging newly diagnosed PCa (median age 72 (56–86) years; median baseline prostate specific antigen (PSA) equal to 8.73 ng/mL). Patients were divided into three groups based on the imaging performed: group A = only CI; group B = CI + [18F]F-choline PET/CT; group C = only [18F]F-choline PET/CT. All data on imaging findings, therapy decisions and patient outcomes were retrieved from hospital information systems. Moreover, we performed a sub-analysis of semiquantitative parameters extracted from [18F]F-choline PET/CT to search any correlation with patient outcomes. The number of patients included in each group was 35, 35 and 12, respectively. Patients with higher values of initial PSA were subjected to CI + PET/CT (p = 0.005). Moreover, the use of [18F]F-choline PET/CT was more frequent in patients with higher Gleason score (GS) or ISUP grade (p = 0.013). The type of treatment performed (surgery n = 33; radiation therapy n = 22; surveillance n = 6; multimodality therapy n = 6; systemic therapy n = 13; not available n = 2) did not show any relationship with the modality adopted to stage the disease. [18F]F-choline PET/CT induced a change of planned therapy in 5/35 patients in group B (14.3%). Moreover, patients investigated with [18F]F-choline PET/CT alone demonstrated longer biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival (30.8 months) in comparison to patients of groups A and B (15.5 and 23.5 months, respectively, p = 0.006), probably due to a more accurate selection of primary treatment. Finally, total lesion choline kinase activity (TLCKA) of the primary lesion, calculated by multiplying metabolic tumor volume and mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean), was able to more effectively discriminate patients who had recurrence after therapy compared to those without (p = 0.03). In our real-world experience [18F]F-choline PET/CT as a tool for the initial management of PCa had a relevant impact in terms of therapy selection and was associated with longer BCR-free survival. Moreover, TLCKA of the primary lesion looks a promising parameter for predicting recurrence after curative therapy.

Genomic analyses, such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), require pure nucleic acids and accurate analyte concentrations to perform successful reactions. The purification process to access this genetic material uses methods that rely on detergents, mechanical disruption, and heat to disrupt the cellular structures of nuclei, ribosomes, bacteria, and viruses. Nucleic acid is then purified by performing a solvent extraction, alcohol precipitation, and salting-out.

Contaminants can copurify with nucleic acids

Isolation of nucleic acids (including various forms of DNA and RNA) may be needed from cell harvest, PCR, restriction enzyme digest, agarose gel, and other sources. Several avenues in nucleic acid extraction protocols inadvertently allow the co-precipitation of contaminants owing to the type of starting material or the chosen extraction method (Table 1). In some cases, changing the method or adding another purification step can mitigate or eliminate the copurification issue. However, when contamination remains an issue, it is important to learn as much as possible about the impurities that can denature enzymes, block templates, or otherwise lead to failed chemical reactions necessary for downstream applications.

Recently, a research team led by Professor Hongzhe SUN from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, has published a paper in Nature Communications.

The researchers found that, chromium(III) (Cr(III)), a nutritional supplement, can enhance cells’ ability to metabolise glucose by regulating ATP synthase activity. This process improves mitochondrial deformation caused by high glucose levels and significantly boosts glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetic mice. To uncover the protein targets of Cr(III) and elucidate the molecular mechanism, the team has developed a fluorescent probe for detecting transient metal-protein interactions, achieving a high spatiotemporal resolution tracking of the Cr(III) proteome in HepG2 cells. This led to the identification of Cr(III)-binding proteins within cells. The team then revealed that Cr(III) replaces magnesium ions (Mg²⁺) in ATP synthase, reduces ATP synthase activity, and activates the downstream AMPK pathway, resulting in improved glucose metabolism. This study provides a novel concept for hypoglycaemic research.

“Although Cr(III) compounds have long been used as a nutritional supplement for diabetes treatment, weight loss and muscle development, its protein target and mechanism of action remain concealed for over half a century. We used a novel fluorescent probe, along with other chemical biology approaches, to uncover the long-standing scientific problem of the biological chemistry of Cr(III) and discovered that Cr(III) targets ATP synthase to regulate glucose,” commented Professor Sun.