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Category: genetics

Novel gene therapy for hereditary hearing loss developed at Tel Aviv University

Scientists from the Gray Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University introduced an innovative gene therapy method to treat impairments in hearing and balance caused by inner ear dysfunction. According to the researchers, “This treatment constitutes an improvement over existing strategies, demonstrating enhanced efficiency and holds promise for treating a wide range of mutations that cause hearing loss.”

The study was led by Prof. Karen Avraham, Dean of the Gray Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, and Roni Hahn, a PhD student from the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry. The study was conducted in collaboration with Prof. Jeffrey Holt and Dr. Gwenaëlle Géléoc from Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and was supported by the US-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), the National Institutes of Health/NIDCD and the Israel Science Foundation Breakthrough Research Program. The study was featured on the cover of the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.

Prof. Avraham explains: “The inner ear consists of two highly coordinated systems: the auditory system, which detects, processes, and transmits sound signals to the brain, and the vestibular system, which enables spatial orientation and balance. A wide range of genetic variants in DNA can affect the function of these systems, leading to sensorineural hearing loss and balance problems. Indeed, hearing loss is the most common sensory impairment worldwide, with over half of congenital cases caused by genetic factors. In this study, we aimed to investigate an effective gene therapy for these cases using an approach that has not been applied in this context before.”

Pest resistance threatens corn industry’s newest biotech defense, study warns

Corn rootworms, pests responsible for billions of dollars in yearly crop losses, are evolving resistance that weakens even the latest biotechnology controls, according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Drawing on decades of data across multiple states, University of Arizona entomologists found that field-evolved to Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, is undermining the effectiveness of corn that targets rootworms with the combination of Bt and RNA interference, or RNAi, a new biotech control that turns the rootworms’ own genetic instructions against them.

The research team analyzed extensive field data collected over the past two decades in 12 previous studies, including millions of rootworms evaluated across the Corn Belt, which extends from western Ohio to eastern Nebraska and northeastern Kansas.

Drinking any amount of alcohol likely increases dementia risk

Drinking any amount of alcohol likely increases the risk of dementia, suggests the largest combined observational and genetic study to date, published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.

Even light drinking—generally thought to be protective, based on observational studies—is unlikely to lower the risk, which rises in tandem with the quantity of alcohol consumed, the research indicates.

Current thinking suggests that there might be an “optimal dose” of alcohol for brain health, but most of these studies have focused on and/or didn’t differentiate between former and lifelong non-drinkers, complicating efforts to infer causality, note the researchers.

Hidden Plant Stem Cells Could Hold the Key to Feeding the Future

Plant scientists discovered hidden stem cell regulators tied to growth and crop size. Their breakthrough could transform how we grow food, fuel, and resilient harvests.

Plant stem cells play a vital role in producing the world’s food, livestock feed, and renewable fuels. They are the foundation of plant growth, yet many aspects of how they work remain a mystery. Past studies have struggled to identify several of the key genes that govern stem cell activity.

Mapping the genetic regulators of growth.

Scientists Advance Prospects for Permanently Putting AIDS Virus into Dormant State Using Gene Therapy

In a study of human immune cells infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say a molecule within HIV itself can be manipulated and amplified to force the virus into long-term dormancy, a state in which HIV does not replicate.

The Johns Hopkins team that conducted the new study had previously shown that the molecule of interest, an “antisense transcript,” or AST, is produced by HIV’s genetic material and is part of a molecular pathway that essentially puts the virus to sleep, a state known as viral latency.

The study’s leader, Fabio Romerio, Ph.D., associate professor of molecular and comparative pathobiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, says the new findings add to a growing body of evidence that may help researchers develop a gene therapy that boosts AST production. A report on the research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was published May 9 in Science Advances.

Bilu Huang — CSO, Fuzhuang Therapeutics — Conquering Aging Via TRCS

Conquering aging via TRCS — the telomere DNA AND ribosomal DNA co-regulation model for cell senescence — bilu huang — CSO, fuzhuang therapeutics.

Bilu Huang (https://biluhuang.com/) is a visionary scientist dedicated to finding solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity. His interdisciplinary work spans multiple fields, including biological aging, dinosaur extinction theories, geoengineering for carbon removal, and controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Born in Sanming City, Fujian Province, Huang is an independent researcher whose knowledge is entirely self-taught. Driven by curiosity and a relentless pursuit of scientific exploration, he has achieved numerous research results through his dedication and passion for science.

As a talented theoretical gerontologist, he proposed the Telomere DNA and ribosomal DNA co-regulation model for cell senescence (TRCS) and he is now using this latest theory to develop biotechnology to rejuvenate cells which will be used to completely cure various age-related degenerative diseases and greatly extend human life at Fuzhuang Therapeutics (https://lab.fuzhuangtx.com/en/).

#Aging #Longevity #BiluHuang #FuzhuangTherapeutics #TelomereDNAAndRibosomalDNACoRegulationModelForCell #Senescence #TRCS #DinosaurExtinctionResearch #CarbonRemovalTechnology #ControlledNuclearFusion #TelomereDNA #RibosomalDNA #CellularAging #GeneticProgram #Telomere #P53

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How a key enzyme shapes nucleus formation in cell division

Every time a eukaryotic cell divides, it faces a monumental challenge: It must carefully duplicate and divide its genetic material (chromosomes) equally, and then rebuild the nuclear envelope around the separated halves. If this process goes wrong, the resulting nuclei can be misshapen or disorganized—features often seen in cancer and aging-related diseases.

A new study from researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Université Paris-Saclay reveals how a key enzyme called Aurora A helps cells pull off this feat. The findings are published in The EMBO Journal.

In dividing cells, structures called spindle poles (or centrosomes) grow in size to generate the microtubule ‘tracks’ that pull chromosomes apart. Once this job is done, the spindle poles must shrink and disassemble so that the can reform around the separated chromosomes.

The latest on nucleotide therapy development

Oligonucleotide therapies — engineered strands of DNA or RNA — are transforming modern medicine. These cutting-edge treatments bring a new level of precision in combating disease by targeting specific genes to be silenced, activated or edited. “Nucleotide therapeutics allow us to design predictable outcomes by modifying sequences to address almost any condition,” says Peter Guterstam, product manager at biotechnology company Cytiva.

Due to an influx of research in recent years, many nucleotide-based drug candidates, including genetic therapies and vaccines for cancer and viral infections, are now in advanced clinical trial stages. “The development timeline is much quicker than we are used to,” notes Guterstam.

Significant challenges arise during development of RNA and DNA based therapies. From mRNA vaccines to gene editing, scientists are refining delivery methods, optimizing synthesis, and tackling scaling hurdles.

Largest genetic study to date identifies 13 new DNA regions linked to dyslexia

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental condition estimated to affect between 5–10% of people living in most countries, irrespective of their educational and cultural background. Dyslexic individuals experience persistent difficulties with reading and writing, often struggling to identify words and spell them correctly.

Past studies with twins suggest that is in great part heritable, meaning that its emergence is partly influenced by inherited from parents and grandparents. However, the exact genetic variants (i.e., small differences in DNA sequences) linked to dyslexia have not yet been clearly delineated.

Researchers at University of Edinburgh, the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and various other institutes recently carried out the largest genome-wide association study to date exploring the genetic underpinnings of dyslexia. Their paper, published in Translational Psychiatry, identifies several previously unknown genetic loci that were found to be linked to an increased likelihood of experiencing dyslexia.

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