A new study has for the first time elucidated the gut-liver immune regulatory axis jointly maintained by intestinal commensal bacteria and the intestinal endocrine system, and uncovered the fundamental mechanism underlying the body’s nonspecific clearance of drug delivery carriers. It provides a universal solution to the core problem plaguing the delivery field for decades, significantly improves the delivery efficiency and therapeutic effect of tumor-targeted therapy, mRNA therapy, gene editing and other treatments, and blazes a new trail for the clinical translation of biomedical delivery technologies.
The research team led by Professors Wang Yucai, Zhu Shu and Jiang Wei from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) published their research paper titled “Commensal-driven serotonin production modulates in vivo delivery of synthetic and viral vectors” in Science on March 19.
The trajectory of base editing has been remarkable, progressing from the laboratory to patient care, treating debilitating or terminal illnesses, in less than a decade. A type of gene editing that makes chemical changes to our DNA, base editing was developed by Alexis Komor, associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at the University of California San Diego.
For all of base editing’s success, it is still a relatively new technology, and researchers like Komor are working to improve its efficiency, while lowering the incidence of unwanted edits. One type of unwanted edit is called a bystander edit. This occurs when a base editor not only edits the desired nucleobase, but also edits surrounding bases as well. Komor’s lab has developed a way to minimize bystander edits. This work appears in Nature Biotechnology.
BMC Biology is calling for submissions to our Collection on Regeneration: wound healing, reprogramming, and tissue engineering. This Collection aims to bring together cutting-edge research exploring the cellular and molecular mechanisms of wound healing and repair, cellular reprogramming as a means of achieving tissue regeneration in vivo or in vitro, as well as advances in tissue engineering, aiming at replacing damaged cells and organs via transplantation.
We welcome studies on:
- Investigating processes involved in wound healing, including inflammation, re-epithelialization, cell fusion, fibroblast activation, scar formation, angiogenesis, and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling.
Dr. Nicolas Rouleau is a neuroscientist, bioengineer, and Assistant Professor of Health Sciences at Wilfrid Laurier University. He wrote the award-winning essay, ‘An Immortal Stream of Consciousness: The scientific evidence for the survival of consciousness after permanent bodily death,’ in which he argues that the transmissive theory of consciousness may actually be more consistent with emerging scientific insights than the dominant assumption that the brain generates consciousness.
In this conversation with Hans Busstra, Rouleau shares the main arguments from his essay, which touch upon his collaboration with Dr. Michael Persinger, the inventor of the ‘God Helmet,’ and his work with Michael Levin on ‘mind blindness’—the idea that science may be searching for mind in too restricted a place by focusing almost exclusively on neurons.
Further reading and scientific references discussed in this video:
Rouleau’s BICS Essay: ‘An Immortal Stream of Consciousness: The scientific evidence for the survival of consciousness after permanent bodily death.’ https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/inde…
Rouleau, N., Levin, M., et al. (2025) (Preprint; forthcoming in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society). Brains and Where Else? Mapping Theories of Consciousness to Unconventional Embodiments. https://tinyurl.com/439rrn8z.
Delve into the groundbreaking world of CRISPR gene editing – a technology rapidly reshaping medicine and offering unprecedented hope for treating previously incurable diseases. This video explores the remarkable journey from basic scientific curiosity about bacterial defense mechanisms to the first-ever personalized gene therapies being administered in Germany and beyond.
Discover how scientists uncovered CRISPR, an ancient bacterial immune system that functions as a precise molecular “cut-and-paste” tool for DNA. Learn about the astonishing speed at which this discovery transitioned from laboratory research to clinical applications, culminating in FDA approval of treatments for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia – conditions once considered devastatingly difficult to manage.
We’ll examine the details of these revolutionary therapies, including how they work to correct genetic defects and provide lasting relief for patients. Beyond current successes, explore the exciting potential of CRISPR to address a wide range of inherited disorders, from hereditary angioedema to various cancers.
The video highlights the extraordinary case of KJ, an infant who received a custom-designed CRISPR base editing therapy to treat a rare metabolic disorder – demonstrating the feasibility of truly personalized medicine tailored to individual genetic profiles. Understand how this breakthrough compresses years of research into mere months, paving the way for treating countless other rare diseases.
Finally, look ahead to the future with the emergence of TIGR systems, an even more advanced class of gene-editing tools discovered in viruses that infect bacteria. These next-generation technologies promise enhanced precision, broader targeting capabilities, and potentially safer therapeutic applications. Join us as we unpack this complex science and reveal how fundamental research continues to unlock the secrets of life and offer hope for a healthier future.
Researchers have discovered how to guide the evolution of proteins with light to develop more complex proteins, paving the way for new possibilities in synthetic biology and biotechnology.
Read the OPN story: biotech technology physics.
New technique creates new possibilities for synthetic biology and biotechnology.
Alzheimer’s disease starts with a sticky protein called amyloid beta that builds up into plaques in the brain, setting off a chain of events that results in brain atrophy and cognitive decline. Microglia, immune cells that reside in the brain, are responsible for removing brain waste but can become dysfunctional when overwhelmed in the context of neurodegenerative disease.
To reduce the cleaning burden on microglia, first author transformed astrocytes, the most abundant cell type in the brain, into amyloid-cleaning machines. The author custom-designed and delivered a gene to astrocytes that codes for the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) via a harmless virus injected into mice. The CAR, now present on the surface of astrocytes, enabled the cells to capture and engulf amyloid beta proteins. With their newly acquired ability, the astrocytes — generally responsible for keeping the brain tidy — concentrated their efforts on only cleaning amyloid beta plaques in mice prone to its buildup.
Mice carrying genetic mutations that increase people’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease develop amyloid beta plaques that saturate the brain by six months of age. The author injected two groups of mice with the virus carrying the CAR-expressing gene: young mice before they developed plaques and older mice with brains saturated with plaques, then, waited three months.
As the younger mice aged, the CAR-astrocytes prevented amyloid beta plaque development. At nearly six months of age, when untreated mice normally have brains saturated with harmful plaques, brains of treated mice were plaque-free. Meanwhile, older mice with plaque-saturated brains at the time of treatment saw a 50% reduction in the amount of amyloid beta plaques compared to mice receiving an injection of a virus lacking the CAR gene.
The researchers have filed a patent related to the approach used to engineer CAR-astrocytes.
“Consistent with the antibody drug treatments, this new CAR-astrocyte immunotherapy is more effective when given in the earlier stages of the disease,” said a co-author on the paper. “But where it differs, and where it could make a difference in clinical care, is in the single injection that successfully reduced the amount of harmful brain proteins in mice.” ScienceMission sciencenewshighlights.
A team from University of Toronto Engineering is the first to synthesize long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) outside the cell—a new approach to drug discovery that has already yielded some promising anti-inflammatory molecules. The team was inspired by advances in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein replacement therapies. They realized that a similar approach could be used to deliver lncRNA to the body, unlocking a potential new source of drugs.
“Only about 25% of our DNA encodes for proteins, including everything from insulin for regulating blood sugar to antibodies for immune defense,” says Professor Omar F. Khan, senior author on a paper published in Science Signaling that describes the new discovery.
“Proteins are made via messenger RNA, or mRNA, which conveys the instructions for how to build proteins from our genes to our ribosomes, the part of our cells where proteins are assembled.”
From frozen habitats to millennia-long journeys, we explore the science behind cryogenic arks and deep-time interstellar travel.
Get Nebula using my link for 50% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur. Check out Joe Scott’s Oldest & Newest: https://nebula.tv/videos/joescott-old… my exclusive video Chronoengineering: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur–… 🚀 Join this channel to get access to perks: / @isaacarthursfia 🛒 SFIA Merchandise: https://isaac-arthur-shop.fourthwall… 🌐 Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net ❤️ Support us on Patreon: / isaacarthur ⭐ Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-a… 👥 Facebook Group: / 1,583,992,725,237,264 📣 Reddit Community: / isaacarthur 🐦 Follow on Twitter / X: / isaac_a_arthur 💬 SFIA Discord Server: / discord Credits: Cryogenic Arks – Sleeping Through the Ages Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images Music by Epidemic Sound: http://nebula.tv/epidemic & Stellardrone Chapters 0:00 Intro 2:50 The Need for Cryogenic Arks 6:12 From Freezing Flesh to Preserving Life 12:33 The Physics and Engineering of the Cryogenic Ark 18:46 The Problem of Time and Identity 24:59 Oldest & Newest 25:59 How Long Can We Stay Frozen? 30:48 Crew Dynamics and Risk 35:18 Beyond Cryogenics – Slowing Time Itself. Watch my exclusive video Chronoengineering: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur–…
EPFL researchers have developed a light-based method that can produce proteins that switch states, respond to signals, and even compute, using light and the cell cycle.
Evolution is biology’s powerful method of engineering. It works by generating many variants of DNA, RNA, and proteins inside cells and letting nature “select” the organism that performs best. Early farmers started taking advantage of evolution by interfering with natural selection and letting only the most productive livestock and crops mate.
In laboratories, researchers have developed methods for directed evolution of proteins, especially enzymes and antibodies, that are used in household detergents, medicine, and industry.
