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Category: biotech/medical – Page 1869

Andrew Sinclair does not have anything to lose. He takes a number of drugs including the anti-diabetic medication metformin, given to him by his son David, the renowned Australian biologist and professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, to combat the ill-effects of ageing.

David Sinclair says his father remains in good health, travelling, socialising and exercising with the energy of a man far younger than his 80 years.

David Sinclair will discuss why ageing should be classified as a disease at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

Renowned Australian scientist David Sinclair says we have all the information to be young again, “if we can just flip the switch”.

Continue reading “Flipping the switch on the ageing process” | >

How did Viruses evolve?

The evolutionary history of viruses remains unclear. Some researchers hypothesize that viruses evolved from mobile genetic elements that gained the ability to move between cells. Other researchers postulate that viruses evolved from more complex organisms that lost the ability to replicate independently. Still others hypothesize that DNA viruses gave rise to the eukaryotic nucleus or that viruses predate all cellular life-forms. Reasonable arguments can be made for all of these hypotheses. It may be that viruses arose multiple times, via each of these mechanisms. It may be that viruses arose from a mechanism yet to be described. Continuing studies of viruses and their hosts may provide us with clearer answers.

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Possible treatments for coronavirus:

Remdesivir by the firm Gilead was developed to fight other viruses including Ebola (where it was shown to be ineffective) and it hasn’t yet been approved for treating anything. Still, it has shown early promise in treating some coronavirus patients in China, according to doctors, and manufacturer Gilead is moving ahead with final stage clinical trials in Asia. It has also been used to treat at least one US patient so far.

NIH’s Anthony Fauci, one of the top government scientists overseeing the coronavirus response, has said it could be available in the next “several months.”

WHO officials says progress being made, but any immunizing solution will take time: ‘There is only one thing more dangerous than a bad virus, and that’s a bad vaccine’

Continue reading “Over 20 vaccines, multiple treatments currently in development for coronavirus” | >

If it wins FDA approval next year, the two-part sensor could help spot new infections weeks before symptoms begin to show.

Why are pandemics so hard to stop? Often it’s because the disease moves faster than people can be tested for it. The Defense Department is helping to fund a new study to determine whether an under-the-skin biosensor can help trackers keep up — by detecting flu-like infections even before their symptoms begin to show. Its maker, Profusa, says the sensor is on track to try for FDA approval by early next year.

The sensor has two parts. One is a 3mm string of hydrogel, a material whose network of polymer chains is used in some contact lenses and other implants. Inserted under the skin with a syringe, the string includes a specially engineered molecule that sends a fluorescent signal outside of the body when the body begins to fight an infection. The other part is an electronic component attached to the skin. It sends light through the skin, detects the fluorescent signal and generates another signal that the wearer can send to a doctor, website, etc. It’s like a blood lab on the skin that can pick up the body’s response to illness before the presence of other symptoms, like coughing.

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The scientists running Seattle-based Oceans Initiative more typically apply their marine mammal expertise to research on endangered orcas or conservation of white-sided dolphins in Washington’s Puget Sound.

But the upside-down world of the new coronavirus and the closure of their nearly 6-year-old daughter’s school inspired them this week to launch what they’ve dubbed their Virtual Marine Biology Camp.

“We thought maybe it would be fun for a group of us to be able to hang out online and talk about whales and dolphins and other marine life,” said Erin Ashe, executive director and scientist with the nonprofit institute.

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A study published in Aging and Disease shows the effectiveness of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy against a deadly immune reaction caused by COVID-19.

While scientists all over the world are working on a vaccine that would be effective against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of researchers from China and other countries has been exploring a therapeutic approach. Capitalizing on previous research, this group has conducted a successful trial of MSC therapy, resulting in the recovery of all seven patients [1]. These important results inspire hope, considering that a vaccine may still be more than a year away.

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