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Category: biotech/medical – Page 213

Two-pronged phage treatment counters resistance in Mycobacterium abscessus lung infections

Scientists from A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR IDL), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine), the National University of Singapore (NUS), and international collaborators have uncovered how Mycobacterium abscessus—a bacterium that causes serious lung infections—can evade bacteriophage (phage) therapy, and demonstrated a combination strategy to overcome this resistance, offering a pathway toward more effective and durable treatments. The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an escalating health challenge that is expected to place growing strain on health care systems worldwide. As AMR continues to erode the effectiveness of existing antibiotics—with one in six bacterial infections worldwide now resistant to antibiotics—scientists are accelerating efforts to develop new countermeasures such as phage therapy, which uses viruses to target bacteria. These efforts are important for strengthening global health and infectious disease preparedness.

The brain may use dopamine to bend time and shape memory

Ever heard of getting a “dopamine hit” from something you enjoy? These exciting moments also appear to influence memory, although perhaps not in the way you’d expect.

New research by UCLA psychologists suggests your brain may use dopamine to distort and expand time between distinct events, separating the flow of experience into pieces that can be flexibly reconstructed in the future.

The study, published in Nature Communications, found that a key dopamine-producing area of the brain—the ventral tegmental area—was activated when volunteers participating in an MRI scan detected the start of a new event. Importantly, when this dopamine hub was strongly activated, people reported more time had passed. The researchers also found that when people blinked more during a new event—an action thought to be related to dopamine signaling—their memory for time once again expanded.

A simple filter swap could advance marine eDNA biomonitoring

Researchers at Aarhus University have demonstrated that a simple adjustment to water filtration methods can dramatically improve the detection of marine animal DNA when using advanced, PCR-free sequencing. This methodological optimization could help clear a major bottleneck in aquatic biomonitoring and marine conservation efforts. The study is published in Metabarcoding and Metagenomics.

Over the past two decades, environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has become a crucial tool for monitoring aquatic ecosystems. The most common method, metabarcoding, relies on PCR amplification of a smaller genetic region to identify specific taxa. However, PCR can lead to “significant taxonomic bias” because it often amplifies the DNA of different organisms unequally, making quantitative estimates difficult.

To avoid this, scientists have increasingly explored “shotgun sequencing”—a broad approach that sequences the DNA in a sample much more broadly—across the entire tree of life and across the genome.

Chromatin tracking reveals two motion modes that help control gene expression

Gene expression is controlled, in part, by the interactions between genes and regulatory elements located along the genome. Those interactions depend on the ability of chromatin—a mix of DNA and proteins—to move around within a crowded space. In a new study, MIT researchers have measured chromatin movement at timescales ranging from hundreds of microseconds to hours, allowing them to rigorously quantify those dynamics for the first time.

Their analysis revealed that chromatin can exist in two different categories: In one, chromatin moves in a constrained way that allows it to primarily contact only neighboring regions of the genome; in the other, chromatin moves more freely and contacts regions that are farther away, but only over longer timescales.

The findings offer insight into how gene expression is regulated, as well as how chromatin segments come together for other processes such as DNA repair, the researchers say.

Professor’s bold prediction: AI could help cure all diseases within a decade

I called it, and said it for decades in here. ASI will be lead in to LEV.

Also, expect people and corpos in medical industry to freak out, and suddenly turn Anti Ai, once realized we are now about 9 years, (2035), from day Disease is no longer a Cash Cow to center careers and industries around. its already started, Doctors tryin to say AI is harmful and cant be trusted.

Derya Unutmaz, professor of immunology, is blown away by AI’s potential to improve healthcare. Here he lays out how he envisions the technology transforming drug discovery and disease eradication.

A common nutrient could supercharge cancer treatment

A simple nutrient from everyday vegetables could help supercharge the body’s fight against cancer. A common eye-health nutrient, zeaxanthin, may also help the body fight cancer more effectively. Scientists discovered it strengthens Tcells and enhances the impact of immunotherapy treatments. Found in everyday vegetables and supplements, it’s safe, accessible, and shows strong potential as a cancer therapy booster. Human trials are the next step.

Researchers at the University of Chicago have uncovered a surprising new role for zeaxanthin, a plant-based compound best known for supporting eye health. According to findings published in Cell Reports Medicine, this common carotenoid may also help the immune system fight cancer by enhancing the activity of key immune cells. The discovery points to zeaxanthin as a simple, widely available supplement that could improve how well cancer immunotherapies work.

“We were surprised to find that zeaxanthin, already known for its role in eye health, has a completely new function in boosting anti-tumor immunity,” said Jing Chen, PhD, Janet Davison Rowley Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and senior author of the study. “Our study show that a simple dietary nutrient could complement and strengthen advanced cancer treatments like immunotherapy.”

Molecular quantum nanosensors reveal temperature and radical signals inside living cells

Researchers at the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Japan, and The University of Tokyo, Japan, in collaboration with Kyushu University, Japan, have developed a new class of biocompatible molecular quantum nanosensors (MoQNs) that operate inside living cells.

The study demonstrates that these nanosensors enable absolute temperature measurements with subcellular spatial resolution and detect radical-related spin signals in both the cytoplasm and nucleus of living cancer cells. The study was published in the journal Science Advances.

Starting DNA Synthesis: Initiation Processes during the Replication of Chromosomal DNA in Humans

The initiation reactions of DNA synthesis are central processes during human chromosomal DNA replication. They are separated into two main processes: the initiation events at replication origins, the start of the leading strand synthesis for each replicon, and the numerous initiation events taking place during lagging strand DNA synthesis. In addition, a third mechanism is the re-initiation of DNA synthesis after replication fork stalling, which takes place when DNA lesions hinder the progression of DNA synthesis. The initiation of leading strand synthesis at replication origins is regulated at multiple levels, from the origin recognition to the assembly and activation of replicative helicase, the Cdc45–MCM2-7–GINS (CMG) complex.

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