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How to Make Superbabies

Working in the field of genetics is a bizarre experience. No one seems to be interested in the most interesting applications of their research.

We’ve spent the better part of the last two decades unravelling exactly how the human genome works and which specific letter changes in our DNA affect things like diabetes risk or college graduation rates. Our knowledge has advanced to the point where, if we had a safe and reliable means of modifying genes in embryos, we could literally create superbabies. Children that would live multiple decades longer than their non-engineered peers, have the raw intellectual horsepower to do Nobel prize worthy scientific research, and very rarely suffer from depression or other mental health disorders.

The scientific establishment, however, seems to not have gotten the memo. If you suggest we engineer the genes of future generations to make their lives better, they will often make some frightened noises, mention “ethical issues” without ever clarifying what they mean, or abruptly change the subject. It’s as if humanity invented electricity and decided the only interesting thing to do with it was make washing machines.

Turning Off Nerve Signals: Scientists Develop Promising New Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

Pancreatic cancer is closely linked to the nervous system, according to researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM). Their recent study, published in Nature, reveals that pancreatic tumors actively reprogram neurons to support their growth.

We’re able to create new creatures through gene editing. What’s stopping us?

Then came gene targeting technologies, like CRISPR, over 10 years ago. With these technologies we can delete, modify, add, or change any gene in any organism’s DNA and it’s easy and cheap. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Where are my Pokémon?

The scientific industrial complex is fundamentally broken. Scientists are trapped in a system of their own creation that values paywalled publications over real progress. If they can’t even make knowledge freely available, how can they be expected to push the boundaries of innovation? A field built on gatekeeping will never lead the future.

The real question isn’t whether we can do this. The real question is what comes next. The first steps are already happening in the lab of my new company, the Los Angeles Project (LAP). We are learning to harvest large amounts of embryos and eggs from different animal species so we can understand the development of life on a scale no one has tried before. We are editing genes and injecting DNA with micro-precision, sculpting biology at its most fundamental level.

Genome Editing with CRISPR: How to Effectively Minimize Off-Target Effects

Unlock the full potential of CRISPR technology while ensuring precision and safety! In this video, we dive deep into the science of CRISPR gene editing, explore the challenges of off-target effects, and reveal cutting-edge strategies to minimize risks.
📌 Key Topics Covered:

1️⃣ What is CRISPR?

Discover the origins of CRISPR-Cas9, its revolutionary impact on genetics, agriculture, and medicine, and the latest advancements like base editing and AI-driven optimization.
2️⃣ Understanding Off-Target Effects.

Learn why unintended DNA modifications occur, how gRNA promiscuity and nuclease activity contribute to risks, and proven mitigation strategies (e.g., HiFi Cas9, dual gRNA systems).
3️⃣ Off-Target Prediction & Detection.

Explore bioinformatics tools (e.g., CRISOT) and advanced detection methods like Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), LAM-HTGTS, and Digenome-seq for unbiased, high-sensitivity analysis.
4️⃣ Validation & Solutions.

See how CD Genomics’ off-target validation service combines multiplex PCR, Illumina sequencing, and cloud-based analytics to deliver publication-ready results with unmatched accuracy.

A concise enzyme cascade enables the manufacture of natural and halogenated protoberberine alkaloids

Plant-derived alkaloids are an important class of natural products with various pharmacological properties1,2,3,4, including Rotundine (L-tetrahydropalmatine), berberine, morphine, colchicine, galanthamine and hyoscyamine (Fig. 1a). Many of them have been used as traditional medicines in China, Native America, India and the Islamic region. For instance, Rotundine was first isolated from Corydalis5, a plant that has been used as traditional Chinese herbal medicine for over a thousand years, known for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-addictive, and antitumor activities6,7,8. Today, it also serves as an alternative to anxiolytic and sedative drugs from the addictive benzodiazepine group, as well as analgesics9. However, similar to many plant-derived natural products10,11, the commercial use of plant-derived alkaloids still mainly relies on extraction from medicinal plants with low abundance12,13,14,15, which is further affected by climate change, cultivation methods and location. Moreover, due to the lack of appropriate functional groups, derivatization of naturally occurring alkaloids to increase structural complexity and diversity through chemical methods remains challenging, restricting further drug development. Although chemical synthesis methods have been developed to overcome these issues, they often involve harsh conditions and heavy-metal catalysts16,17. In addition, the structural complexity of alkaloids, with their chiral centers and regioselective modifications, often results in low yields.

With the elucidation of the biosynthetic pathways of alkaloids and advancements in synthetic biology18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27, many efforts have been made to biosynthesize natural and unnatural alkaloids in microorganisms, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35 (Fig. 1b). However, challenges such as the complexity of their biosynthetic pathways, the difficulties in expressing plant-derived P450 enzyme36,37,38 and berberine bridge enzyme (BBE)29,34,39,40, and the cytotoxicity from the accumulation of alkaloids or its intermediates34,41 always results in low production titers28,29,34, such as 16.9 mg L-1 production in berberine and 68.6 mg L-1 production in Rotundine in engineered yeasts, which still lack commercial viability. In fact, this remains a common manufacturing challenge for the heterologous biosynthesis of many plant-derived alkaloids in microorganisms.

Recently, it was reported that a designed nine-enzyme catalytic cascade enabled the efficient biosynthesis of the HIV drug islatravir42, and therapeutic oligonucleotides could be produced through an enzyme cascade in a single operation43. These seminal examples suggest that the designed enzyme cascades will revolutionize drug synthesis and development. Furthermore, specific enzymes can control the stereo-and chemoselectivity of chiral compounds44,45. Importantly, the use of modular “plug-and-play” strategy allows the easy incorporation or removal of enzymes to tailor the cascade for synthesizing different target compounds46,47, thereby introducing structural complexity and diversity. As for plant-derived natural products, steps catalyzed by enzymes that are difficult to express in engineered cells or that are still not identified can be bypassed through the careful selection of substrates46, making the process more efficient or feasible.

Growing Organs

Growing organs in the Lab — Find out how scientists are making human organs in the lab from stem cells. While we can’t grow fully functional human organs yet, they can grow organoids from stem cells to study organ development and 3D bioprint tissues that can one day be used to repair organs.

🌏 https://www.clevalab.com.

👉 You may also like: The Basic Principles of a Cell, https://youtu.be/R5z0VYBnZPs.

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Scientists Grow Mini Brains in the Laboratory! | Brain organoids

This episode is all about brain organoids. Cerebral organoids or brain organoids were developed in 2013 by Madeline Lancaster and Jürgen Knoblich. Brain organoids are also called mini-brains and they are a powerful tool to grow brain-like structures in petri dishes. Brain organoids enable studies on the development of brains, brain diseases or brain infections. In this video, we will talk how we can make brain organoids and how we use brain organoids.

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🔬 Ready for awesome scientific discussion?! Join us on Discord: / discord.

0:00 — Introduction to Brain Organoids.
1:29 — What are Brain Organoids?
2:41 — How to Make Brain Organoids.
5:09 — Studying Development with Brain Organoids.
6:49 — Zika Virus, COVID-19 and Brain Organoids.
8:44 — Schizophrenia, Autism, Depression and Brain Organoids.

Okay, so what are brain organoids? Brain organoids or cerebral organoids are laboratory-grown structures which mimic parts of the brain. Brain organoids establish regions with multiple layers of neurons comparable to the developing brain. However, cells within brain organoids are less specific compared to cells we find in the brain. We also do not find any specific \.

Revealing the Role of DNA Repair Genes in Huntington’s

Huntington’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that is usually fatal about 15 to 20 years after a patient is diagnosed. It is known to be caused by an aberrant repetitive sequence (CAG) in the huntingtin gene. Unaffected people carry fewer than 35 of these CAG repeats, while Huntington’s patients have more than 40 CAG repeats, which get longer, or expand over their lifetime. Scientists have now revealed that a specific subset of genes related to the repair of mismatched DNA, may have a key role in Huntington’s disease. The neurons that are impaired in Huntington’s are particularly susceptible to this mismatch damage that is not fixed. The findings have been reported in Cell.

In this work, the researchers used a mouse model of Huntington’s disease to study the impact of several genes on the disorder, including six genes related to DNA mismatch repair. In mice that were engineered to lack the mismatch repair genes Msh3 and Pms1, many of the symptoms of Huntington’s that these mice mimic were rescued. Some of the molecular and cellular pathology of Huntingon’s disease (HD) was no longer observed in the brains of these animals, and there were improvements in gait and movement.