Biotech/medical – Lifeboat News: The Blog

Feb 22
2020

New drug could cure nearly any viral infection

Circa 2011

Most bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics such as penicillin, discovered decades ago. However, such drugs are useless against viral infections, including influenza, the common cold, and deadly hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola.

Now, in a development that could transform how viral infections are treated, a team of researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory has designed a drug that can identify cells that have been infected by any type of virus, then kill those cells to terminate the infection.

Feb 22
2020

A vast range of infectious diseases, ranging from AIDS to Ebola, are now curable

Do you agree.

In addition, gene-editing technologies continue to advance in precision and ease of use, allowing families to treat and ultimately cure hundreds of inheritable genetic diseases.

This metatrend is driven by the convergence of: various biotechnologies (CRISPR, Gene Therapy), genome sequencing, and artificial intelligence.

Feb 22
2020

Are China’s Coronavirus Figures Reliable?

Taken at face value, China’s coronavirus containment strategy appears to be working. But can the official figures be trusted?

China reports that new virus cases are declining, but the data may be tied to party politics.

Feb 22
2020

Coronavirus: northern Italian towns close schools and businesses

Authorities act on cluster of infections in the Lombardy and Veneto regions.

Feb 22
2020

Optimising gene editing for cancer therapy

Gene editing holds promise for the treatment of cancers that are driven by well-characterised molecular alterations. A study now provides a proof of concept for the feasibility of in vivo gene editing to correct TERT mutations in glioblastoma, providing a platform for the direct manipulation of genetic alterations to reduce tumour growth.

Feb 22
2020

New CRISPR tool could fix almost all disease-causing DNA glitches

The tool can precisely change any of DNA’s “letters” into any other and insert or delete any stretch of DNA — all more efficiently than previous CRISPR.

Feb 22
2020

More than 80 clinical trials launch to test coronavirus treatments

As HIV drugs, stem cells and traditional Chinese medicines vie for a chance to prove their worth, the World Health Organization attempts to bring order to the search.

Feb 22
2020

Biotech firm Kymab in battle over ‘human mice’ secrets

A Cambridge-based biotech company that is creating a colony of “human” mice is locked in a Tom and Jerry-style fight with a US pharmaceutical giant.

Kymab, which is backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and counts fund manager Neil Woodford among its investors, is seeking permission to appeal to the Supreme Court in a row over patents. It follows a ruling by the Court of Appeal earlier this year that Kymab infringed a patent belonging to US company Regeneron. A previous judgment ruled that Regeneron’s patent was insufficient.

The legal tussle relates to Kymab’s “Kymouse” work, in which it manipulates the genome of mice. Kymab removes the genes that make antibodies in mice and replaces them with human antibody genes. This means that.

Feb 22
2020

By decoding the coronavirus genome, scientists seek the upper hand against COVID-19

Today, when a deadly virus explodes out of nowhere, geneticists are indispensable players in the international game of whodunit. Here’s how they help.

Feb 22
2020

Machine learning finds a novel antibiotic able to kill superbugs

When tested in mice, the molecule, dubbed halicin, effectively treated the gastrointestinal bug Clostridium difficile (C. diff), a common killer of hospitalized patients, and another type of drug-resistant bacteria that often causes infections in the blood, urinary tract, and lungs.

The most surprising feature of the molecule? It is structurally distinct from existing antibiotics, the researchers said. It was found in a drug-repurposing database where it was initially identified as a possible treatment for diabetes, a feat that showcases the power of machine learning to support discovery efforts.