Organoids made from human cells are poised to replace at least some animal-based biomedical research models.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 243
First bedrest samples arrive at exploration biobank in Portugal
ESA’s new Exploration Biobank received its first biological samples linked to European space research in Portugal this week.
The shipment contained over 1,400 human samples from the Vivaldi III bedrest and dry-immersion campaign that took place earlier this year at Medes space clinic in Toulouse, France. Vivaldi III had a group of volunteers lying down on a waterbed and another group in bedrest for 10 days to recreate some of the effects of spaceflight on the body.
Samples of blood, saliva, urine, stool and hair from the participants arrived at the Biobank of the Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM) in Lisbon on 14 October following strict safety, traceability and conservation protocols.
Breakthrough: Scientists Create ‘Universal’ Kidney To Match Any Blood Type
After a decade of work, researchers are closer than ever to a key breakthrough in kidney organ transplants: being able to transfer kidneys from donors with different blood types than the recipients, which could significantly speed up waiting times and save lives.
A team from institutions across Canada and China has managed to create a ‘universal’ kidney, which can, in theory, be accepted by any patient.
Their test organ survived and functioned for several days in the body of a brain-dead recipient, whose family consented to the research.
New Alzheimer’s Treatment Clears Plaques From Brains of Mice Within Hours
Scientists have repaired a natural gateway into the brains of mice, allowing the clumps and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease to be swept away.
After just three drug injections, mice with certain genes that mimic Alzheimer’s showed a reversal of several key pathological features.
Within hours of the first injection, the animal brains showed a nearly 45 percent reduction in clumps of amyloid-beta plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
Longevity gene from supercentenarians offers hope for disease that causes rapid aging in children
A new breakthrough in a rare genetic disease which causes children to age rapidly has been discovered using ‘longevity genes’ found in people who live exceptionally long lives—over 100 years old. The research, by the University of Bristol and IRCCS MultiMedica, found these genes which help keep the heart and blood vessels healthy during aging could reverse the damage caused by this life-limiting disease.
This is the first study, published in Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, to show that a gene from long-lived people can slow down heart aging in a progeria model. Also known as Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), progeria is a rare, fatal genetic condition of “rapid-aging” in children.
HGPS is caused by a mutation in the LMNA gene, which leads to the production of a toxic protein called progerin. Most affected individuals die in their teens due to heart problems, although a few, like Sammy Basso, the oldest known person with progeria, have lived longer. Sadly, late last year at the age of 28, Sammy passed away.
Bioelectronic-integrated artificial colon eliminates need for animal testing
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a 3D human colon model integrated with bioelectronics to aid in colorectal cancer research and drug discovery. The “3D in vivo mimicking human colon” enables precision, personalized medicine and offers a more ethical, accurate and cost-effective alternative to traditional animal testing.
In a paper published recently in the journal Advanced Science, researchers in UC Irvine’s Samueli School of Engineering outline their creation of an approximately 5-by-10-millimeter replica that incorporates essential structural features of a colon, including liminal curvature, multilayered cellular organization and the spontaneous formation of cryptlike indentations.
“The three-dimensional shapes, curves and crypts in our 3D-IVM-HC model are central to maintaining more realistic cell behavior even at a scaled-down size,” said senior author Rahim Esfandyar-pour, UC Irvine assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science.
First major trial of AI in breast cancer screening launches in the USA
A study led by Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (FL, USA) seeks to understand how AI can improve breast cancer screening. The Pragmatic Randomized Trial of Artificial Intelligence for Screening Mammography (PRISM) trial will examine hundreds of thousands of mammograms to “assess AI’s true impact”
Despite huge investments in research, breast cancer remains a leading cause of mortality in US women. Routine mammography has increased the diagnosis of early-stage cancer, but the increased incidence of false positives can lead to unnecessary testing, anxiety and higher costs.
“As the first major randomized trial of AI in breast cancer screening in the US, this study represents a pivotal step,” commented Jose Net, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and co-principal investigator of the study. “Our goal is to rigorously and objectively assess AI’s impact, identifying who benefits and who may not.”
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Discovery of brain parasite’s unique control protein offers hope for better toxoplasmosis treatments
Rajshekhar Gaji was staring at something that should not exist. Under his microscope, parasites that should have been thriving were instead dying—completely unable to survive without a protein his lab had managed to switch off.
“It was an amazing day,” said Gaji, assistant professor of parasitology at the Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. That moment of discovery could eventually help the 40 million Americans walking around with a microscopic parasite permanently residing in their brains.
The findings are published in the journal mSphere.