Lifeboat Foundation

A new study describes a novel anti-cancer vaccine based on antigen-producing bacteria that can tackle solid and metastatic cancers [1].

Invading an invader

Years ago, scientists discovered that bacteria can colonize tumors [2]. Some bacteria are drawn to the tumor microenvironment due to factors such as necrotic tissue, hypoxia, and nutrient availability. For example, Clostridium species prefer anaerobic conditions and have been explored in tumor-targeting therapies. Salmonella and E. coli strains have also shown an affinity for tumors [3].

Future wearables won’t need to get under your skin.

A study presents battery-free, polymer-based wearable devices that wrap around neurons, allowing for real-time monitoring and modulation of cellular activity. This innovation aims to restore neuronal function in conditions like multiple sclerosis.

More than paying lip service, the cells may offer new opportunities to research and treat various lip conditions.

This development comes from…

Researchers have designed a high-speed 3D bioprinter to accurately print human tissues.

Continue reading “New high-speed 3D bioprinter uses acoustics to print human tissues” »

MIT researchers have developed a battery-free, subcellular-sized device made of polymer designed to measure and modulate a neuron’s electrical and metabolic activity. When the device is activated by light, it can gently wrap around the neuron cell’s axons and dendrites without damaging the cells.

Scientists want to inject thousands of these tiny wireless devices into a patient’s central nervous system and then actuate them noninvasively using light. The light would penetrate the tissue and allow precise control of the devices, and thereby restore function in cases of neuronal degradation like multiple sclerosis (MS).

The MIT researchers developed these thin-film devices from a azobenzene, a soft polymer that readily reacts to light. Thin sheets of azobenzene roll into a cylinder when exposed to light, which enables them to wrap around cells. Researchers can control the direction and diameter of the rolling by changing the intensity and polarization of the light, producing a microtube with a diameter smaller than one micrometer.

RegenxBio, a publicly-traded biotech firm, released data this week from a Phase 2 clinical trial designed to test its leading genetic therapy product in patients with bilateral wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is characterized by abnormal growth of blood vessels in the retina, and is a leading cause of loss of vision in elderly populations globally.

ABBV-RGX-314, developed in collaboration with AbbVie, offers the potential of a one-time treatment for wet AMD and other retinal conditions, including diabetic retinopathy. This is in contrast to existing treatments which rely on repeated intraocular injections of drugs that inhibit a protein known as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), a protein responsible for the formation of new retinal blood vessels.

The ABBV-RGX-314 therapy is based on a an AAV8 viral vector as a delivery system. The AAV8 platform has been genetically engineered to encode an antibody that can inhibit VEGF for the long-term.

Most recently, 90s heartthrob and Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek announced he’d been diagnosed with colorectal cancer at the age of just 47.

The rise is mysterious, but experts suspect ultra-processed foods, pollution and the over use of antibiotics could be driving microscopic cancer-causing changes in the body’s cells.

Now, a team of scientists across five nations, including at King’s College London, have been given £20 million by charities including Cancer Research UK to fund fresh studies that will begin early next year, The Times reported.

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT signaling pathway is one of the most critical and extensively investigated signaling pathways. It is the central regulator of various cellular processes including cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, and survival. Hyperactivation of PI3K-AKT signaling is highly related to a significant number of human diseases, particularly cancers.