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Category: biotech/medical – Page 2,753

Groundbreaking Gene Therapy Trial Aims to Cure Hemophilia

A single infusion gene therapy treatment improved levels of the essential blood clotting protein Factor VIII, with 85 percent of patients achieving normal or near-normal levels of the blood clotting factor, even many months after treatment.

Summary: British doctors say they have achieved “mind-blowing” results using gene therapy to rid people of hemophilia A. [This article first appeared on LongevityFacts. Author: Brady Hartman.]

We are one step closer to a cure for hemophilia according to the results of a groundbreaking gene therapy trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Clinical researchers at the Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust have found that over one year after a single gene therapy treatment, patients with hemophilia A are showing normal levels of the previously missing blood clotting factor, effectively curing them.

Researchers Discover Key to Diseases in Mitochondrial DNA Mutations

New view on mitochondrial DNA could put the brakes on mutations that drive diseases. Scientists perform landmark sequencing of mitochondrial DNA and discover surprising facts.

Summary: New view on mitochondrial DNA could help put the brakes on mutations that drive diseases. [Author: Brady Hartman. This article first appeared on LongevityFacts.]

DNA sequences between mitochondria inside a single cell are vastly different, reported scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. This discovery will help to illuminate the underlying mechanisms of diseases that start with mutations in mitochondrial DNA and provide clues about how patients might respond to specific treatments. The researchers published their findings in the journal Cell Reports this week.

Mutant Mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondria are the tiny organelles that produce energy inside our cells. We have two types of DNA in our bodies, the DNA inside the nucleus of our cells, called nuclear DNA – which stores the vast majority of our genetic code – and a separate DNA inside the mitochondria called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

Better, safer biotech production

Continuous automatic sampling during production aims to keep Danish biotechnology at the forefront. The equipment, and the company behind it, are the result of fruitful collaboration between businesses and universities.

Biotech companies can now take samples from their production as often as they wish, untouched by human hands.

This is all thanks to new equipment developed by start-up company Biomatics Technology. Both the company and product were nurtured in the Biopro network, which involves a number of Danish biotech companies and DTU and the University of Copenhagen.

DARPA Subterranean Challenge

Underground settings are becoming increasingly relevant to global security and safety. Rising populations and urbanization are requiring military and civilian first responders to perform their duties below ground in human-made tunnels, underground urban spaces, and natural cave networks. Recognizing that innovative, enhanced technologies could accelerate development of critical lifesaving capabilities, DARPA today announced its newest Grand Challenge: the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, or SubT for short.

For the last time: rejuvenation is not immortality

Whether or not immortality is possible, whether or not one would like it for oneself, it’s important to keep in mind that it is not what biomedical research against ageing is about.

When doing science, it is crucially important to have clear, unambiguous definitions. These definitions must be firmly established to avoid confusion and misunderstandings and possibly to prevent people from going around telling everyone that you’re working on something that you’re actually not.

The I-word

It’s not uncommon, especially for outsiders of a given field, to use an inappropriate word to indicate a more complex concept than the word itself conveys—maybe because they think that the two are close enough or possibly because they just don’t see the difference.