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Online game challenges players to design on/off switch for CRISPR

A Stanford team has launched a new challenge on the Eterna computer game. Players will design a CRISPR-controlling molecule, and with it open the possibility of new research and therapies.

A team of researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine has launched a new challenge for the online computer game Eterna in which players are being asked to design an RNA molecule capable of acting as an on/off switch for the gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9.

Molecular biologists will then build and test the actual molecules, based on the most promising designs provided by the players.

Katherine Jin and Keith Comito, Challenges In American Innovation

How do we make it in today’s crazy, alternative facts, almost alternative world–we get creative, we get INNOVATIVE. Here on ScIQ, we’re talking to two incredible innovators in medical sciences and human health.

Just in her 20s, Kathrine Jin was part of the team of Columbia University students who developed a low-cost, technology-driven solution to meet the urgent challenges posed by the Ebola crisis. She has been honored the United Nations in celebration of International Day of Women and Girls in Science for her part in the creation of Highlight, a patent-pending disinfectant solution.
Learn more about Kinnos here: https://www.kinnos.us/about-us/

When he’s not working at MLB, Keith Comito works with his research group, LifeSpan I.O. in projects related to longevity or age related disease, and receive funds from contributors to fulfill their goals. Thanks to generous funding and awards towards life-changing research, Lifespan I.O. has currently completed 6 diverse projects, which you can find on Lifespan I.O’s website.
Learn about Lifespan I.O here: https://www.lifespan.io/

This video is presented by Jayde Lovell, at Youtube Space NY. Written by Wandy Oritz, directed by Ingrid Nin, edited by Mashnoon Ibtesum at the YouTube Space NYC. Camera work by Alicia Weaver, Lisa McCullough, Genesis Moran and Mashnoon Ibtesum. Production Assistant: Jordan Yaqoob

SCIQ ON THE YOUNG TURKS
Produced by Jayde Lovell and Wandy Ortiz.
Executive Producer: Bec Susan Gill.
ScIQ is a partner of the The Young Turks Network.

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Nanomachines that drill into cancer cells killing them in just 60 seconds developed by scientists

Nanomachines which can drill into cancer cells, killing them in just 60 seconds, have been developed by scientists.

The tiny spinning molecules are driven by light, and spin so quickly that they can burrow their way through cell linings when activated.

In one test conducted at Durham University the nanomachines took between one and three minutes to break through the outer membrane of prostate cancer cell, killing it instantly.

Untangling Alzheimer’s: From Beta to Inflammation to Tau

If there was a poster child of aging diseases, it would be Alzheimer’s disease. The brains of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease have deposits of amyloids resulting from the loss of proteostasis. Alzheimer’s disease is accompanied by the presence of amyloid beta protein and tau protein as well as large numbers of activated pro-inflammatory immune cells.

The debate about which is primary has raged for many years in the research world, and it is still not clear how these three elements combine to cause disease progression. A new study has attempted to untangle the mystery and suggests the order is beta amyloid, inflammation, then tau, and this study identifies new targets for therapies[1].

Edited embryos mean U.S. scientists have passed a major milestone

It is important to note that none of the embryos were allowed to develop for more than a few days, and that the team never had any intention of implanting them into a womb. However, it seems that this is largely due to ongoing regulatory issues, as opposed to issues with the technology itself.

In the United States, all efforts to turn edited embryos into a baby — to bring the embryo to full term — have been blocked by Congress, which added language to the Department of Health and Human Services funding bill that forbids it from approving any such clinical trials.

Related: CRISPR-CAS9: The Future of Genetic Engineering (Infographic)

A Chicagoland hospital is adding a new test to its annual checkup — and it could be the future of medicine

A Chicagoland hospital system has added something new to its patients’ annual checkups: the option to get a genetic test.

Until now, DNA tests have tended to live either in the consumer realm or through referrals to specialists when a patient brings it up.

NorthShore University HealthSystem wants to bring that conversation about genetics into every doctor’s office during annual checkups.

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