Nature Biologists have produced a strain of yeast whose genome is more than 50% synthetic DNA.
Highly edited strain survives and replicates despite containing 7.5 artificial chromosomes.
This is a good application for medicine. 👍🏼
“I practically could not walk anymore without falling frequently, several times a day,” said Marc, who is now 62 years old. “In some situations, such as entering a lift, I’d trample on the spot, as though I was frozen there, you might say.”
“This allows me to walk better and to stabilize. I’m not even afraid of the stairs anymore.”
Continue reading “Spinal implant lets man with Parkinson’s walk again” »
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have used their expertise in quantum biology, artificial intelligence and bioengineering to improve how CRISPR Cas9 genome editing tools work on organisms like microbes that can be modified to produce renewable fuels and chemicals.
CRISPR is a powerful tool for bioengineering, used to modify genetic code to improve an organism’s performance or to correct mutations. The CRISPR Cas9 tool relies on a single, unique guide RNA that directs the Cas9 enzyme to bind with and cleave the corresponding targeted site in the genome.
Existing models to computationally predict effective guide RNAs for CRISPR tools were built on data from only a few model species, with weak, inconsistent efficiency when applied to microbes.
Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute (NBI) have removed a key obstacle for development of extremely sensitive monitoring devices based on quantum technology.
Monitoring the heartbeat of an unborn child and other types of delicate medical examinations show the potential of quantum sensors. Since these sensors exploit phenomena at the scale of atoms, they can be far more accurate than today’s sensors.
Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute (NBI), University of Copenhagen, have managed to overcome a major obstacle for development of quantum sensors. Their results are published in Nature Communications.
The University of Oxford researchers for the first time showcased that neural cells can be 3D printed to replicate the structure of the brain’s outer layer: the cerebral cortex.
In a significant breakthrough, scientists have created brain tissue using human stem cells through 3D printing. This advancement holds promise for potential future applications in treating brain injuries.
For the first time, the University of Oxford researchers showcased that neural cells can be 3D printed to replicate the structure of the brain’s outer layer: the cerebral cortex.
Continue reading “New 3D printing approach offers hope for brain injury repair” »
UCLA scientists have developed a new method to engineer more powerful immune cells that can potentially be used for “off-the-shelf” cell therapy to treat challenging cancers.
“Off-the-shelf” cell therapy, also known as allogenic therapy, uses immune cells derived from healthy donors instead of patients. The approach can bring cell therapies, like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, to more patients in a timelier manner, which is one of the major barriers in getting these life-saving treatments to patients.
“Time is often of the essence when it comes to treating people with advanced cancers,” said Lili Yang, associate professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Currently, these types of therapies need to be tailored to the individual patient. We have to extract white blood cells from a patient, genetically engineer the cells and then re-infuse them back into the patient. This process can take weeks to months and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat each patient.”
In nationwide projections, elderly and Black adults are most at risk for cardiovascular death due to extreme heat, finds a new study. Cardiovascular deaths from extreme heat in the U.S. may more than double by the middle of the century. Without reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, that number could even triple, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation.
“Climate change and its many manifestations will play an increasingly important role on the health of communities around the world in the coming decades,” said lead study author Sameed Khatana, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a staff cardiologist at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, both in Philadelphia. “Climate change is also a health equity issue as it will impact certain individuals and populations to a disproportionate degree and may exacerbate preexisting health disparities in the U.S.”
How much and how quickly greenhouse gas emissions increase in the next decades will determine the health impacts of extreme heat. More aggressive policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have the potential to reduce the number of people who may experience the adverse health effects of extreme heat, according to Khatana.
Link :- Watch a video of Karin using her new bionic hand: https://www.freethink.com/hard-tech/bionic-hand-phantom-limb
A new way of merging the body with a bionic hand provided a woman with more control over her prosthetic and less phantom limb pain.
In a small study, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found that positron emission tomography (PET) scans of the heart may identify people who will go on to develop Parkinson’s disease or Lewy body dementia among those at-risk for these diseases.
The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation and led by scientists at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of NIH, may advance efforts to detect the earliest changes that years later lead to Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
In 34 people with Parkinson’s disease risk factors, researchers conducted PET scans of the heart to gain insight into levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. They found that the scans could distinguish individuals who would later be diagnosed with Parkinson’s or Lewy body dementia—both are brain diseases caused by abnormal deposits of the protein alpha-synuclein that form clumps known as Lewy bodies. The research was conducted at the NIH Clinical Center, currently the only location for 18 F-dopamine PET scanning.
Squamous cell lung cancer is a lung cancer subtype that is particularly difficult to treat. A new study now has revealed a novel genetic alteration that occurs in some cases in this type of tumor and that may expose a weakness of the tumor for therapeutic intervention.
The University of Cologne researchers led by Professor Roman Thomas, director of the Department of Translational Genomics, was able to show that a certain genetic change occurs during tumor formation and that a previously unknown oncogene is produced. Oncogenes are genes that promote the growth of tumors. In some cases, they can be inhibited by targeted drug treatments.
This approach is often accompanied by a higher success rate and lower side effects compared to conventional chemotherapy. The scientists’ discovery could therefore be a first step toward a more successful therapy of this particular type of cancer.
