From ‘inverse vaccines’ to repurposed cancer therapies, several potential cures for autoimmune diseases are showing serious promise.
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have unveiled a revolutionary method to study the microscopic structures of the human brain. The study, led by Benjamin Creekmore in the labs of Yi-Wei Chang and Edward Lee, promises to enhance our understanding of various brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.
Cryo-electron tomography takes center stage
Traditionally, scientists have utilized electron microscopy to explore and comprehend the intricate details of cellular structures within the brain. However, this method has been fraught with challenges, such as the alteration of cell structures due to the addition of chemicals and physical tissue cutting.
Australian researchers have worked out how to fix a defect that causes lupus, and hope their world-first discovery will offer effective long-term treatment.
Published in Nature Communications, the Monash University-led study found a way to reprogram the defective cells of lupus patients with protective molecules from healthy people.
Using human cells, the new treatment restores the protective side of the immune system that prevents autoimmunity, which is when the immune system attacks its own cells. The findings relate to the autoimmune disease lupus, a debilitating disease with no cure and limited treatments.
Patients with recurrent Escherichia coli bacteremia can harbor strains with mutations that promote multidrug antibiotic resistance:
Certain patients with gram-negative bacterial bloodstream infections (GNB-BSIs) are well-known to experience recurrent bacteremia after receiving antimicrobial therapy — but is this phenomenon due to microbial factors? Researchers have analyzed isolates from patients with relapsed GNB-BSIs in which the initial and subsequent strains were nearly identical genetically.
Paired bacteremic isolates of E. coli, Klebsiella species, Serratia marcescens, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were identified for a detailed analysis of the E. coli strains. Time-kill studies found that 4 of the 11 recurrent isolates had a higher number of bacterial colony-forming units persisting through 24 hours of exposure to meropenem. The recurrent strain with the greatest number of persisting cells had a loss-of-function mutation in the ptsI gene (involved in the phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system and shown in vitro to be important to the effects of bactericidal antibiotics). Challenging mice with the initial and ptsI mutant recurrent strains in a bacteremia model showed that both variants were equally virulent, but the recurrent strain was 10-fold less susceptible to treatment with ertapenem.
Climate change and increasingly extreme weather conditions are predicted to wreak havoc with humanity’s food security. But hopefully, at least tomatoes will stay safe.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University have succeeded in cultivating tomato varieties that consume less water as they grow without compromising on yield, quality or taste, using CRISPR genome editing technology.
Their study, which contributes to growing efforts to ensure food security in a world of diminishing freshwater resources, was recently published in the journal PNAS.
Nobel laureate details new applications at Kuh Distinguished Lecture.
Jennifer Doudna, Nobel laureate and Li Ka Shing Chancellor’s Chair and Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and of Molecular and Cell Biology, presented this year’s Ernest S. Kuh Distinguished Lecture, “Delivering the Future of CRISPR-Based Genome Editing,” on February 2 at UC Berkeley. The sold-out event — produced by Berkeley Engineering in collaboration with the Society of Women Engineers — marks the 11th talk in the lecture series, which features scientists and engineers tackling the world’s most pressing problems.
Doudna is known for developing CRISPR-Cas9, a groundbreaking technology that some call “genetic scissors.” With it, scientists can snip and edit DNA — the genetic code of life — unlocking remarkable possibilities in biology, including treatments for thousands of intractable diseases. This work has changed the course of genomics research, allowing scientists to rewrite DNA with unprecedented precision, and won Doudna and collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
A new Northwestern Medicine study has found the immune system in the blood of Alzheimer’s patients is epigenetically altered. That means the patients’ behavior or environment has caused changes that affect the way their genes work.
Many of these altered immune genes are the same ones that increase an individual’s risk for Alzheimer’s. Northwestern scientists theorize the cause could be a previous viral infection, environmental pollutants or other lifestyle factors and behaviors.
“It is possible that these findings implicate the peripheral immune response in Alzheimer’s disease risk,” said lead investigator David Gate, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “We haven’t yet untangled whether these changes are reflective of brain pathology or whether they precipitate the disease.”
Inflammation is the signature characteristic of arthritis. Quite literally, “arthritis” means swelling or inflammation of a one or more joints. A common diagnosis among older individuals, the primary cause is inconclusive, but the medical community agrees that it is most likely the cause of disease, genetic defect, an injury, or overuse. The major symptoms include joint pain and stiffness. There are many different types of arthritis, which can have varying symptoms and dictate treatment. Two of the most common include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Osteoarthritis is caused by the deterioration or break down of cartilage. Cartilage is the slick tissue between bones to allow for easy movement. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system attacks the joints. There are many different treatments to target arthritis, but the overall goal is to reduce symptoms and improve the patient’s quality of life. Researchers are currently finding new ways to overcome the disease and possibly reverse the effects of inflammation.
Scientists have designed a striking new contact lens that could revolutionize ophthalmology. It’s based on a spiral pattern that lets the eye focus at different distances and in varying lighting conditions.
Beyond contact lenses, its inventors say the tech could be applied to a range of miniaturized imaging systems, including consumer gadgets like virtual reality headsets, to offer more versatility and flexibility than existing lenses.
The lens, called a spiral diopter, causes incoming light to spin in an optical vortex, making allowances for the various deformations in the cornea of the eye that can happen as we age.
A new stool test appears to detect colorectal cancer precursors better than the current fecal immunochemical test. This could further reduce the number of new colorectal cancer cases as well as the number of people dying from the disease. A study led by the Netherlands Cancer Institute compared both tests.
Their results are published in The Lancet Oncology.
Each year worldwide, approximately 1.9 million people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and 935,000 people lose their lives as a result of the condition. If detected early, colorectal cancer is curable. However, by the time symptoms such as weight loss or blood in the stool appear, it is often too late. That is why many countries have introduced population-based screening programs. In The Netherlands, for example, people between the ages of 55 and 75 are invited to be tested every two years.
