Biotech/medical – Lifeboat News: The Blog

Mar 7
2016

High Glycemic Index Associated With Increased Risk of Lung Cancer

“Lung cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Manitoba”, said Dr. Sri Navaratnam, president and CEO of CancerCare Manitoba. They all are carbohydrate-containing foods with a high glycemic index (GI).

Almost two years ago, the American Lung Association launched LUNG FORCE, an initiative to defeat lung cancer and rally Americans to raise their voices in support of a cure.

Eating a lot of white bread, processed breakfast cereals, cakes and biscuits may increase your risk for lung cancer, warns a new study. Why? However, they recommend individuals to limit food items high in GI such as white bread, corn flakes, bagels and puffed rice. The study results encompass 1,905 cases and 2,413 controls.

Mar 7
2016

Cancer cells get their fuel from neighbours‘ ’words‘

Very bizarre — cancer cells were modifying their metabolism based on communications they were receiving from cells in the microenvironment near the tumor.

Washington D.C., Mar 8 (ANI): A recent study has revealed that cancer cells get 30–60 percent of their fuel from eating their neighbours’ ‘words’.

Researcher Deepak Nagrath from Rice University said their original hypothesis was that cancer cells were modifying their metabolism based on communications they were receiving from cells in the microenvironment near the tumor, but none of them expected to find that they were converting the signals directly into energy.

The results were part of a four-year study by Nagrath, his students and collaborators at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and other institutions about the role of exosomes in cancer metabolism.

Mar 7
2016

The brain’s gardeners: Immune cells ‘prune’ connections between neurons

Cells normally associated with protecting the brain from infection and injury also play an important role in rewiring the connections between nerve cells. And, constant generation of new pathways and networks among brain cells is critical in learning and keeping the mind sharp.

Mar 7
2016

We May Have Found the “Achilles Heel” of Cancer

Possible new method in fighting cancer.

It is still a long ways off, but we just moved one step closer to a true cancer vaccine.

Mar 7
2016

How cancer cells fuel their growth

Pretty cool.

Scientists report that amino acids, not sugar, supply most building blocks for cancerous tumor cells. Cancer cells are notorious for their ability to divide uncontrollably and generate hordes of new tumor cells. Most of the fuel consumed by these rapidly proliferating cells is glucose, a type of sugar.

Scientists had believed that most of the cell mass that makes up new cells, including cancer cells, comes from that glucose. However, MIT biologists have now found, to their surprise, that the largest source for new cell material is amino acids, which cells consume in much smaller quantities.

The findings offer a new way to look at cancer cell metabolism, a field of research that scientists hope will yield new drugs that cut off cancer cells’ ability to grow and divide.

Mar 7
2016

Newly developed model of DNA sheds light on molecule’s flexibility

Knowledge of how DNA folds and bends could offer new perspective on how it is handled within cells while also aiding in the design of DNA-based nano-scale devices, says a biomedical engineer at Texas A&M University whose new motion-based analysis of DNA is providing an accurate representation of the molecule’s flexibility.

The model, which is shedding new light on the physical properties of DNA, was developed by Wonmuk Hwang, associate professor in the university’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, and his Ph.D. student Xiaojing Teng. Hwang uses computer simulation and theoretical analysis to study biomolecules such as DNA that carry out essential functions in the human body. His latest model, which provides a motion-based analysis of DNA is detailed in the scientific journal ACS Nano. The full article can be accessed at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsnano.5b06863.

In addition to housing the genetic information needed to build and maintain an organism, DNA has some incredibly interesting physical properties that make it ideal for the construction of nanodevices, Hwang notes. For example, the DNA encompassed within the nucleus of one human cell can extend to four feet when stretched out, but thanks to a number of folds, bends and twists, it remains in a space no bigger than one micron – a fraction of the width of a human hair. DNA also is capable of being programmed for self-assembly and disassembly, making it usable for building nano-mechanical devices.

Mar 7
2016

A transgender, biotech-running cybercreator debates artificial intelligence

I find this all amusing. However, wide spread adoption is a hurdle that has to be addressed first around AI; and at it’s core is the lack of trust by consumers & businesses around technology that still has not eradicated and blocked cyber hacking and attacks.

Martine Rothblatt takes on the notion that AI is dangerous to humanity.

Mar 7
2016

Google Ventures‘ Bill Maris Investing in Idea of Living to 500

This article is a year old, but it is the first I’ve seen it. This guy has access to hundreds of millions of dollars per year and has this wonderful quote to go with it: “If you ask me today, is it possible to live to be 500? The answer is yes,” Bill Maris says.

Bill Maris has $425 million to invest this year, and the freedom to invest it however he wants. He’s looking for companies that will slow aging, reverse disease, and extend life.

Mar 6
2016

Researchers think they’ve just found a new kind of stem cell

Though their use is marred by controversy and debate, stem cells are one of our best bets when it comes to developing regenerative treatments for a plethora of different conditions. Now, scientists believe they’ve found a brand new type of stem cell hidden in plain sight called XEN, also referred to as iXEN, and it could lead to new ways to study birth defects and reproductive problems.

Before we dive into the latest discovery, it’s worth mentioning how researchers have been using stem cells up to this point. Pluripotent stem cells are so important because they have the potential to develop into every cell in the body, effectively allowing researchers to heal any type of tissue. In the past, these cells were harvested from embryos, but researchers have now figured out how to unlock the potential of pluripotent stem cells using adult cells — avoiding the controversy.

These cells are known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) and researchers create them by “reactivating embryonic genes to ‘reprogram’ mature adult cells”. By doing so, researchers can to an extent, control what these cells become, which means they have the power to regrow damaged tissues.

Mar 6
2016

Scientists trying to clone extinct Ice Age cave lions using DNA from 12,000 year old remains

The project is a joint venture by Russian and South Korean scientists at the Joint Foundation of Molecular Paleontology at North East Russia University in the city of Yakutsk. They will use one of the cubs for the cloning process whilst the other will be kept in a museum.

Remains of two lion cubs were found in Russia’s north-eastern Sakha Republic in August 2015.