A DNA-powered PC may not be on the horizon, but DNA can still compute even if it can’t build a computer.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 3,117
UN panel warns against ‘designer babies’ and eugenics in ‘editing’ of human DNA
Warning that rapid advances in genetics make “designer babies” an increasing possibility, a United Nations panel today called for a moratorium on “editing” the human genome, pending wider public debate lest changes in DNA be transmitted to future generations or foster eugenics.
While acknowledging the therapeutic value of genetic interventions, the panel stressed that the process raises serious concerns, especially if the editing of the human genome should be applied to the germline, thereby introducing hereditary modifications.
“Gene therapy could be a watershed in the history of medicine and genome editing is unquestionably one of the most promising undertakings of science for the sake of all humankind,” the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said in a news release on a report by its International Bioethics Committee (IBC).
This Prosthetic Could Restore Memory In Dementia Victims
Memory loss is a truly devastating part of dementia, but this invention aims to fix that by bypassing the damage, and repairing long term memory.
Alzheimer’s and dementia are complex diseases, and there’s currently no effective treatment. Given the unpleasant nature of the disease, there’s an urgent need for results. Instead of taking the usual biological route, one team has constructed a prosthetic made up of a small electrode array — which can help re-encode short term memory into long term.
Built using decades of research, the device operates using a new algorithm based on accumulated neural data. New sensory information is normally translated into a quick memory and transported as an electrical signal through the hippocampus, potentially for long term storage. If this region is damaged then the process is disturbed, and new experiences fail to be encoded. Alzheimer’s patients can often remember childhood events, but struggle with recent experiences; specifically because of this hippocampal damage.
Why I’m running for president—and got a chip implanted in my hand
My new and first article for The Daily Dot. It’s about transhumanism and the Immortality Bus tour:
Even though I was born after the 1960s, I’ve always been fascinated with that era. Some people credit Ken Kesey’s cross country bus trip aboard colorfully painted “Further” as helping to create a generation of hippies. Of course, my Immortality Bus (shaped to look like a coffin) wants to stir up the national consciousness as well, aiming to usher in its own cultural shift. Whereas the ‘60s were about peace, love, drugs, and sex, I believe the next decade will be about virtual reality, implants, transhumanism, and overcoming death with science. For futurists like myself, that’s quite an intoxicating mix.
The fact is that a lot of radical tech, science, and medicine are already here in America. Consider that today the paralyzed can walk via exoskeleton suits, the blind can see via bionic eyes, and the limbless can grab a bottle of water and drink with artificial limbs that connect to their nervous system. Additionally, lifespans are increasing for people all around the planet. Science is rapidly making the world a better place, and it’s starting to eliminate suffering and hardship for billions of people.
Scientist who injected himself with 3.5 MILLION year old germs says they give ETERNAL LIFE
“Dr Brouchkov, the head of the Geocryology Department at Moscow State University, first injected himself with the bacteria two years ago.
He claims he has not had flu since, and that he has also been able to work harder and longer without getting tired.”
A RUSSIAN scientist claims he has cracked the secret of ETERNAL LIFE after injecting himself with primordial GERMS.
How Do Brain Stem Cells Age? Their Damage Filter Breaks Down
Could discovering how neural stem cells protect themselves from damage lead to treatment that helps combat aging?
We now know that stem cells in the brain do in fact divide, and that this regenerative capacity begins to falter with age. The majority of our cells don’t divide, and the bulk of division falls to stem cell niches dotted across our body. Stem cell populations do age, but they’re more resistant than ‘normal’ cells are, and they produce higher levels of telomerase — enabling them to divide for years.
How do brain stem cells remain free of damage?
Neural stem cells aren’t perfectly protected from aging, but they’re generally a hardier bunch. Scientists from the University of Zurich have now discovered that part of this aging resistance in neural stem cells is due to a ‘diffusion barrier’. When they divide, these cells produce a barrier which filters out damaged proteins to one side, allowing the new cell to be damage-free.
Hacking The Nervous System: Are Electroceuticals The Future?
As implants and bio-hacking gain popularity, could tweaking the body’s circuits become a mainstay in future medicine?
Bioelectronics offer everything from precise diabetes treatment to appetite reduction. In a world where most of us have a phone glued to our hand at all times, combining ‘wetware’ with hardware is starting to make real sense.
New prosthesis bypasses brain damage
Cortical memory prosthesis uses internal brain signals (e.g., spiketrains) as inputs and outputs, bypassing damaged region (Dong Song et al.)
A brain prosthesis designed to help individuals suffering from memory loss has been developed by researchers at USC and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
BioViva Treats First Patient with Gene Therapy to Reverse Aging
BioViva USA, Inc. has become the first company to treat a person with gene therapy to reverse biological aging, using a combination of two therapies developed and applied outside the United States of America. Testing and research on these therapies is continuing in BioViva’s affiliated labs worldwide.
BioViva CEO Elizabeth Parrish announced Biobthat the subject is doing well and has resumed regular activities. Preliminary results will be evaluated at 5 and 8 months with full outcome expected at 12 months. The patient will then be monitored every year for 8 years.
Gene therapy allows doctors to treat disease at the cellular level by inserting a gene into a patient’s cells instead of using the regular modalities of oral drugs or surgery. BioViva is testing several approaches to age reversal, including using gene therapy to introduce genes into the body.
3 Drugs With Anti-Aging Potential
Do any existing drugs have longevity promoting effects? Here are 3 currently under investigation.