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Archive for the ‘biotech/medical’ category: Page 398

Nov 17, 2023

A New Trail to Exoplanets: Team successfully detects Ammonia Isotopologues in Atmosphere of Cold Brown Dwarf

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

They reveal the origin of wine, the age of bones and fossils, and they serve as diagnostic tools in medicine. Isotopes and isotopologues—molecules that differ only in the composition of their isotopes—also play an increasingly important role in astronomy. For example, the ratio of carbon-12 (12C) to carbon-13 (13C) isotopes in the atmosphere of an exoplanet allows scientists to infer the distance at which the exoplanet orbits its central star.

Until now, 12C and 13C bound in carbon monoxide were the only isotopologues that could be measured in the atmosphere of an exoplanet. Now a team of researchers has succeeded in detecting ammonia isotopologues in the atmosphere of a cold brown dwarf.

As the team has just reported in the journal Nature, ammonia could be measured in the form of 14NH3 and 15NH3. Astrophysicists Polychronis Patapis and Adrian Glauser, who are members of the Department of Physics as well as of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, were involved in the study—Patapis as one of the first authors.

Nov 17, 2023

Gene editing stocks mixed despite world’s first CRISPR drug

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical

There were mixed reactions across gene editing space on Thursday after CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX), in a world’s first, won U.K. approval for their CRISPR-based drug exa-cel for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia.

CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP) has added ~5%, and MaxCyte (NASDAQ: MXCT), which has a licensing deal with the Swiss biotech, has gained ~4%. Vertex Pharma (VRTX) is trading lower for the third straight session.

Other CRSPR-based drug developers Graphite Bio (GRPH) and Precision BioSciences (DTIL) are also among the gainers, while notable gene editing biotechs Editas Medicine (EDIT), Beam Therapeutics (BEAM), Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA), and Verve Therapeutics (VRTX) are in the red.

Nov 17, 2023

Discovery of an antibody that stimulates the immune system to eliminate cancer cells

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Major work led by Dr. André Veillette’s team at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), in collaboration with a group of researchers, and just published in Nature Immunology, managed to identify a previously unknown molecular action that prevents phagocytosis, which is a process that promotes the immune system’s response to cancer. A Research Briefing on the work done by the team has been published in the same journal.

Macrophages are cells of the immune system. One of the roles of is to engulf, or “eat,” cells that are defective or dangerous, including cancer cells. This process is named phagocytosis. Macrophages can be called into action to eliminate cancer cells. However, this capacity is often defective, because macrophages are put in a state of dormancy by the cancer cells.

This is in part because a particular molecule called CD47 is often over-abundant on cancer cells. CD47 prevents phagocytosis by triggering a molecule or “receptor” on macrophages named SIRPα. Agents that block the ability of CD47 to trigger SIRPα have shown promising results for treating cancer.

Nov 16, 2023

New study reveals the critical role of microglia in human brain development

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

The researchers used human stem cells to create a model of early brain development — organoids.


Super-resolution image of human stem cell-derived Microglia cells with labeled mitochondria (yellow), nucleus (magenta), and actin filaments (cyan). These Microglia cells help in the maturation of neurons in human brain organoid models. Photo credit: A*STAR’s SIgN

An international team of scientists has uncovered the vital role of microglia, the immune cells in the brain that acts as its dedicated defense team, in early human brain development.

Continue reading “New study reveals the critical role of microglia in human brain development” »

Nov 16, 2023

The world’s first gene therapy for sickle cell disease has been approved in Britain

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s medicines regulator has authorized the world’s first gene therapy treatment for sickle cell disease, in a move that could offer relief to thousands of people with the crippling disease in the U.K. In a statement Thursday, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency said it approved Casgevy, the first medicine licensed using the gene editing tool CRISPR, which won its makers a Nobel prize in 2020. The agency approved…

Nov 16, 2023

Crispr Surges After Winning The First CRISPR Gene-Editing Approval

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

In a world first, regulators in the U.K. approved Crispr’s gene-editing treatment for two blood diseases on Thursday, and CRSP stock surged.

Nov 16, 2023

Wearable device harnesses body sounds for continuous health monitoring

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, wearables

The devices demonstrated clinical-grade accuracy and introduced novel functionalities not seen in prior research or clinical care.


Northwestern University.

Furthering the scope of such examinations, a team of researchers at Northwestern University (NU) is now presenting novel wearable technology much more advanced than the intermittent measures made during periodic medical examinations.

Continue reading “Wearable device harnesses body sounds for continuous health monitoring” »

Nov 16, 2023

Cambridge team grows blood vessels to investigate brain diseases

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension, neuroscience

Cerebral small vessel disease is a significant cause of aging-related mental decline and accounts for almost half of all dementia cases globally.


Sudok1/iStock.

The research, published in the journal Stem Cell Reports, also suggests a possible drug target to prevent or treat the condition known as cerebral small vessel disease (SVD).

Continue reading “Cambridge team grows blood vessels to investigate brain diseases” »

Nov 16, 2023

AI Model Weighs Epigenetic Factors to Predict Cancer Outcomes

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, robotics/AI

Findings lay the groundwork for developing targeted therapies aimed at regulating epigenetic factors in cancer therapy.

Nov 16, 2023

Putin Wants Russia to Win the Artificial Intelligence Race. Here’s Why it Won’t

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, business, military, robotics/AI

“Whoever leads in AI will rule the world,” President Vladimir Putin declared at an address commencing the 2017 Russian school year. Six years later, despite intense focus from senior leadership and heavy investment from the federal budget and state-owned enterprises, Russia remains a laggard in this field, hobbled by international isolation and structural challenges.

Military, political, and business leaders in Moscow have long understood the importance of controlling the information space to secure their grasp on power. After the scare of social media powered “color revolutions” on Russia’s doorstep, Moscow doubled down on these efforts. But facing both headwinds intrinsic to the nature of generative AI and deep, self-inflicted wounds from the war in Ukraine, the window for Russia to take a lead is closing quickly.

Russia’s leaders were caught flat-footed by the rise of social media. The supposed dangers of emerging technology were brought to the fore by Chisinau’s so-called “ Twitter revolution,” when protests organized in part on American social networks prevented Moldova’s ardently pro-Russian Party of Communists from winning the election in 2009.

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