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Category: biotech/medical – Page 4

A team of CiRA researchers has uncovered the crucial role of EIF3D—a protein translational regulator—in primed pluripotency. The research is published in the journal Science Advances.

According to the central dogma of molecular biology, information flows from DNA to RNA to protein. While much is known about —the ability to differentiate into any other cell type in the body and to divide indefinitely—in terms of transcriptional and epigenetic regulation, as well as , how protein translation ties these control mechanisms together remains largely underexplored.

To identify genes important for maintaining primed pluripotency—a state poised for differentiating into various cell types in the body, the research team, led by Associate Professor Kazutoshi Takahashi and Assistant Professor Chikako Okubo, began with a genome-wide genetic screen based on CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) that systemically reduces the expression of every single gene in the genome of a pluripotent stem cell (PSC) line.

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Ora Biomedical, in partnership with Rapamycin Longevity Lab, announces the successful funding of the first subproject under its ambitious initiative to conduct a rapid lifespan analysis of 601 mTOR inhibitors in roundworms.

With $50,000 secured, Ora Biomedical will now commence the next phase of the first subproject. This will be a high-throughput screening of 301 mTOR inhibitors using its cutting-edge WormBot-AI technology. This milestone marks an important step toward identifying next-generation compounds that could be more effective than rapamycin, which is currently seen as the golden standard because of its good longevity effects in multiple species.

Mitchell Lee, CEO of Ora Biomedical, emphasized the importance of this research by stating: “The potential of targeting aging to broadly improve healthy lifespan is clear from decades of studies with compounds like rapamycin. However, even for well-validated molecular targets like mTOR, we still don’t know the best interventions. We at Ora Biomedical are proud to partner with Rapamycin Longevity Lab to advance our understanding around targeting mTOR and related kinases for maximizing healthy lifespan. None of this work is possible without support from visionary donors and organizations like the Lifespan Research Institute, the nonprofit behind Lifespan.io, with whom we have partnered to create pathways for donations to advance longevity science. To all those involved, thank you again, and we are excited to get to work!”

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When it comes to early detection of cognitive impairment, a new study suggests that the nose knows. Researchers from Mass General Brigham have developed olfactory tests—in which participants sniff odor labels that have been placed on a card—to assess people’s ability to discriminate, identify and remember odors. They found that participants could successfully take the test at home and that older adults with cognitive impairment scored lower on the test than cognitively normal adults.

Results are published in Scientific Reports.

“Early detection of cognitive impairment could help us identify people who are at risk of Alzheimer’s disease and intervene years before memory symptoms begin,” said senior author Mark Albers, MD, Ph.D., of the Laboratory of Olfactory Neurotranslation, the McCance Center for Brain Health, and Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital.

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During the past two decades, gut microbiome studies have established the significant impact of the gut microbiota and its metabolites on host health. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the production of microbial metabolites in the gut environment remain insufficiently investigated and thus are poorly understood. Here, we propose that an enhanced understanding of gut microbial gene regulation, which is responsive to dietary components and gut environmental conditions, is needed in the research field and essential for our ability to effectively promote host health and prevent diseases through interventions targeting the gut microbiome.

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Neurobehavioural disturbances such as loss of motivation have profound effects on the lives of many people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD), as well as other brain disorders. The field of decision-making neuroscience, underpinned by a plethora of work across species, provides an important framework within which to investigate apathy in clinical populations. Here we review how changes in a number of different processes underlying value-based decision making may lead to the common phenotype of apathy in PD. The application of computational models to probe both behaviour and neurophysiology show promise in elucidating these cognitive processes crucial for motivated behaviour. However, observations from the clinical management of PD demand an expanded view of this relationship, which we aim to delineate. Ultimately, effective treatment of apathy may depend on identifying the pattern in which decision making and related mechanisms have been disrupted in individuals living with PD.

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Anjie Zhen & team show rapamycin reduces HIV-mediated chronic inflammation and T cell exhaustion, delaying viral rebound and reducing viral reservoir in mice.

2UCLA AIDS Institute and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA.

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