A new study backed by a $3.2M NIMH grant targets the HDAC3 histone modifier and uses CRISPR to erase the amygdala’s molecular trauma memory.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 7
The Deliverome Project
Congratulations to the team of on their launch! This new Focused Research Organization aims to “building an open atlas of the human surfaceome — abundance, specificity, internalization, and routing — to scale targeted delivery beyond the liver.” I’m excited to see the impact this FRO has, particularly on the gene therapy world!
An open receptor atlas for targeted delivery beyond the liver, integrating abundance, specificity, internalization, and routing.
New RNA sequencing method reveals hidden layer of immune system control
Researchers at University Medical Center Utrecht have uncovered a previously underappreciated mechanism that helps immune cells to respond rapidly to infections. Using advanced long-read RNA sequencing, the team shows that alternative RNA splicing, which means how genes are edited into different messenger RNA variants, plays a central role in shaping immune responses. The findings provide new insights into immune-mediated diseases (such as infections, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus) and may open the door to more targeted therapies.
The study, published in Nature Communications, focused on monocytes, a type of innate immune cell that acts as a first responder to pathogens. When these cells encounter bacterial components such as cell wall components, they must quickly adapt to mount an effective defense. While earlier research has largely examined changes in overall gene expression, this study zoomed in on RNA isoforms, the different transcript variants that a single gene can produce.
Using long-read RNA sequencing, researchers at the Center for Translational Immunology (University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands) generated a comprehensive map of full-length RNA transcripts in human monocytes before and after activation. They identified more than 24,000 isoforms, of which the majority have never been described, revealing a previously hidden layer of molecular complexity.
BREAKTHROUGH CHOLESTEROL CURE Lowers LDL For Life
New LDL Drug Could Cure Heart Disease. Eli Lilly published Phase 1 data in the New England Journal of Medicine showing that a single IV infusion of a gene editing therapy called VERVE-102 lowered LDL cholesterol permanently. Well… the effect held for at least 18 months. Longevity Twitter immediately called it the cure for heart disease. The science is real. The hype is getting ahead of what the paper actually says. This episode walks through the Phase 1 Heart-2 trial — the data, the base-editing mechanism (which is NOT CRISPR), the one safety event nobody’s talking about, and how Eli Lilly’s CEO is publicly thinking about pricing a one-and-done cure.
HUME BODY POD DISCOUNT UP TO 50% OFF:
Code: LSN20
https://humehealth.com/pages/hume-bod… Latte: https://longevitylatte.shop TIMESTAMPS 0:00 — Cold Open 1:41 — Sponsor: Hume Body Pod 2:53 — Intro: The Cholesterol Paradox 4:48 — How Statins Work 5:36 — PCSK9 Targeting 7:38 — How VERVE-102 Works 9:16 — The Results 12:16 — Other Drugs and Pricing 15:12 — Natural Alternatives 17:42 — Other One and Done Drugs 18:40 — Longevity Latte SOURCES & LINKS NEJM paper (Vafai, Täubel, Patel, Kathiresan et al.): https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056… Eli Lilly press release on Phase 1 Heart-2 data: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea… ClinicalTrials.gov Heart-2 trial entry (NCT06164730): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT0… Verve Therapeutics FDA Fast Track designation announcement: https://vervetx.gcs-web.com/news-rele… Cohen and Hobbs 2006 NEJM paper (the foundational PCSK9 loss-of-function discovery): https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/.… Dave Ricks (Eli Lilly CEO) on Cheeky Pint with Patrick and John Collison: • Dave Ricks, CEO of Eli Lilly, on GLP-1s an… FOURIER trial (evolocumab cardiovascular outcomes): https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056… ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial (alirocumab cardiovascular outcomes): https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056… PCSK9 LoF and diabetes (Mendelian randomization, Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology): https://www.thelancet.com/journals/la… PCSK9 inhibition and diabetes risk review: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles… StatPearls overview of PCSK9 inhibitors: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NB… Sardinia cholesterol paradox study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles… Statin pleiotropic effects review (mevalonate pathway): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti… Berberine as a nature-made PCSK9 inhibitor review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti… Berberine for dyslipidaemias meta-analysis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30466… Pomegranate juice, carotid IMT, and LDL oxidation (Aviram 3-year study): https://www.clinicalnutritionjournal… LATEST EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: [Ariel Garten / Muse headset interview YouTube URL] ABOUT LONGEVITY SCIENCE NEWS Longevity Science News covers the latest breakthroughs in anti-aging research, regenerative medicine, longevity biotech, and the science of extending human healthspan and lifespan. Hosted by Emmett Short. Disclaimer: This video is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified clinician before making health or treatment decisions. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS & BONUS CONTENT Patreon: https://patreon.com/u29506604?utm_med… YT Membership:
/ @longevitysciencenews PRODUCTION CREDITS Executive Producer – Keith Comito Host, Producer, Writer – Emmett Short.
Longevity Latte:
https://longevitylatte.shop.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 — Cold Open.
1:41 — Sponsor: Hume Body Pod.
2:53 — Intro: The Cholesterol Paradox.
4:48 — How Statins Work.
5:36 — PCSK9 Targeting.
7:38 — How VERVE-102 Works.
9:16 — The Results.
12:16 — Other Drugs and Pricing.
15:12 — Natural Alternatives.
17:42 — Other One and Done Drugs.
18:40 — Longevity Latte.
SOURCES \& LINKS
NEJM paper (Vafai, Täubel, Patel, Kathiresan et al.): https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056…
Eli Lilly press release on Phase 1 Heart-2 data: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea…
ClinicalTrials.gov Heart-2 trial entry (NCT06164730): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT0…
Verve Therapeutics FDA Fast Track designation announcement: https://vervetx.gcs-web.com/news-rele…
Cohen and Hobbs 2006 NEJM paper (the foundational PCSK9 loss-of-function discovery): https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/.…
Dave Ricks (Eli Lilly CEO) on Cheeky Pint with Patrick and John Collison: • Dave Ricks, CEO of Eli Lilly, on GLP-1s an…
Jacque Fresco: Apply the Methods of Science to the Social System!
I have to confess something about this interview.
I really liked Jacque Fresco. Not as a thinker I was supposed to admire, but as a person: the humor, the humility, the scientific curiosity still burning at 97.
That made the disagreements harder, not easier.
Fresco spent almost a century arguing one idea. We apply the methods of #science to engineering, to medicine, to flight. Then we run our economies and our politics on opinion, tradition, and the preferences of the financial elite.
He thought we had it exactly inverted. Rigor for the machines, guesswork for the humans.
“Technology was never the hard part. The harder question is what kind of society we want it to serve.”
OpenAI’s quiet co-founder steps out
OpenAI co-founder Wojciech Zaremba doesn’t do many interviews.
We recently spoke about why he moved over to help run the company’s nonprofit arm.
His reaction to Anthropic speaking alongside the Pope: “I have more bias towards doing. Let’s actually solve the problems, and let’s speak about the exact plan.”
Wojciech Zaremba recently bought a copy of “House on Fire,” a 2011 memoir by epidemiologist William Foege about the campaign that wiped smallpox off the planet. He’s using it as a guidebook for executing what is about to become one of the largest philanthropic efforts of all time.
Zaremba is one of OpenAI’s least well-known co-founders. He has spent more than a decade at the company across a range of efforts, from leading its early robotics efforts to starting the team that guides OpenAI’s personality and what became reasoning models. In March, he left the frontier research world to run AI “resilience” at OpenAI’s nonprofit foundation.
Zaremba and I spoke ahead of a post that the OpenAI Foundation published Monday morning titled “Resilience in the Age of AI,” which names four areas it will initially fund: biosecurity, cybersecurity, model safety, and AI’s effect on kids. After $100 million for fighting Alzheimer’s with AI in April and $250 million for researching “economic futures” last week, the initial $25 billion grant machine Zaremba helps oversee is spinning up.
Tiny brain probe reveals how deep-brain neurons can be measured and manipulated
A new breakthrough technology, co-developed by UCL scientists, that simultaneously records and manipulates neuron activity deep within the brain could transform our understanding of neural circuits and neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.
The device, known as Neuropixels Opto and researched in mice, integrates two powerful but traditionally separate techniques—electrophysiology (the study of the electrical activity of living cells) and optogenetics (combining genetics and optics to control cells). They form a single probe, enabling unprecedented insight into how individual neurons in the brain function and interact.
Published in Nature Methods, the system allows researchers to monitor the electrical activity of hundreds of neurons while also selectively activating or silencing specific cells using light.
Why some tumors resist immunotherapy: Blocking miR-25 may help turn ‘cold’ cancers ‘hot’
Immune checkpoint therapy, a type of cancer immunotherapy that helps the immune system recognize and attack tumors, has transformed cancer treatment. While these therapies can produce long-lasting benefits for some patients, many cancers either fail to respond or become resistant over time.
One major challenge is the tumor microenvironment —the network of cells and signals surrounding tumors that can weaken immune cells and protect cancer from treatment. This protective environment can act like a shield that prevents immunotherapy from working effectively.
Researchers at University of California San Diego investigated whether microRNAs —small RNA molecules that help control gene activity—play a role in creating this treatment-resistant environment. The team focused on microRNA-25 (miR-25), which stood out after analyses showed that its levels changed in tumors that responded to immunotherapy.