Children who develop rhabdomyosarcoma face a high risk of recurrence, but a recent effort to profile this cancer in depth offers new hope for developing durable treatments.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 80
This Robotic Hand’s Electronic Skin Senses Exactly How Hard It Needs to Squeeze
The hand could lead to advanced prosthetic hands for amputees or robots with the dexterity and strength to perform household task.
Amniotic stem cells can be collected from vaginal fluid rather than more invasive techniques
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered that amniotic fluid stem cells can be safely collected from vaginal fluid after childbirth rather than relying on more invasive methods that can pose some risk to the mother and fetus.
“We can then turn those cells into beating heart cells and use them later in treating congenital heart defects,” said the study’s senior author Jeffrey Jacot, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics and bioengineering at the University of Colorado Center for Bioengineering in the CU School of Medicine. “These results allow for an expanded and readily available source of amniotic stem cells beyond traditional collection through amniocentesis.”
The study was published today in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.
Atomic swap in morphine core structure leads to safer, non-rewarding opioid alternative
One of the greatest revolutions in the field of pain medication was the isolation of morphine from the opium poppy in the 19th century. Morphine molecules act as painkillers by attaching themselves to the µ-opioid receptor (MOR) in the central nervous system and blocking the brain from sending pain signals to the rest of the body. This potent opioid analgesic also has side effects such as constipation, respiratory depression, and even serious addiction problems.
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that a single heavy atom replacement in the morphine core structure can transform its pharmacological behavior, resulting in reduced respiratory depression and no evidence of reward behavior—a key component of addiction tendencies—even at high doses.
Based on the insight that core-atom changes to the opioid drug molecule may exhibit biological effects distinct from the parent compound, the researchers developed a 15-step total synthesis of a morphine derivative where an oxygen atom in the E-ring is replaced with a methylene (CH2) group and called the new derivative carbamorphine.
Theory for aerosol droplets from contaminated bubbles may shed light on spread of pollution, microplastics, and more
Bubbles burst when their caps rupture. Children discover this phenomenon every summer day, but it also underpins key mechanisms for the spread of pollutants, contaminants, and even infectious disease through the generation of aerosol droplets. While bubble bursting has been extensively studied in pure substances, the impact of contaminants on bursting dynamics has not received widespread attention.
Researchers in The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have conducted a systematic study to investigate bubble-bursting jets—aerosol particles sprayed when bubble surfaces rupture—when surface contaminants are present. The laboratory of mechanical science and engineering professor Jie Feng developed a model predicting the influence of contaminants on jet size and experimentally confirmed it.
The study is published in the journal Physical Review Letters, where it was selected as an Editors’ Suggestion.
A Novel GalNAc-siRNA With Potent and Durable Antithrombotic Effects
In the present study, the GalNAc-siRNA molecule RBD4059 showed promising reduction of FXI activity in preclinical animal models and antithrombotic effects without disrupting hemostasis.
RBD4059 is the first FXI-targeting GalNAc-siRNA molecule to reach the clinical stage of development and is a promising candidate for the development of a safe and efficient antithrombotic drug with high patient compliance.
