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Archive for the ‘genetics’ category: Page 244

Jan 13, 2021

Dr Halima Benbouza — Leading Biotech Development In Algeria For Health, Agriculture and Conservation

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, education, food, genetics, government, health

Dr. Halima Benbouza is an Algerian scientist in the field of agronomic sciences and biological engineering.

She received her doctorate in 2004 from the University Agro BioTech Gembloux, Belgium studying Plant Breeding and Genetics and was offered a postdoctoral position to work on a collaborative project with the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture in Stoneville, Mississippi.

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Jan 11, 2021

Scientists have restored youth to aging eyes in mice

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

Aging is, at least for now, inevitable, and our eyes are not immune to those changes. Vision loss is, in fact, one of the top 10 causes of disability in the US., however, shows that this might be reversible in the future.

A large team of geneticists, ophthalmologists, and other scientists used a group of molecules called Yamanaka factors to turn cells in the eyes of mature mice back to a youthful state. This reversed the damage done by aging, and the cells were then able to regenerate, connect back to the brain, and vision was restored in both models of normal aging and glaucoma.

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Jan 11, 2021

New UCLA-developed device transfers mitochondria into 100,000 or more recipient cells

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

O,.o circa 2020.


Scientists from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a simple, high-throughput method for transferring isolated mitochondria and their associated mitochondrial DNA into mammalian cells. This approach enables researchers to tailor a key genetic component of cells, to study and potentially treat debilitating diseases such as cancer, diabetes and metabolic disorders.

A study, published today in the journal Cell Reports, describes how the new UCLA-developed device, called MitoPunch, transfers mitochondria into 100000 or more recipient cells simultaneously, which is a significant improvement from existing mitochondrial transfer technologies. The device is part of the continued effort by UCLA scientists to understand mutations in mitochondrial DNA by developing controlled, manipulative approaches that improve the function of human cells or model human mitochondrial diseases better.

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Jan 11, 2021

CRISPR doubles lifespan of mice with rapid ageing disease progeria

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, genetics, life extension

CRISPR gene editing in mice has been used to correct a mutation that can cause rapid ageing, dramatically improving the animals’ health and lifespan.

Jan 11, 2021

CRISPR and the Splice to Survive

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, existential risks, genetics

New gene-editing technology could be used to save species from extinction—or to eliminate them.

Jan 11, 2021

Fluoride to the Rescue? A Big Leap Forward in Addressing Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, chemistry, genetics, health

In Michelle O’Malley’s lab, a simple approach suggests a big leap forward in addressing the challenge of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Scientists have long been aware of the dangerous overuse of antibiotics and the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant microbes that have resulted. While over-prescription of antibiotics for medicinal use has unsettling implications for human health, so too does the increasing presence of antibiotics in the natural environment. The latter may stem from the improper disposal of medicines, but also from the biotechnology field, which has depended on antibiotics as a selection device in the lab.

“In biotech, we have for a long time relied on antibiotic and chemical selections to kill cells that we don’t want to grow,” said UC Santa Barbara chemical engineer Michelle O’Malley. “If we have a genetically engineered cell and want to get only that cell to grow among a population of cells, we give it an antibiotic resistance gene. The introduction of an antibiotic will kill all the cells that are not genetically engineered and allow only the ones we want — the genetically modified organisms [GMOs] — to survive. However, many organisms have evolved the means to get around our antibiotics, and they are a growing problem in both the biotech world and in the natural environment. The issue of antibiotic resistance is a grand challenge of our time, one that is only growing in its importance.”

Jan 11, 2021

Researchers build artificial chromosome

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, genetics

Biotechnologists at Delft University of Technology have built an artificial chromosome in yeast. The chromosome can exist alongside natural yeast chromosomes, and serves as a platform to safely and easily add new functions to the micro-organism. Researchers can use the artificial chromosome to convert yeast cells into living factories capable of producing useful chemicals and even medicines.

Biotechnologists from all over the world are trying to engineer and other micro-organisms such that they can produce useful substances. To do this, they have to make adjustments to the existing genetic material of the cell. For example, they insert a number of genes into the genome using CRISPR-Cas9, or switch off existing genes, thereby gradually transforming yeast into ‘cell factories’ that produce useful substances.

The disadvantage of this method is that it is not possible to make all the necessary changes at once, but that several rounds of genetic manipulation are needed. This is time-consuming. Additionally, multiple sessions of DNA-tinkering using CRISPR-Cas9 can lead to mutations that disrupt (essential) functions. The result of this could be, for instance, that the metabolism of the cell is disrupted, causing problems with growth and division.

Jan 11, 2021

Research Says Alzheimer’s Is Actually 3 Distinct Disease Subtypes

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, neuroscience

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is probably more diverse than our traditional models suggest.

Postmortem, RNA sequencing has revealed three major molecular subtypes of the disease, each of which presents differently in the brain and which holds a unique genetic risk.

Such knowledge could help us predict who is most vulnerable to each subtype, how their disease might progress and what treatments might suit them best, potentially leading to better outcomes.

Jan 10, 2021

Gene Therapies and the Promise of the Fountain of Youth

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

Gene therapies are opening up possibilities that were once reserved for science fiction.

At Harvard University, Professor of Genetics David Sinclair says he believes it’s possible to unlock the fountain of youth, and gene therapy is the key.

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Jan 10, 2021

Noncognitive Skills, Distinct From Cognitive Abilities, Are Important to Success Across the Life

Posted by in categories: education, genetics, neuroscience

Summary: The genetics of neurocognitive skills were associated with higher tolerance of risk, delayed fertility, less healthy-risk behavior, and a greater willingness to forgo immediate gratification.

Source: Columbia University.

Noncognitive skills and cognitive abilities are both important contributors to educational attainment — the number of years of formal schooling that a person completes — and lead to success across the life course, according to a new study from an international team led by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the University of Texas at Austin, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.