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Excellent. Now, the question is “has Microsoft seen this?” as they are working on solving Diabetes too as part of their Synbio program that has already shown us their DNA Data Storage.

People with type 1 diabetes must inject themselves with insulin multiple times per day. This is because their immune system has destroyed cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin to maintain a healthy blood glucose level.

A team of bioengineers now report a possible alternative to such injections. The researchers engineered human kidney cells to act like pancreatic β cells, namely to sense blood glucose levels and produce insulin accordingly (Science 2016, DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf4006). When implanted in mice with type 1 diabetes, the cells prevent high blood glucose levels, also known as hyperglycemia.

Right now, “all we offer diabetic patients to cope with their disease is to have them measure their blood glucose levels and then inject a hormone,” says Martin Fussenegger of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, who led the team that engineered the cells. Although this works, he says, getting the dose right can be tough. “We set out to pioneer a new disease treatment concept.”

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Nice.

Chronic pain is thought to involve the long-lasting strengthening of synapses, akin to what happens during the formation of new memories. This phenomenon, known as long-term potentiation (LTP), is triggered when neurons on both sides of a synapse are active at the same time. But now, Jürgen Sandkühler, Medical University of Vienna, Austria, and colleagues provide evidence that LTP in nociceptive circuits arises in a different way.

By simultaneously activating two types of glial cells―astrocytes and microglia―the researchers were able to produce LTP at synapses that connect peripheral C-fibers and lamina I neurons in the dorsal horn spinal cord. They also showed that with high-frequency stimulation of C-fibers, glial cells strengthen active and inactive synapses through their release of the NMDA receptor co-agonist D-serine and the cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Moreover, these molecules traveled to distant synapses, perhaps explaining why pain hypersensitivity can develop in areas surrounding or far away from an injury.

“This paper is going to stimulate a lot of discussion that will lead to important advances for all of us in the pain field,” said Theodore Price, The University of Texas at Dallas, US, who was not involved in the study. “It raises questions for my lab in our day-to-day research that we can address immediately. That’s ultimately the true measure of a really good paper.”

Continue reading “A New Form of Synaptic Plasticity in Pain Pathways” | >

For all my Lab friends who utilize Spectrometers, drill bit fans as well as many of us QC fans. A new stronger syn. diamond being developed.

But you won’t find this diamond on any engagement rings — it will help cut through ultra-solid materials on mining sites.

Step aside, girls. Diamonds may now be a miner’s best friend, thanks to scientists from Australian National University (ANU).

Led by ANU professor Jodie Bradby, an international team is creating a hexagonal diamond, called Lonsdaleite, that’s predicted to be harder than a jeweler’s diamond. The researchers made nano-sized Lonsdaleite at 400 degrees Celsius (752 degrees Fahrenheit), effectively halving the temperature in which it can be formed in a lab. They’ve published their work in Scientific Reports.

Continue reading “Scientists are Creating a New Diamond Predicted to be Harder Than a Jeweler’s Diamond” | >

More proof that Precision Medicine can predict and solve complex health issues.

Brain scans could help predict response to psychotherapy for anxiety and depression.

brain-scan-treatment-research

Nov. 10, 2016 – Brain imaging scans may one day provide useful information on the response to psychotherapy in patients with depression or anxiety, according to a review of current research in the November/December issue of the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, published by Wolters Kluwer.

Continue reading “Progress toward personalized treatments” | >

A successful production trial by Australian battery technology innovator Nano-Nouvelle has proved its pioneering nanotechnology ­­­supports industrial-scale manufacture, with output rates 100 times faster.

The Sunshine Coast-based company is developing world-leading nanotechnology that can boost the energy storage capacity of lithium ion batteries by as much as 50 per cent. Lithium ion batteries are used in devices ranging from mobile phones and notebooks to and electric vehicles and home energy storage systems.

As well as proving its technology, Nano-Nouvelle has worked with companies worldwide to ensure its battery-boosting breakthrough is usable with today’s production lines.

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