Researchers have injected CRISPR in the blood of people born with a disease that causes fatal nerve and heart disease and shown that in three of them, it nearly shut off the production of toxic protein from their livers. The clinical trial aims to deactivate a mutated gene that causes liver cells to churn out misfolded forms of a protein called transthyretin, which build up on nerves and the heart and lead to pain, numbness, and heart disease.

The study gives way for treating other liver diseases using CRISPR, by either knocking out a gene or modifying it with the help of a DNA template.

https://www.science.org/content/article/crispr-injected-blood-treats-genetic-disease-first-time

By: ET Aranas

The most common type of arthritis, Osteoarthritis (OA), impacts the lives of individuals around the globe. It is a degenerative disease that affects more than 32 million Americans and this occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones breaks down with time. Except for over-the-counter analgesics, there are no effective therapy procedures for Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), a prominent type of osteoarthritis causing articular cartilage damage that occurs after a joint injury, very common among military personnel which costs the U.S. healthcare system more than $3 billion per year.

This year, National Science Foundation-funded researchers at New York University developed a molecular mechanism and therapeutic payload for delivering pharmacologic treatment directly to damaged joints, successfully reducing the possibility and progression of post-traumatic osteoarthritis. The researchers used a combination of compounds to generate a protein-based gel (E₅C) that can reach and encapsulate damaged joints reducing inflammation and stimulating regeneration, without any toxic effects on human cells, and decomposes in just a few weeks.

The researchers plan to do more studies to see if higher doses of Atsttrin, an engineered protein combined with the E₅C gel, are effective for both preventive and therapeutic purposes. 

References:
Priya Katyal et al, Injectable recombinant block polymer gel for sustained delivery of therapeutic protein in post-traumatic osteoarthritis, Biomaterials (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2022.121370

Scientists develop gel that delivers drugs directly to diseased joints

IPMaligro

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Similar Article:                                                  https://facebit.health/
Reference: 
FaceBit. (2021). Retrieved March 21, 2022, from Facebit.health website: https://facebit.health/

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The company is now working towards its first proper human trials. The plan is to implant the devices into patients who can’t find a suitable heart donor, for three months, and monitor how they perform. Long term, it’s hoped that BiVACOR hearts can replace the total function of the patients’ hearts and offer hope to the millions of people who are waiting or unsuitable for heart transplants. If successful, it will end one of the great challenges of biomedical engineering.

Reference:
Artificial hearts made from magnets and titanium could save many lives. (n.d.). BBC Science Focus Magazine. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/artificial-hearts-made-from-magnets-and-titanium-could-save-many-lives/#:~:text=The%20first%20artificial%20heart%20implantation

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-JBABayless

Sources:
[1] https://www.mmv.org/newsroom/news/first-ever-malaria-vaccine-get-who-recommendation-roll-out?gclid=CjwKCAjw0a-SBhBkEiwApljU0kyq-QH10rHe31BLFh2JT2ZwdFpYczbZzBDoc13j84O2MPQepPfW9hoCC_cQAvD_BwE
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31545128/#:~:text=The%20vaccine%20was%20created%20in,areas%20where%20mortality%20is%20high.
[3] https://www.who.int/news/item/06-10-2021-who-recommends-groundbreaking-malaria-vaccine-for-children-at-risk
[4] https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/malaria-vaccine-for-children-who-approved-vaccine-739536


MGDSSingh

When scientists examined Physarum polycephalum, a bright yellow slime mold, under a microscope, they noticed that the tubes became thicker when they are exposed to food and thinner when they are not. These changes are most likely the result of a chemical signal. The persistence of this imprint in polycephalum's highly dynamic network reorganization led to the idea that the network architecture itself might serve as memories of the past, says one biophysicist, Karen Alim. Similarly, slime mold tubes that locate food grow, while dead ends wither. 

Researchers could adapt this type of memory storage and chemical signaling in artificial intelligence without the use of electronics by using protein-based polymers, gels, or other biological materials. As explained by the biophysicist, “making the robots out of responsive material that expands in response to the concentration of signaling molecules would be a direct implementation of the memory mechanism seen in Physarum.” 
Such soft robotics, which lack such hardware, could benefit from this.She believes that if the rest of the bot is made of biomaterial, a slime mold–inspired system could be used in situations where toxicity is a concern, such as medical applications or water processing.

Source:
Lallensack, R. (2021, December 29). Ten Scientific Discoveries From 2021 That May Lead to New Inventions. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/ten-scientific-discoveries-from-2021-that-may-lead-to-new-inventions-180979285/

- AMGeonzon

Quantum computer uses the laws of quantum physics for incredible processing capabilities which can revolutionize meteorology, cybersecurity, manufacturing, national defense, and much more.

In November 2021, IBM launched its 127-qubit Eagle. This is the most powerful quantum processor yet.

Later, the company Quantinuum launched a cloud-based cybersecurity platform called Quantum Origin, the world’s first commercial product built from quantum computing. Quantum computing is now set to evolve rapidly.

The second announcement IBM made at its Quantum Summit may help towards that goal. The IBM Quantum System Two is designed to work with processors exceeding 1,000 qubits and will feature a more modular design with an overhauled cryogenic platform to optimise cooling performance.

IBM is on track to launch the system by 2023 which will help increase the scale of its chips.

https://www.itpro.co.uk/server-storage/high-performance-computing-hpc/361542/ibm-launches-most-powerful-quantum-chip#:~:text=IBM%20has%20unveiled%20its%20latest,What%20is%20quantum%20computing%3F

AKLSolano

Materials provided by National Institutes of Health. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220331151517.htm

MCA~BEBITA

Blood stem cells are present in the bone marrow of a healthy adult, where they renew the supply of red and white blood cells, as well as platelets. "They are sort of master cells," explains Harvard Medical School's George Daley. When these cells do not function properly, they are unable to maintain an appropriate blood cell supply. As a result, the body's tissues receive insufficient oxygen. This can result in catastrophic sickness if it affects vital organs such as the heart. Chemotherapy for leukemia and other malignancies can potentially destroy blood stem cells.

So, how did they manage to create blood stem cells in the laboratory?

To make blood stem cells in the laboratory, Daley and his colleagues began with human pluripotent stem cells,  which have the capacity to differentiate into practically any other type of body cell. The team then looked for substances that could induce these cells to differentiate into blood stem cells. The researchers found proteins that control the genes involved in blood production and applied them to their stem cells after examining the genes involved in blood formation. They tried numerous combinations of the proteins and discovered five that acted synergistically to promote the development of their stem cells into blood stem cells. When these were injected into mice, they produced new red and white blood cells, as well as platelets. 

Reference:
Hamzelou, J. (2017). Human blood stem cells grown in the lab for the first time. NewScientist.  https://www.newscientist.com/article/2131517-human-blood-stem-cells-grown-in-the-lab-for-the-first-time/

RABRonato

Nematodes are relatively simple creatures, so simple that they are a favored model organism for all kinds of research (per NCBI), but they have an advanced sense of smell which they use to navigate the world. That sense of smell is apparently fine-tuned for sniffing out certain types of cancers. Researchers working with the National Research Foundation of Korea put the worms to work detecting cultured lung cancer cells. Their device, which they call "worm-on-a-chip" consists of a small rectangular piece of elastomer with a chamber carved out of its interior. The worms are placed in the middle and have the option to travel down one of two paths. On one end there are healthy cells, on the other end, the cells are cancerous. Researchers found that the worms successfully moved toward the cancerous sample about 70% of the time.

Source: https://www.slashgear.com/817901/the-12-coolest-scientific-discoveries-of-march-2022/?utm_campaign=clip

-H.A. Matsuura

geneticist Longhua Guo happened to reach out to Sykes to study gecko morphs and decided to look into the genetic mystery of the lemon frost geckos. Guo and his team found a gene called SPINT1, which is linked to skin cancer in humans, is also responsible for both the geckos’ golden glow and their tumors. Studying SPINT1 further could help scientists better understand how certain cancers develop in humans—and perhaps lead to new ways to treat the illness.
 
sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/reptiles-frosty-yellow-skin-may-reveal-future-treatments-skin-cancers-humans-180978075/

-KCKanen

All 14 patients who were given the new drug, dostarlimab, were found after six months to have no trace of cancer. Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer center in New York could find no sign of the disease through physical examination, endoscopies, MRIs or other scans.

The researchers described the results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, as “breakthrough findings” and said they were astonished by the universal success rate. “I believe this is the first time this has happened in the history of cancer,” Dr Luis Diaz, a leading member of the team, told the New York Times.

This is a very exciting step towards finding a cure of Colorectal Cancer. When I saw this news, I was jumping up and down for joy.  This drug is one of the best breakthroughs for rectal cancer thusfar. This means that for patients with specific types of rectal cancer, it allowed them to avoid further surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. This drug is known as a checkpoint inhibitor. It actually works by removing the shield that cancer cells put around them. Without the shield, the cancer cells are exposed to the immune system and vulnerable to being destroyed.

The findings fall within one of the most promising areas of frontier experimental cancer research that combines personalised medicine with immunotherapy. The ambition is to train the immune system to destroy cancer cells by helping it detect specific mutations in the genetic makeup of an individual patient’s own tumour.

- ANGELIQUE LIGARAY

In a nutshell, the researchers found that the stress neurotransmitter norepinephrine, also known as noradrenaline, facilitates fear processing in the brain by stimulating a certain population of inhibitory neurons in the amygdala to generate a repetitive bursting pattern of electrical discharges. This bursting pattern of electrical activity changes the frequency of brain wave oscillation in the amygdala from a resting state to an aroused state that promotes the formation of fear memories.

Published recently in Nature Communications, the research was led by Tulane cell and molecular biology professor Jeffrey Tasker, the Catherine and Hunter Pierson Chair in Neuroscience, and his PhD student Xin Fu.

Tasker used the example of an armed robbery. "If you are held up at gunpoint, your brain secretes a bunch of the stress neurotransmitter norepinephrine, akin to an adrenaline rush," he said.

"This changes the electrical discharge pattern in specific circuits in your emotional brain, centered in the amygdala, which in turn transitions the brain to a state of heightened arousal that facilitates memory formation, fear memory, since it's scary. This is the same process, we think, that goes awry in PTSD and makes it so you cannot forget traumatic experiences."

This research was led by Tasker's lab and was conducted in collaboration with the Jonathan Fadok lab of Tulane and the Jamie Maguire lab of Tufts. Fadok is an assistant professor of psychology who holds the Burk-Kleinpeter Inc. Professorship in Science and Engineering at Tulane. Maguire is an associate professor of neuroscience at the Tufts School of Medicine.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Tulane University. Original written by Barri Bronston. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

NASA. (n.d.). The launch - webb/NASA. NASA. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://webb.nasa.gov/content/about/launch.html

Staff, S. (2022, June 8). NASA's James Webb Space Telescope mission: Live updates. Space.com. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://www.space.com/news/live/james-webb-space-telescope-updates

- DMI Osmena