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Category: biotech/medical

Pervasive horizontal transfer of adeno-associated virus capsid genes

An interesting bioinformatic analysis which offers evidence suggesting that laboratory handling of AAVs may have contributed to horizontal gene transfer of the M-wide capsid across lineages in the wild. [ https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2505928122](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2505928122)

Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are nonpathogenic DNA viruses with potent gene delivery capabilities, making them essential tools in gene therapy and biomedical research. Despite their therapeutic importance, key aspects of AAV natural biology remain obscure, complicating efforts to explain rare AAV-associated diseases and optimize gene therapy vectors. By analyzing sequence data from virus isolates and endogenous viral elements (EVEs), I reveal a striking evolutionary pattern: While AAV sublineages, defined by the replication-associated (rep) gene, have broadly codiverged with host groups over millions of years, capsid (cap) diversity has been shaped by extensive recombination. In particular, one capsid lineage, Mammalian-wide (M-wide), has spread horizontally across diverse rep lineages and host taxa through multiple recombination events.

Expanded global groundwater microbial diversity reveals bioprospecting potential

Deng et al. constructed a comprehensive bacterial and archaeal genome catalog from groundwater and uncovered extensive previously unknown microbial diversity. This study reveals genome size as an axis underlying allocation of microbial defense and redox regulation and identifies groundwater as a hotspot of selenium metabolism and functional innovation.

Inflammation fuels one of the most aggressive forms of cancer

Unlike other epithelial cancers, small cell lung cancer (SCLC) shares features with neuronal cells, including lack of caspase-8 expression, a protein involved in programmed, non-inflammatory cell-death (apoptosis), a mechanism that is essential to eliminate faulty or mutated cells and to maintain health.

To better mimic the features of human SCLC, the team generated and characterized a novel genetically engineered mouse model lacking caspase-8. Using this new model, the team observed that when this protein is missing, an unusual chain reaction sets off.

“The absence of caspase-8 leads to a type of inflammatory cell death called necroptosis that creates a hostile, inflamed environment even before tumors fully form” explains the senior author. “We were also intrigued to find that pre-tumoral necroptosis can in fact promote cancer by conditioning the immune system,” the author continues.

The inflammation creates an environment where the body’s anti-cancer immune response is suppressed, preventing immune cells from attacking threats like cancer cells. This, in turn, can promote tumor metastasis. Surprisingly, the researchers observed that this inflammation also pushes the cancer cells to behave more like immature neuron-like cells, a state that makes them better at spreading and that is associated with relapse.

While it remains unknown whether similar pre-tumoral inflammation also occurs in human patients, this work identifies a mechanism contributing to the aggressiveness and patient relapse in SCLC that could be exploited as a way to improve the efficiency of future therapies and early-stage diagnostic methods. ScienceMission sciencenewshighlights.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is one of the most aggressive forms of lung cancer, with a five-year survival rate of only five percent. Despite this poor prognosis, SCLC is initially highly responsive to chemotherapy. However, patients typically relapse and experience very rapid disease progression. Current research into the biological mechanisms behind SCLC remains essential in order to prolong treatment responses, overcome relapse and, ultimately, improve long-term patient outcomes.

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Shelf-stable mRNA delivery system targets bladder cancer cells without immune response

Published, peer-reviewed research shows a patent-pending, virus-mimicking platform technology developed at Purdue University improves upon traditional methods of targeting bladder cancer cells with messenger RNA (mRNA) therapies.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, highlights compelling features of the therapy-delivering system with respect to size, targetability, encapsulation efficiency, complex stability, gene expression and “green” manufacturability.

David Thompson led the team conducting research about layer-by-layer elastin-like polypeptide nucleic acid nanoparticle (LENN). He is a professor in the James Tarpo Jr. and Margaret Tarpo Department of Chemistry and a member of the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research and the Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery. Saloni Darji, a commercialization postdoctoral research associate, is the paper’s lead author.

Scientist Say Aging Can Be Stopped! — Jose Cordeiro

We sit down with José Cordeiro, author of The Death of Death, to uncover the timeline scientists believe could end aging — and even achieve immortality. From the promise of longevity escape velocity by 2030 to Ray Kurzweil’s bold prediction of immortality by 2045, José reveals the breakthroughs, roadblocks, and revolutionary ideas shaping the future of human life.

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Recent progress in cryoablation cancer therapy and nanoparticles mediated cryoablation

Hematopoietic aging extends far beyond the confines of the bone marrow, functioning as a central regulator of systemic decline through its influence on inflammation, immune dysregulation, and inter-organ communication. Moreover, reciprocal signaling from peripheral organs, such as the brain and gut, further shapes hematopoietic aging, highlighting the bidirectional nature of these interactions (Figure 3).

Scientists Develop IV Therapy That Repairs the Brain After Stroke

New nanomaterial passes the blood-brain barrier to reduce damaging inflammation after the most common form of stroke. When someone experiences a stroke, doctors must quickly restore blood flow to the brain to prevent death. However, this sudden return of circulation can also set off a harmful casca

Could psychedelics harness neuroplasticity to treat addiction and other mental illness?

The potential use of psychedelics in the treatment of various mental health conditions has made these drugs a hot area of scientific research, as well as growing public interest. A variant of ketamine called esketamine is already FDA approved and utilized for treatment-resistant depression, and the FDA has designated formulations of psilocybin and MDMA for the treatment of depression and PTSD, respectively, as “breakthrough therapies,” a process designed to expedite their development and review. NIDA is actively funding research on these compounds—NIDA and the National Institute on Mental Health are the largest funders of psychedelic research at NIH—as they represent a potential paradigm shift in the way we address substance use disorders too. Yet there is much we still do not know about these drugs, the way they work, and how to administer them, and there is danger of the hype getting out ahead of the science.

The promise of psychedelic compounds likely centers on their ability to promote rapid neural rewiring.1 Recent preclinical studies have suggested that the “neuroplastogen” properties of psilocybin, for example, may have to do with its ability to bind to 5HT2A (serotonin) receptors inside neurons, something that serotonin itself cannot do.2 That rewiring may explain these compounds’ relatively long-lasting effects, even with just one or a few administrations. Some trials have found effects lasting weeks3, but smaller studies (and anecdotes) are suggestive of much longer durations. What is needed is sound scientific research including clinical trials that can substantiate therapeutic efficacy, duration, and safety in large numbers of participants.

As part of a research study, psychedelics are administered by clinicians within highly controlled settings. This is important not only for safety reasons but because contextual factors and expectations play a crucial role in their effectiveness.4 Whether a patient has a positive or negative experience depends to a significant extent upon their mindset going into the experience and whether the setting is one in which they feel secure. This raises an important question—the extent (if any) to which the clinician’s time and attention and/or therapeutic approach play a role in psychedelics’ therapeutic efficacy—where much more research is needed. The extent to which psychotherapy is necessary in conjunction with psychedelics and which methods work best is an open question.

How a respiratory bacterium obtains essential lipids from the human body and targets fat-rich tissues

A multidisciplinary team has uncovered a key mechanism that allows the human bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae—responsible for atypical pneumonia and other respiratory infections—to obtain cholesterol and other essential lipids directly from the human body.

The discovery, published in Nature Communications, was co-led by Dr. Noemí Rotllan, from the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) and the Center for Biomedical Research in Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Disorders (CIBERDEM); Dr. Marina Marcos, from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB); and Dr. David Vizarraga, from the Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona of the Spanish National Research Council (IBMB-CSIC) and the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG).

Overall coordination was led by Dr. Joan Carles Escolà-Gil, from IR Sant Pau and CIBERDEM; Dr. Jaume Piñol, from UAB; and Dr. Ignacio Fita, from IBMB-CSIC. The study also involved collaboration from the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine of the UAB (IBB-UAB), the Center for Biomedical Research in Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV), and other leading institutions.

New class of strong magnets uses earth-abundant elements, avoids rare-earth metals

Georgetown University researchers have discovered a new class of strong magnets that do not rely on rare-earth or precious metals—a breakthrough that could significantly advance clean energy technologies and consumer electronics such as motors, robotics, MRI machines, data storage and smart phones.

A key figure of merit for a magnet is the ability of its magnetization to strongly prefer a specific direction, known as magnetic anisotropy, which is a cornerstone property for modern magnetic technologies.

Today, the strongest anisotropy materials for permanent magnets depend heavily on rare-earth elements, which are expensive, environmentally damaging to mine and vulnerable to supply-chain disruptions and geopolitical instability. For thin film applications, certain alloys of iron and platinum have become the materials of choice for next generation magnetic recording media, which contain precious metal platinum. Finding high-performance alternatives based on earth-abundant elements has therefore been a long-standing scientific and technological challenge.

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