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Category: biotech/medical – Page 1,274

Quantum Device Used To Slow Down Chemical Reaction by 100 Billion Times

What happens in femtoseconds in nature can now be observed in milliseconds in the lab.

Scientists at the university of sydney.

The University of Sydney is a public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1,850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is consistently ranked among the top universities in the world. The University of Sydney has a strong focus on research and offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across a variety of disciplines, including arts, business, engineering, law, medicine, and science.

Regenerating Myelin In The Brain Could Be Possible Thanks To New Discovery

A biological pathway through which myelin, the protective coating on nerve fibers, can be repaired and regenerated has been discovered in a new study. The ramifications of this finding could be far-reaching for those with neurological diseases affecting myelin, many of which are currently untreatable.

If the axons that shoot out from the cell bodies of neurons are like electrical wires, you can think of the myelin sheath as the insulating plastic outer coating. In the brain, these sheathed nerve fibers make up most of the tissue known as white matter, but axons throughout the body are also coated in myelin.

The myelin sheath’s main functions are to protect the axon, to ensure electrical nerve impulses can travel quickly down it, and to maintain the strength of these impulses as they travel over what can be very long distances.

HKUST researchers find how stem cell niche guides differentiation into functional cells, significant step towards stem cell therapies

Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have found how stem cells’ surrounding environment controls them to differentiate into functional cells, a breakthrough critical for using stem cells to treat various human diseases in the future.

Stem cells play a crucial role in supporting normal development and maintaining tissue homeostasis in adults. Their unique ability to replicate and differentiate into specialized cells holds great promise in treating diseases like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and type I diabetes by replacing damaged or diseased cells with healthy ones.

Despite their potential therapeutic benefits, one of the major challenges for cell therapies lies in efficiently differentiating stem cells into functional cells to replace damaged cells in degenerative tissue. This task is particularly difficult due to the limited understanding of the underlying molecular mechanism by which the tissues around stem cells, known as the stem cell niche, guide stem cell progeny to differentiate into proper functional cell types.

BlueRock’s cell therapy shows early promise in Parkinson’s study

Cell therapy company BlueRock Therapeutics has revealed promising results from the Phase 1 clinical trial of bemdaneprocel, an investigational stem cell therapy designed to treat Parkinson’s disease. BlueRock, a wholly owned independently operated subsidiary of pharma giant Bayer, is creating a pipeline of cell therapy treatments for neurological, cardiovascular, immunological, and ophthalmic conditions.

Bemdaneprocel is a stem cell therapy developed to replace dopamine-producing neurons that are lost in Parkinson’s disease. Derived from pluripotent stem cells, the therapy involves implanting neuron precursors into the brains of patients to potentially restore neural networks and improve motor and non-motor functions.

“The need for new therapies to help patients struggling with Parkinson’s disease is clear,” said Ahmed Enayetallah, Head of Development at BlueRock Therapeutics. “We are excited to be sharing the results of this Phase 1 and look forward to advancing bemdaneprocel to the next stage of clinical testing.”

IBM makes major leap in quantum computing error-detection

Quantum computing is on the verge of catapulting the digital revolution to new heights.

Turbocharged processing holds the promise of instantaneously diagnosing health ailments and providing rapid development of new medicines; greatly speeding up response time in AI systems for such time-sensitive operations as autonomous driving and space travel; optimizing traffic control in congested cities; helping aircraft better navigate extreme turbulence; speeding up weather forecasting that better prepares localities facing potential disaster, and optimizing supply chain systems for more efficient delivery times and cost savings.

But we’re not there yet. One of the greatest obstacles facing quantum operations is error-correction.

The Role of Senescence in Crafting Cancer-Friendly Microenvironments

The incidence of cancer increases exponentially as we age. Unlike most age-related diseases, which generally cause cell and tissue degeneration and loss of function, cancer cells must acquire different, albeit aberrant, functions to progress to lethal disease. One link between age-related cancer and degeneration could be an inflammatory tissue environment driven by MTOR in senescent cells.

In her groundbreaking 2010 research perspective paper, The Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype: The Dark Side of Tumor Suppression, Dr. Judith Campisi from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging highlighted the tumor-promoting aspects of senescent cells. Campisi’s research showcased the significant ability of senescent cells to reshape the cellular landscape around them, crafting what scientists term the ‘microenvironment.’

Far from being an inert backdrop, this microenvironment serves as a dynamic stage upon which cells interact and potentially pave the way for disease progression, particularly cancer.

England to roll out world’s first seven-minute cancer treatment jab

Britain’s state-run national health service will be the first in the world to offer an injection that treats cancer to hundreds of patients in England which could cut treatment times by up to three quarters.

Following approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), NHS England said on Tuesday (Aug 29) hundreds of eligible patients treated with the immunotherapy, atezolizumab, were set to have “under the skin” injection, which will free up more time for cancer teams.

“This approval will not only allow us to deliver convenient and faster care for our patients, but will enable our teams to treat more patients throughout the day,” Dr Alexander Martin, a consultant oncologist at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust said.

The potential of targeting mitochondria-associated programmed cell death for age-related disease treatment

Scientists have recently reviewed the available literature to examine the critical roles played by mitochondria in maintaining homeostasis. The review summarized the involvement of mitochondria in age-related disease progression and highlighted its potential as a therapeutic target of these diseases. This review has been published in Experimental & Molecular Medicine.

Mitochondria is a cytoplasmic organelle in most eukaryotic cells and is enclosed by two phospholipid membranes: the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) and outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM). These membranes separate functionally compartmentalized structures, i.e., matrix and intermembrane space. Mitochondria contain a unique genetic code, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

During evolution, most mitochondrial genes were lost or translocated to nuclei. However, genes that remained in mtDNA encode for essential translational apparatus, i.e., ribosomal RNAs and transfer RNAs. In addition, these genes also encode proteins that are key components of oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS) complexes embedded in the IMM.

Base Editing Beats Other Genome Editing Strategies for Treating Sickle Cell Disease

The findings suggest that adenosine base editing raised the expression of fetal hemoglobin to higher, more stable, and more uniform levels than other genome editing technologies that use CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease in human hematopoietic stem cells.

“Ultimately, we showed that not all genetic approaches are equal,” said Jonathan Yen, PhD, genome engineering group director at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “Base editors may be able to create more potent and precise edits than other technologies. But we must do more safety testing and optimization.”

SCD and beta-thalassemia are blood disorders caused by mutations in the gene encoding hemoglobin affecting millions of people. Restoring gene expression of an alternative hemoglobin subunit active in a developing fetus has previously shown therapeutic benefit in SCD and beta-thalassemia patients. The researchers wanted to find and optimize genomic technology to edit the fetal hemoglobin gene.

Adult hemoglobin, expressed primarily after birth, contains four protein subunits—two beta-globin and two alpha-globin. Mutations in the beta-globin gene cause sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia. But humans have another hemoglobin subunit gene (gamma-globin), which is expressed during fetal development instead of beta-globin. Gamma-globin combines with alpha-globin to form fetal hemoglobin. Normally around birth, gamma-globin expression is turned off, and beta-globin is turned on, switching from fetal to adult hemoglobin. Genome editing technologies can introduce mutations that turn the gamma-globin gene back on, thereby increasing fetal hemoglobin production, which can effectively substitute for defective adult hemoglobin production.

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