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Category: biotech/medical – Page 584

Rapid, Efficient Method for Analyzing AAV Empty/Full Ratio

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a prominent method for delivering genes in vivo. Therapeutic delivery to target cells is achieved through full capsids containing the gene cargo. However, the presence of empty capsids in the AAV drug product can reduce therapeutic effectiveness, necessitating their detection at various stages of the AAV production process. Traditional methods for assessing the AAV empty/full (E/F) ratio are often slow, labor-intensive, and require significant optimization.

Consider a novel, rapid, and high-throughput approach for determining the AAV E/F ratio using Octet® Biolayer Interferometry (BLI) alongside Octet® AAVX Biosensors. This cutting-edge technique evaluates intact viral capsids and is perfect for screening both crude and purified samples, offering a quicker and more efficient workflow with results available in as little as 30 minutes.

Discover the advantages of this innovative method and enhance your AAV workflow by downloading the technical note.

Wrong on skin care: keratinocytes, not fibroblasts, make collagen for healthy skin

Keratinocytes produce collagen fibers, while deeper fibroblasts later modify the collagen fibers initially formed by keratinocytes. Challenging the long-standing belief that fibroblasts produce skin collagen, researchers at Okayama University have investigated collagen formation in the ‘glass-skinned’ amphibian axolotl and other vertebrates. They discovered that keratinocytes, the surface cells of the skin, are responsible for producing collagen, which is then transferred deeper to form the dermis. Later, fibroblasts migrate into this collagen layer, modifying and reinforcing its structure.

The skin consists of two primary layers. The epidermis, the outermost layer, is predominantly made up of keratinocytes, while the deeper dermis contains blood vessels, nerves, and structural proteins such as collagen, which give the skin its strength and texture. Traditionally, fibroblasts — specialized supporting cells within the dermis — have been believed to play a key role in producing collagen.

In humans, collagen is formed before and after birth. It has been believed that fibroblasts play an exclusive role in collagen production in the skin, and no keratinocytes contribute to collagen production. The statement “Collagen production in the human skin is achieved by fibroblasts” has been an unspoken agreement in the skin research field.

A hidden strategy: How SARS-CoV-2 uses fibrinogen to evade the immune system

As scientists, we often think we understand a virus—its structure, its tricks, the way it moves through the body. But every once in a while, we stumble upon something unexpected—something that completely changes the way we see an infection.

I have spent years studying the molecular tactics of viruses—how they invade, replicate, and most intriguingly, how they evade our immune system. Some strategies are well documented: antigenic drift, glycan shielding, . But every so often, we stumble upon a novel mechanism that redefines our understanding of viral pathogenesis.

A recent finding in Nature showed that the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 binds with , leading to thrombo-inflammation. This raises a fundamental question: Why does the virus need to bind with fibrinogen? Could this interaction provide an evolutionary advantage to the virus? Could this be the reason behind post-COVID heart attack cases?

Gold Nanoparticles in Parkinson’s Disease Therapy: A Focus on Plant-Based Green Synthesis

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects approximately 1% of people over the age of 60 and 5% of those over the age of 85. Current drugs for Parkinson’s disease mainly affect the symptoms and cannot stop its progression. Nanotechnology provides a solution to address some challenges in therapy, such as overcoming the blood-brain barrier (BBB), adverse pharmacokinetics, and the limited bioavailability of therapeutics. The reformulation of drugs into nanoparticles (NPs) can improve their biodistribution, protect them from degradation, reduce the required dose, and ensure target accumulation. Furthermore, appropriately designed nanoparticles enable the combination of diagnosis and therapy with a single nanoagent.

In recent years, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been studied with increasing interest due to their intrinsic nanozyme activity. They can mimic the action of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase. The use of 13-nm gold nanoparticles (CNM-Au8®) in bicarbonate solution is being studied as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease and other neurological illnesses. CNM-Au8® improves remyelination and motor functions in experimental animals.

Among the many techniques for nanoparticle synthesis, green synthesis is increasingly used due to its simplicity and therapeutic potential. Green synthesis relies on natural and environmentally friendly materials, such as plant extracts, to reduce metal ions and form nanoparticles. Moreover, the presence of bioactive plant compounds on their surface increases the therapeutic potential of these nanoparticles. The present article reviews the possibilities of nanoparticles obtained by green synthesis to combine the therapeutic effects of plant components with gold.

Single extracellular vesicle detection assay identifies membrane-associated α-synuclein as an early-stage biomarker in Parkinson’s disease

Biomarker for Parkinson’s disease using single extracellular vesicle detection assay.

Detecting minute amounts of neuronally derived biomarkers in the massive protein excess of easily accessible biofluids such as blood is challenging.

The researchers develop a droplet-based microfluidic immunoassay for multiplexed quantification of membrane associated proteins at single extracellular-vesicle (EV) resolution.

They identify membrane-associated a-synuclein on the surface of neuronal EVs and demonstrate that it is increased under pathological conditions and in individuals at risk of or with Parkinson’s disease. https://sciencemission.com/Single-extracellular-vesicle-detection-assay

Yan et al. develop a droplet-based microfluidic immunoassay for multiplexed quantification of membrane-associated proteins at single-extracellular-vesicle (EV) resolution. They identify membrane-associated α-synuclein on the surface of neuronal EVs and demonstrate that it is increased under pathological conditions and in individuals at risk of or with Parkinson’s disease.

Dangerous Fungal Infection Sees a Dramatic Increase in US Hospitals

Cases of the fungal infection Candida auris are rising rapidly and coming from more sources too, a new US study reveals.

C. auris was first reported in the US in 2016 and is considered an “urgent antimicrobial resistance threat” in hospitals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Focusing on a large health system in Miami, Florida, the new research found that reported clinical cases had risen from 5 in 2019 to 115 in 2023 – a considerable jump of 2,200 percent in four years.

A Circuit Linking DNA Repair, Inflammation & Aging is Found

As our bodies grow, cells proliferate to form tissues, and cells frequently have to be repaired or replaced throughout life. But the genome can also become less stable over time, or may pick up mutations that can lead to disease; these and other processes can cause cells to enter a state in which they stop dividing, known as senescence. Senescent cells become more common as we age. There also tends to be more inflammation as we age, but the link between increasing instability in the genome and inflammation is not well understood. Now scientists have reported a direct connection between DNA instability and inflammation in senescent cells. The findings have been reported in Nature Communications.

“In addition to no longer growing and proliferating, the other hallmark of senescent cells is that they have this inflammatory program causing them to secrete inflammatory molecules,” noted senior study author Peter Adams, Ph.D., director and professor of the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys.

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