Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder and Princeton University have, for the first time, employed a tool often used in geology to detect the atomic fingerprints of cancer.
Poirier M, Smith OE, Therrien J, et al. Resiliency of equid H19 imprint to somatic cell reprogramming by oocyte nuclear transfer and genetically induced pluripotency†. Biol Reprod. 2019;102:211–9.
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After decades of research, scientists are bioengineering penises in the lab, writes Dara Mohammadi.
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Tan, Y., Landford, W.N., Garza, M. et al. Sci Rep 9, 16,368 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-51794-6
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Teen girls born with a rare genetic disorder are functioning well years after successful organ implant surgeries.
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Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to become embryonic stem cells capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body. It is believed that stem cell therapies hold the promise of replacing cells damaged through injury or illness. Diseases or conditions that might be treated through stem cell therapy include Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, cardiac disease and spinal cord injuries.
The research breakthrough, led by Shoukhrat Mitalipov, Ph.D., a senior scientist at ONPRC, follows previous success in transforming monkey skin cells into embryonic stem cells in 2007. This latest research will be published in the journal Cell online May 15 and in print June 6.
The technique used by Drs. Mitalipov, Paula Amato, M.D., and their colleagues in OHSU’s Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, is a variation of a commonly used method called somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT. It involves transplanting the nucleus of one cell, containing an individual’s DNA, into an egg cell that has had its genetic material removed. The unfertilized egg cell then develops and eventually produces stem cells.
A Virginia 14-year-old won $25,000 and earned the title of America’s Top Young Scientist this past fall for developing an affordable soap that can treat skin cancer. Heman Bekele plans to refine his invention over the next five years and create a nonprofit to distribute it in low-income communities.
The ninth grader spent four months competing against nine other finalists in 3M and Discovery Education’s Young Scientist Challenge, which encourages kids to “think creatively and apply the power of STEM to discover real-world solutions.” He was paired with a mentor, who helped him turn his idea into a prototype. It works by delivering cancer-fighting agents to the skin by way of lipid nanoparticles.
Bekele told NPR that he’s “always been really passionate about science and how things work,” and his experience growing up in Ethiopia inspired him to develop his soap.
What if AI was trained to create & edit DNA?#ainews #airesearch #science #biotech #medicine #dna #ai #agi #singularityNewsletter: https://aisearch.substack.c…
Western diets that are high in sugars, fats, and processed foods have been linked to a wide variety of health ailments. Now, researchers have determined that Western diets can also disrupt the crucial barrier in the gastrointestinal tract known as the gut mucosa. This disruption can raise an individual’s risk of inflammation and infectious disease. Scientists have also identified a gut microbe called Blautia that has an important role in shielding the gut mucosa. The findings have been reported in Nature Communications.
“Our results contribute to an increased understanding of how the intestinal bacteria and the mucus layer work together, which may eventually lead to new treatment strategies for diseases linked to the Western diet such as the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis,” said first study author Sandra Holmberg, a graduate student at Umeå University.
A new study led by University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center researchers shows that an enzyme called PARP1 is involved in repair of telomeres, the lengths of DNA that protect the tips of chromosomes, and that impairing this process can lead to telomere shortening and genomic instability that can cause cancer.
