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This week, during The Global Stem Cell Event in Boston, Mass., scientists revealed that they have created a synthetic human embryo without an egg or sperm.

It isn’t clear yet whether these embryos could eventually mature into living, breathing, humans. However, their mere existence is “groundbreaking,” according to The Guardian, the first outlet to report on the discovery.

Details of this research has not yet been published.

Researchers have used a machine learning model to identify three compounds that could combat aging. They say their approach could be an effective way of identifying new drugs, especially for complex diseases.

Cell division is necessary for our body to grow and for tissues to renew themselves. Cellular senescence describes the phenomenon where cells permanently stop dividing but remain in the body, causing tissue damage and aging across body organs and systems.

Ordinarily, senescent cells are cleared from the body by our immune system. But, as we age, our immune system is less effective at clearing out these cells and their number increases. An increase in senescent cells has been associated with diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and the hallmarks of aging such as worsening eyesight and reduced mobility. Given the potentially deleterious effects on the body, there has been a push to develop effective senolytics, compounds that clear out senescent cells.

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A human cell harbors roughly 2 meters of DNA, encompassing the essential genetic information of an individual. If one were to unwind and stretch out all the DNA contained within a single person, it would span a staggering distance—enough to reach the sun and back 60 times over. In order to manage such an astounding volume of biological information, the cell compacts its DNA into tightly packed chromosomes.

“Imagine DNA as a piece of paper upon which all our genetic information is written,” says Minke A.D. Nijenhuis, co-corresponding author. “The paper is folded into a very tight structure in order to fit all of that information into a small cell nucleus. To read the information, however, parts of the paper have to be unfolded and then refolded. This spatial organization of our genetic code is a central mechanism of life. We therefore wanted to create a methodology that allows researchers to engineer and study the compaction of double-stranded DNA.”

Natural DNA is often double-stranded: one strand to encode the genes and one backup strand, intertwined in a double helix. The double helix is stabilized by Watson-Crick interactions, which allow the two strands to recognize and pair with one another. Yet there exists another, lesser-known class of interactions between DNA. These so-called normal or reverse Hoogsteen interactions allow a third strand to join in, forming a beautiful triple helix (Figure 1).

Synthetic human embryos – derived from stem cells without the need for eggs or sperm – have been created for the first time, scientists say. The structures represent the very earliest stages of human development, which could allow for vital studies into disorders like recurrent miscarriage and genetic diseases. But questions have been posed about the legal and ethical implications, as the pace of scientific discovery outstrips the legislation.

The breakthrough was reported by the Guardian newspaper following an announcement by Professor Magdalena Żernicka-Goetz, a developmental biologist at the University of Cambridge and Caltech, at the 2023 annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research. The findings have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed paper.

It’s understood that the synthetic structures model the very beginnings of human development. They do not yet contain a brain or heart, for example, but comprise the cells that would be needed to form a placenta, yolk sac, and embryo. Żernicka-Goetz told the conference that the structures have been grown to just beyond the equivalent of 14 days of natural gestation for a human embryo in the womb. It’s not clear whether it would be possible to allow them to mature any further.

This research designed polymersomes with inhomogeneous membranes capable of programmed drug release with accurate control by modifying the molecular architecture and photo-cross-linking degree of the polymer. The process involved introduced crystalline PCL moiety as part of the membrane’s molecular structure via the synthesis of three polymersomes with different hydrophobic chains, PEO43-b-P(CL45-stat-CTCL25), PEO43-b-P(CL108-stat-CTCL16), and PEO43-b-PCTCL4-b-PCL79. As a result of the amorphous PCTCL moieties in the membranes, high permeability with finely tunable drug release rate was achieved. A series of mesoscopic dynamics (MesoDyn) simulations and doxorubicin release tests affirmed that the membrane permeability is indeed related to the membrane phase separation of the polymersome. In conclusion, membrane phase separation technique used for the modification of polymersomes improved programmed drug release rate; thus, promising great significance in the field of drug delivery.

In the field of biomedicine, small molecules relied on membranes such as polymersomes as carriers for drug delivery. Thus, the effectiveness and efficiency of drug delivery become key focus points when considering treatment development for a range of diseases, including cancer. Despite being heavily researched and among the promising choice as drug delivery vessels, conventional polymersome membranes lack efficiency due to its homogeneity, making it harder for the drug to be released. This led to recent research centering their attentions in modifying and customizing polymersome membranes to allow programmed release of small molecular drugs to meet the demands of biomedical practices. As a continuation of past efforts, this research intends to overcome the challenge of high permeability of the PCTCL-based polymersomes caused by their amorphous nature, rendering it efficient to deliver small molecules for broader applications.

Continue reading “Well-controlled Permeability of the Polymersomes for Efficient Drug Delivery” »

Researchers from the Gothelf lab at Aarhus University.

Established in Aarhus, Denmark in 1928, Aarhus University (AU) is the largest and second oldest research university in Denmark. It comprises four faculties in Arts, Science and Technology, Health, and Business and Social Sciences and has a total of 27 departments. (Danish: Aarhus Universitet.)

Researchers from North Carolina State University have identified a microRNA (miRNA) that could promote hair regeneration. This miRNA – miR-218-5p – plays an important role in regulating the pathway involved in follicle regeneration, and could be a candidate for future drug development.

Hair growth depends on the health of dermal papillae (DP) cells, which regulate the hair follicle growth cycle. Current treatments for hair loss can be costly and ineffective, ranging from invasive surgery to chemical treatments that don’t produce the desired result. Recent hair loss research indicates that hair follicles don’t disappear where balding occurs, they just shrink. If DP cells could be replenished at those sites, the thinking goes, then the follicles might recover.

A research team led by Ke Cheng, Randall B. Terry, Jr. Distinguished Professor in Regenerative Medicine at NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine and professor in the NC State/UNC Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, cultured DP cells both alone (2D) and in a 3D spheroid environment. A spheroid is a three-dimensional cellular structure that effectively recreates a cell’s natural microenvironment.