A new study published in Nature reports that a technology known as spatial omics can be used to map simultaneously how genes are switched on and off and how they are expressed in different areas of tissues and organs. This improved technology, developed by researchers at Yale University and Karolinska Institutet, could shed light on the development of tissues, as well as on certain diseases and how to treat them.
Almost all cells in the body have the same set of genes and can in principle become any kind of cell. What distinguishes the cells is how the genes in our DNA are used. In recent years, spatial omics have given us a deeper understanding of how cells read the genome in precise locations in tissues. Now, researchers have further evolved this technology to increase knowledge of how tissues develop and how different diseases arise.
A key part of the study is the researchers’ ability to spatially map simultaneously two crucial components of our genetic makeup, the epigenome and the transcriptome. The epigenome controls the switching mechanisms that turn genes on and off in individual cells, whereas the transcriptome is the result of those gene expressions and what makes each cell unique.
Scientists have long known that mitochondria play a crucial role in the metabolism and energy production of cancer cells. However, until now, little was known about the relationship between the structural organization of mitochondrial networks and their functional bioenergetic activity at the level of whole tumors.
In a new study, published in Nature, researchers from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center used positron emission tomography (PET) in combination with electron microscopy to generate 3-dimensional ultra-resolution maps of mitochondrial networks in lung tumors of genetically engineered mice.
They categorized the tumors based on mitochondrial activity and other factors using an artificial intelligence technique called deep learning, quantifying the mitochondrial architecture across hundreds of cells and thousands of mitochondria throughout the tumor.
NPL, in collaboration with London Biofoundry and BiologIC Technologies Ltd, have released an analysis on existing and emerging DNA Synthesis technologies in Nature Reviews Chemistry, featuring the work on the front cover.
The study, which was initiated by DSTL, set out to understand the development trajectory of DNA Synthesis as a major industry drive for the UK economy over the next 10 years. The demand for synthetic DNA is growing exponentially. However, our ability to make, or write, DNA lags behind our ability to sequence, or read, it. The study reviewed existing and emerging DNA synthesis technologies developed to close this gene writing gap.
DNA or genes provide a universal tool to engineer and manipulate living systems. Recent progress in DNA synthesis has brought up limitless possibilities in a variety of industry sectors. Engineering biology, therapy and diagnostics, data storage, defense and nanotechnology are all set for unprecedented breakthroughs if DNA can be provided at scale and low cost.
Scientists created mice with two biological dads by producing eggs from male cells, which is a development that opens radical new possibilities for reproduction. Progress can ultimately pave way for treatments for severe infertility forms and increase possibility of attracting couples of same gender to have a biological child in future. Hayashi, who presented development at the third International Human Genome Regulation Summit at Francis Crick Institute in London on Wednesday, predicts it would be technically possible to create a human egg from a male skin cell in ten years. Considering that human eggs did not create eggs, he argued this timeline was optimistic. Previously, scientists have created mice technically with a detailed step chain, including genetic engineering. This is first time that can be applied first time, eggs were raised from male cells and pointing to an important progress. He was trying to reproduce with human cells, but there would be important obstacles for use of eggs grown in laboratory clinical purposes, including creating safety. “In terms of technology, it will be possible even in 10 years in 10 years, ve he personally added that the technology used clinically to allow two men to have a baby. Orum I don’t know if they are ready reproduction,” he said.“This is a question not only for the scientific program, but also[society].” Technique, X chromosome is missing or partially missing a copy of the turner syndrome, including women with severe infertility forms can be applied to treat and Hayashi, this application is the primary motivation for research, he said. Others argued that translating technique into human cells may be challenging. Human cells need much longer agricultural periods to produce a mature egg, which can increase the risk of undesirable genetic changes. Profess George Daley, the Dean of Harvard Medical Faculty, described the study as “fascinating„ but other researches also showed that creating gamet creating from human cells in laboratory is more difficult than mouse cells.said. The study, which was sent to be leading magazine, was based on a number of complex steps to transform skin cell that carries the combination of male XY chromosomes into an egg. Men’s skin cells were re-programmed into a stem cell-like condition to form the induced pluripotent root cells. Then the Y chromosome of these cells was deleted and changed and ” borrowed from another cell to produce IPS cells with two identical X chromosome. Hayashi said, ” The trick, greatest trick, the reproduction of X chromosome,” he said. ” We really tried to establish a system to replicate the X chromosome.” Finally, cells were grown in an ovary organoid with a cultural system designed to replicate the conditions within ovary. When Yumurtas were fertilized with normal sperm, scientists obtained approximately 600 embryos implanted in the mice, which resulted in birth of seven mouse offspring. ‘Efficiency was lower than the efficiency obtained by normal female-derived eggs, where approximately 5% of the embryos continued to produce a lively birth. Baby mice looked healthy, had a normal life, and as an adult continued to the offspring. ” They look good, they grow normal, they become a father, Hay Hayashi said. He and his colleagues are now trying to increase the creation of eggs grown in the laboratory using human cells. Working on Gamets grown in the laboratory at the University of California Los Angeles, Prof Amander Clark said that it would be a ” big jump in, because scientists have not yet created human eggs from women’s cells. Scientists have created the premises of human eggs, but so far, cells, mature eggs and sperm, a critical cell division step, which has stopped development before the point of meiosis. It can be 10 years or 20 years.”
Ray Kurzweil — The Singularity IS NEAR — part 2! We’ll Reach IMMORTALITY by 2030 Get ready for an exciting journey into the future with Ray Kurzweil’s The Singularity IS NEAR — Part 2! Join us as we explore the awe-inspiring possibilities of what could be achieved before 2030, including the potential for humans to reach immortality. We’ll dive into the incredible technology that could help us reach this singularity and uncover what the implications of achieving immortality could be. Don’t miss out on this fascinating insight into the future of mankind! In his book “The Singularity Is Near”, futurist and inventor Ray Kurzweil argues that we are rapidly approaching a point in time known as the singularity. This refers to the moment when artificial intelligence and other technologies will become so advanced that they surpass human intelligence and change the course of human evolution forever.
Kurzweil predicts that by 2030, we will reach a crucial milestone in our technological progress: immortality. He bases this prediction on his observation of exponential growth in various fields such as genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics, which he believes will culminate in the creation of what he calls “nanobots”.
These tiny robots, according to Kurzweil, will be capable of repairing and enhancing our bodies at the cellular level, effectively making us immune to disease, aging, and death. Additionally, he believes that advances in brain-computer interfaces will allow us to upload our consciousness into digital form, effectively achieving immortality.
Kurzweil’s ideas have been met with both excitement and skepticism. Some people see the singularity as a moment of great potential, a time when we can overcome our biological limitations and create a better future for humanity. Others fear the singularity, believing that it could lead to the end of humanity as we know it.
Regardless of one’s opinion on the singularity, there is no denying that we are living in a time of rapid technological change. The future is uncertain, and it is impossible to predict with certainty what the world will look like in 2030 or beyond. However, one thing is clear: the singularity, as envisioned by Kurzweil and others, represents a profound shift in human history, one that will likely have far-reaching implications for generations to come.
The quest for longevity has always been with us. Ever since the ancient kings of old we have been trying everything we can think of in order to stave off death and disease, with most of our efforts unfortunately baring little fruit. However, as it turns out, the power to reverse the aging process has been nestled within us this whole time. Not in the metaphorical sense, but rather in the quite literal sense. For you see, we have been reversing the aging process every single time we have reproduced.
Have you ever wondered how it is that regardless of how old the parents of a child are, the child is never born ‘pre-aged?’. This seems like a ridiculous question, but if the genetic material that came from the parents (especially from the father) has already undergone the aging process, then how is it that ‘genetic aging’ is not passed onto the child? If such a process were to occur, then it would obviously spell doom for our entire species, as we would eventually accumulate age with each subsequent generation and we would very quickly perish. Yet, this obviously does not happen. So the question was asked, why is this?
High-performance, realistic computer simulations are crucially important for science and engineering, even allowing scientists to predict how individual molecules will behave.
Scientists have always used models. Since the ancient Ptolemaic model of the universe through to renaissance astrolabes, models have mapped out the consequences of predictions. They allow scientists to explore indirectly worlds which they could never access.
Join Sir Richard Catlow as he explores how high-performance computer simulations have transformed the way scientists comprehend our world. From testing hypotheses at planetary scale to developing a personalised approach for the fight against Covid.
0.00 Intro and history of scientific modelling. 7.34 Examples of computer models in science and engineering. 16:10 Modelling molecules and materials. 20:25 Using modelling for crystallography. 28:14 Genetic algorithms for predicting crystal structures. 32:32 Lawrence Bragg and the bubble raft. 36:24 High performance computer modelling of materials. 41:18 Modelling of nanostructures and nanoparticles. 44:34 High energy density batteries. 51:04 Three challenges for modelling.
This Discourse was recorded at the Ri on 27 May 2022.
X-ray diffraction has been used for more than a hundred years to understand the structure of crystals or proteins—for instance, in 1952 the well-known double helix structure of the DNA that carries genetic information was discovered in this way. In this technique, the object under investigation is bombarded with short-wavelength X-ray beams. The diffracted beams then interfere and thus create characteristic diffraction patterns from which one can gain information about the shape of the object.
For several years now it has been possible to study even single nanoparticles in this way, using very short and extremely intense X-ray pulses. However, this typically only yields a two-dimensional image of the particle. A team of researchers led by ETH professor Daniela Rupp, together with colleagues at the universities of Rostock and Freiburg, the TU Berlin and DESY in Hamburg, have now found a way to also calculate the three-dimensional structure from a single diffraction pattern, so that one can “look” at the particle from all directions. In the future it should even be possible to make 3D-movies of the dynamics of nanostructures in this way. The results of this research have recently been published in the scientific journal Science Advances.
Daniela Rupp has been assistant professor at ETH Zurich since 2019, where she leads the research group “Nanostructures and ultra-fast X-ray science.” Together with her team she tries to better understand the interaction between very intense X-ray pulses and matter. As a model system they use nanoparticles, which they also investigate at the Paul Scherrer Institute. “For the future there are great opportunities at the new Maloja instrument, on which we were the first user group to make measurements at the beginning of last year. Right now our team there is activating the attosecond mode, with which we can even observe the dynamics of electrons,” says Rupp.
A method for turning male cells into egg cells in mice could one day be used to help men in a same-sex couple have children who are genetically related to them both.
