Archive for the ‘genetics’ category: Page 345
Sep 24, 2019
UC San Diego Researchers Isolate Switch that Kills Inactive HIV
Posted by Omuterema Akhahenda in categories: biotech/medical, genetics
Using genetic sequencing, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers have identified a principal cellular player controlling HIV reproduction in immune cells which, when turned off or deleted, eliminates dormant HIV reservoirs.
“This is one of the key switches that the HIV field has been searching for three decades to find,” said Tariq Rana, PhD, professor of pediatrics and genetics at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “The most exciting part of this discovery has not been seen before. By genetically modifying a long noncoding RNA, we prevent HIV recurrence in T cells and microglia upon cessation of antiretroviral treatment, suggesting that we have a potential therapeutic target to eradicate HIV and AIDS.”
HIV spreads through certain bodily fluid attacking the immune system and preventing the body from fighting off infections. If left untreated, the virus leads to the disease AIDS.
Sep 24, 2019
New psychosis treatment targets genetic mutation instead of symptoms
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: genetics, innovation
New research describes the case study of two people with psychotic conditions who benefited from an innovative treatment for psychosis.
Sep 20, 2019
Greg Fahy at Ending Age-Related Diseases 2019
Posted by Steve Hill in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, life extension
We’re continuing to release talks from Ending Age-Related Diseases 2019, our highly successful two-day conference that featured talks from leading researchers and investors, bringing them together to discuss the future of aging and rejuvenation biotechnology.
Dr. Greg Fahy of Intervene Immune gave a presentation about his company’s Phase 1 human trials in which the thymus, a critical organ of the immune system, was regenerated through a combination of existing drugs, restoring immune function and causing epigenetic biomarkers to show rejuvenation.
Sep 20, 2019
New study links this common skin condition with an increased risk in heart disease
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: biotech/medical, genetics
Over 3 million new cases of dermatitis appear in the US per year. Although dermatitis is broadly defined by the sensitivity of the skin, the condition is actually further segmented by a group of diseases. By far the most popular of these is atopic dermatitis, alternatively and perhaps more popularly known as eczema, affecting about 30% of the population. Genetics and environmental factors are the most conclusive predictors but no cause has ever been explicitly determined. The pathology is able to be determined physically, as inflamed skin grows craked and hardens.
Though a new report published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology presents some internal risk increases for sufferers to consider. The Danish researchers set out to examine the association between hospital-diagnosed atopic dermatitis and atrial fibrillation, writing in the report, “Atopic dermatitis is characterized by chronic inflammation, which is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation. P atients with hospital-diagnosed atopic dermatitis have a 20% increased long-term risk of atrial fibrillation, but the absolute risk remains low.”
Sep 19, 2019
They Found It!… ‘Human DNA Was Designed by Aliens’ — Scientists Report
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: alien life, genetics
“97% of human DNA is genetic code from alien life forms.” scientists who spent 13 years working on the human genome have sensationally claimed…Watch Part 2 Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtic3xF2wqI&t=14s
Continue reading “They Found It!… ‘Human DNA Was Designed by Aliens’ — Scientists Report” »
Sep 19, 2019
The end of aging: Are you ready to live to 150?
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, life extension
Meet the Harvard genetics genius who says we can stop growing old today – even without futuristic drugs.
Sep 18, 2019
Guppies teach us why evolution happens
Posted by Xavier Rosseel in categories: evolution, genetics
Guppies, a perennial pet store favorite, have helped a UC Riverside scientist unlock a key question about evolution:
Do animals evolve in response to the risk of being eaten, or to the environment that they create in the absence of predators? Turns out, it’s the latter.
David Reznick, a professor of biology at UC Riverside, explained that in the wild, guppies can migrate over waterfalls and rapids to places where most predators can’t follow them. Once they arrive in safer terrain, Reznick’s previous research shows they evolve rapidly, becoming genetically distinct from their ancestors.
Sep 17, 2019
Prof. Steve Fuller on Transhumanism: Ask yourself what is human?
Posted by Paul Battista in categories: Elon Musk, existential risks, genetics, life extension, robotics/AI, singularity, transhumanism
Prof. Steve Fuller is the author of 25 books including a trilogy relating to the idea of a ‘post-’ or ‘trans-‘human future, and most recently, Nietzschean Meditations: Untimely Thoughts at the Dawn of the Transhuman Age.
During this 2h 15 min interview with Steve Fuller we cover a variety of interesting topics such as: the social foundations of knowledge and our shared love of books; Transhumanism as a scientistic way of understanding who we are; the proactionary vs the precautionary principle; Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and the Omega Point; Julian and Aldous Huxley’s diverging takes on Transhumanism; David Pearce’s Hedonistic Imperative as a concept straight out of Brave New World; the concept and meaning of being human, transhuman and posthuman; humanity’s special place in the cosmos; my Socratic Test of (Artificial) Intelligence; Transhumanism as a materialist theology – i.e. religion for geeks; Elon Musk, cosmism and populating Mars; de-extinction, genetics and the sociological elements of a given species; the greatest issues that humanity is facing today; AI, the Singularity and armed conflict; morphological freedom and becoming human; longevity and the “Death is Wrong” argument; Zoltan Istvan and the Transhumanist Wager; Transhumanism as a way of entrenching rather than transcending one’s original views…
Continue reading “Prof. Steve Fuller on Transhumanism: Ask yourself what is human?” »
Sep 17, 2019
Nano-Sized Solution for Efficient and Versatile CRISPR Gene Editing
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, genetics, nanotechnology
If used to make non-heritable genetic changes, CRISPR gene-editing technology holds tremendous promise for treating or curing a wide range of devastating disorders, including sickle cell disease, vision loss, and muscular dystrophy. Early efforts to deliver CRISPR-based therapies to affected tissues in a patient’s body typically have involved packing the gene-editing tools into viral vectors, which may cause unwanted immune reactions and other adverse effects.
Now, NIH-supported researchers have developed an alternative CRISPR delivery system: nanocapsules. Not only do these tiny, synthetic capsules appear to pose a lower risk of side effects, they can be precisely customized to deliver their gene-editing payloads to many different types of cells or tissues in the body, which can be extremely tough to do with a virus. Another advantage of these gene-editing nanocapsules is that they can be freeze-dried into a powder that’s easier than viral systems to transport, store, and administer at different doses.
In findings published in Nature Nanotechnology [1], researchers, led by Shaoqin Gong and Krishanu Saha, University of Wisconsin-Madison, developed the nanocapsules with specific design criteria in mind. They would need to be extremely small, about the size of a small virus, for easy entry into cells. Their surface would need to be adaptable for targeting different cell types. They also had to be highly stable in the bloodstream and yet easily degraded to release their contents once inside a cell.
