Press monitoring
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CRISPR treatment inserted directly into the body for first time
9.3.2020 | Press monitoring
A person with a genetic condition that causes blindness has become the first to receive a CRISPR–Cas9 gene therapy administered directly into their body. The treatment is part of a landmark clinical trial to test the ability of CRISPR–Cas9 gene-editing techniques to remove mutations that cause a rare condition called Leber’s congenital amaurosis...
Edited bone marrow cells trigger striking tumor regression in mice
6.3.2020 | Press monitoring
Immunotherapy is an increasingly powerful form of cancer treatment where the patient's own immune system is equipped with heightened abilities to take down the disease, and one promising arm of this is known as adoptive cell therapy. This involves using altered versions of a patient's own cells to trigger a more strong-handed response from their...
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The hungry gut bacteria that enable waxworms to live on plastic waste
4.3.2020 | Press monitoring
Plastic pollution is a monumental issue and one that isn’t going away anytime soon, but researchers are opening up new possibilities around how we could chip away at the problem.¨ Scientists working in this area at Canada’s Brandon University have made an exciting discovery, zeroing in on the mechanisms that enable a common species of caterpillar...
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Novel formulation permits use of toxin from rattlesnake venom to treat chronic pain
2.3.2020 | Press monitoring
Crotoxin, extracted from the venom of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus, has been studied for almost a century for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities and as an even more powerful muscle paralyzer than botulinum toxin. However, the toxicity of crotoxin limits its medicinal use. A new study,...
Identifying the source of water pollution using synthetic DNA sand
28.2.2020 | Press monitoring
Sometimes it's helpful to follow a stream of water to find out where the water is coming from and where it's likely to go. Currently, only a few tracers for tracking fluids exist. But a large and complex network like groundwater requires lots of different tracers. "The main idea of the project is to build DNA based tracers," says Sulalit...
![Mice with diabetes \](./gallery/1842_140x1000.jpg "Mice with diabetes \")
Mice with diabetes \"functionally cured\" using new stem cell therapy
26.2.2020 | Press monitoring
Diabetes is characterized by trouble producing or managing insulin, and one emerging treatment involves converting stem cells into beta cells that secrete the hormone. Now, scientists have developed a more efficient method of doing just that, and found that implanting these cells in diabetic mice functionally cured them of the disease. The study...
AI system discovers powerful new antibiotic to tackle superbugs
24.2.2020 | Press monitoring
Bacteria are evolving resistance to antibiotics much faster than new drugs can be developed, potentially leading us to a dangerous future where infections are more likely to be deadly. Now, an artificial intelligence model has identified a powerful new antibiotic called halicin, which cleared infections of most superbugs in mouse tests. Ever...
Self-propelled, onion-like microvehicle can attract, trap, and destroy biological threats
21.2.2020 | Press monitoring
American scientists describe a synthetic chemical trap that propels itself to its place of action in the body fluid and then lures the bacteria into its interior to poison them. One of the main functionalities of the microdevice is the communication with its target, says the study. The scientists constructed the novel multifunctional weapon to...
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Physically producing computer-generated artificial genomes to understand DNA
19.2.2020 | Press monitoring
In his research, Beat Christen, professor of experimental systems biology, and researchers in the Christen Lab, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, use a digital genome design algorithm in conjunction with large-scale chemical DNA synthesis to physically produce artificial genomes and understand the code of life at the molecular level. The lab also uses...
Ebola virus gene helps hunt down deadly brain cancers
17.2.2020 | Press monitoring
Glioblastomas are highly aggressive brain tumors that are notoriously difficult to treat, with the cancer cells often slipping away from the main growth and into the brain, leading to high rates of recurrence down the track. In search of more effective therapies, scientists are investigating how the cell-destroying abilities of certain viruses can...
