Shrinking hydrogels enlarge nanofabrication options
December 27, 2022 -- Carnegie Mellon University and Chinese University of Hong Kong researchers are collaborating to reduce the size of printable nanodevices. Their work, published December 22 in Science, may facilitate the design and manufacture of sophisticated nanodevices. Read More
Creating eye tissue using 3D bioprinting
December 27, 2022 -- National Eye Institute (NEI) scientists have produced viable eye tissue using patient stem cells and 3D bioprinting. Their research, published on Thursday in Nature Methods, advances the understanding of blinding eye diseases and provides a model for studying their genesis. Read More
Study finds tuberculosis vaccines cost-effective in lower-income countries
January 24, 2023 -- Harvard University researchers and collaborators conducted a modeling study that showed tuberculosis vaccination could be cost-effective in 73 of 105 low- and middle-income countries. The results, published on January 24 in PLOS Medicine, also predicted $474 billion in vaccine-related benefits by 2050. Read More
Abnormal 12-hour cyclic activity found in schizophrenic brains
January 24, 2023 -- University of Pittsburgh researchers have found the first evidence of 12-hour cycles of gene activity, called ultradian rhythms, in the human brain. The National Institutes of Health-funded study, published in PLOS Biology on January 24, also reveals that some ultradian rhythms are missing or altered in the postmortem brains of patients with schizophrenia. Read More
Newborn screening for neuromuscular disorder leads to improved outcomes in Australian study
January 18, 2023 -- Newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) improves outcomes by enabling timely access to disease-modifying therapy, a prospective study published in the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health found. Read More
T-cell therapy fights viral infections following stem cell transplants
January 13, 2023 -- Baylor College of Medicine and Washington University School of Medicine researchers studied posoleucel, an investigational off-the-shelf T-cell therapy that simultaneously targets six different viruses. The results, published January 11 in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, showed promising antiviral efficacy and safety in a phase II clinical trial of patients who had undergone stem cell transplantation to treat blood diseases including cancer. Read More
Artificial nerve cells closely mimic biological ones
January 17, 2023 -- Researchers at Sweden’s Linköping University have created an artificial neuron that closely mimics the characteristics of biological nerve cells. They describe the work in a study, published recently in Nature Materials, indicating that the artificial neuron can stimulate natural nerves, making it a promising technology for various medical treatments. Read More
Lab grown mature neurons hold promise for neurodegenerative disease therapy
January 12, 2023 -- Northwestern University-led researchers have created the first highly mature neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells. The study, published January 12 in the journal Cell Stem Cell, holds potential for new neurodegenerative disease therapies. Read More
mRNA COVID-19 booster rates low among immunocompromised
January 20, 2023 -- Researchers have found low adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mRNA monovalent COVID-19 booster recommendations among immunocompromised individuals. Read More
Long COVID risk significantly higher in unvaccinated: Study
January 18, 2023 -- A cohort study found that the risk of developing persistent post–COVID-19 symptoms, or long COVID, was significantly higher in unvaccinated participants and those initially hit harder by the virus. The research, published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, showed that six months after onset, long-COVID participants had a significantly higher risk of pulmonary, diabetes, neurological, and mental health issues than they did preinfection. Read More
'Living medicine' for drug-resistant lung infections
January 19, 2023 -- Researchers have engineered a bacterium that serves as a “living medicine” to treat antibiotic-resistant lung infections -- the leading cause of hospital mortality. The research, published January 19 in the journal Nature Biotechnology and supported through CaixaResearch Health, focused on the antibiotic-resistant bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common source of difficult-to-treat hospital infections. Read More
Machine learning models predict release profile to accelerate drug development
January 10, 2023 -- Machine learning models have predicted the drug release profiles of long-acting injectable medicines, suggesting that the algorithms can accelerate the development of a promising class of therapies. Read More
AI tool makes speedy gene editing possible
January 26, 2023 -- Researchers have designed an artificial intelligence (AI) program that may enable the production of customizable proteins called zinc fingers to treat diseases by turning genes on and off. The research published on January 26 in Nature Biotechnology may accelerate large-scale gene therapy development. Read More
DNA sequencing method offers peek into genomic black box
January 23, 2023 -- University of Cambridge researchers have outlined a new DNA sequencing method that detects where and how small molecule drugs interact with a targeted genome. The research, published on January 23 in Nature Biotechnology, allows precise mapping of drug-genome binding sites, potentially enabling the development of more effective medications. Read More
Peptide suppresses inflammation in mice, spurs work to develop 1st targeted lung injury therapy
January 23, 2023 -- A peptide has suppressed acute lung injury (ALI) in mice harmed by bacterial infection, revealing a path to developing the first targeted medical therapy for the condition. Read More
Initial colon cancer surgery may not be best course
January 11, 2023 -- Southern China researchers unexpectedly found pre-surgery immunotherapy for a common type of colorectal cancer even more effective at early and mid-stages than its previously known high success rate in the metastatic stage of the disease. The study, published January 11 in JNCCN - Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, found that immune checkpoint programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor treatment prior to surgery was significantly effective for patients with certain types of colorectal cancer. Read More
Wyss Institute launches RNA therapeutics startup EnPlusOne Biosciences
December 21, 2022 -- Wyss Institute at Harvard University has partnered with Northpond Labs to launch EnPlusOne Biosciences. The startup aims to bring versatile, scalable RNA synthesis technology to market, with the goal of unlocking the development of new RNA drugs, vaccines, and gene-editing therapies. Read More
Protillion Biosciences raises $18M in financing to support therapeutic biomarker discovery
December 19, 2022 -- Protillion Biosciences, a privately held biotech company launched in 2019 to identify and optimize new protein therapeutics, on Monday announced the completion of an $18 million Series A financing from Arch Venture Partners and Illumina Ventures. Read More
Scientists create cell atlas of developing human lung
December 9, 2022 -- Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute, the Gordone Institute at the University of Cambridge, and collaborators have created a spatiotemporal cell atlas of the developing human lung. From the mapping, they have identified 144 cell states in the early stages of life and their interactions in new detail. Read More
Senescent neuron discovery in brains opens path for Alzheimer's drug development
December 2, 2022 -- Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found that neurons from people with Alzheimer's disease show deterioration and undergo a late-life stress process called cellular senescence, while senescent cells could be a way to slow neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Read More
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