Nano-balls filled with poison wipe out metastatic cancer in mice. For most cancer patients, it’s not the original tumor that poses the greatest risk. It’s the metastases that invade the lung, liver, and other tissues. Now, researchers have come up with an approach that tricks these spinoff tumors into swallowing poison. So far the strategy has only been tested in mice, where it proved highly effective. But the results are promising enough that the researchers are planning to launch clinical trials in cancer patients within a year. The new work is “very innovative stuff,” says Steven Libutti, a geneticist and cancer surgeon at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, who was not involved in the study. The treatment, he explains, works in three steps to place a conventional chemotherapeutic agent near the nucleus (or nuclei) of a metastatic cancer cell where the drug molecules are most lethal.
“It’s almost like a multistage rocket” that lifts astronauts off Earth, sends them to the moon, and returns them safely, he says. Doctors 3D-print 'living' body parts. Image copyright Wake Forest Custom-made, living body parts have been 3D-printed in a significant advance for regenerative medicine, say scientists. The sections of bone, muscle and cartilage all functioned normally when implanted into animals.
The breakthrough, published in Nature Biotechnology, raises the hope of using living tissues to repair the body. Experts described the technology, developed in the US, as a "goose that really does lay golden eggs". The idea of placing individual human cells in a precise pattern to replace a damaged jaw, missing ear or scarred heart muscle holds much promise. But the field has been limited by the huge challenge of keeping the cells alive - they become starved of oxygen and nutrients in tissues thicker than 0.2 millimetres.
Sponge The team at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre developed a new technique that 3D-prints a tissue riddled with micro-channels, rather like a sponge, to allow nutrients to penetrate the tissue. 'Golden goose' Lean Dad Fat Dad Provide Epigenetically Different Sperm. It may be just a matter of time before someone writes a book called “Lean Dad Fat Dad” in hopes of emulating the success of “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” a bestseller that summarized the financial life lessons that can be passed from generation to generation. “Lean Dad Fat Dad,” however, wouldn’t be about the behaviors that are determined by example, advice, and custom. Instead, it would be about sperm. Sperm not only conveys genetic information, it also carries information about a father’s weight. And the information about weight, which is encoded epigenetically and in the patterns of small RNA expression, has the potential to tip developing offspring toward obesity.
Obesity has been known to be a heritable disorder, with the children of obese fathers having a high risk of becoming obese. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen decided to expand upon existing epigenetic studies, which have suggested that times of famine can leave epigenetic traces that last generations. Sperm carries information about dad's weight. Turns out dads are also eating for two. A study published December 3 in Cell Metabolism reveals that a man's weight affects the heritable information contained in sperm.
The sperm cells of lean and obese men possess different epigenetic marks, notable at gene regions associated with the control of appetite. The comparisons, which included 13 lean men and 10 obese men, offer one biological explanation for why children of obese fathers are themselves more predisposed to obesity. In the next phase of the study, the investigators tracked 6 men undergoing weight-loss surgery to see how it affected their sperm. "Our research could lead to changing behavior, particularly pre-conception behavior of the father," says senior author Romain Barrès, an Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen. In his study, Barrès and colleagues compared specific epigenetic marks in the ejaculate of lean and obese men (men were the focus because sperm is much easier to obtain than eggs). 'Designer cells' reverse one-year-old's cancer.
The first person in the world to receive a pioneering genetic therapy has had her cancer reversed, say Great Ormond Street doctors. One-year-old Layla Richards, from London, had incurable aggressive leukaemia only five months ago. Doctors used "designer immune cells" to fight the cancer and say her improvement was "almost a miracle". It is too soon to know if she has been cured, but her progress already marks a huge moment for the field. Layla was three months old when she was diagnosed with the condition. As often happens with very young babies, chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant failed to cure her. End of the line Doctors had nothing left to offer and, the day before her first birthday, her family were advised to go through palliative care. But Layla's dad Ashleigh refused to give up.
"And this is her today standing laughing and giggling, she was so weak before this treatment, it was horrible and I'm just thankful for this opportunity. " Image copyright Great Ormond Street Hospital. Scientists examine why men even exist. Sex is a messy, inefficient method of reproducing, but most multicellular organisms have evolved to rely on a partner regardless.
It's generally accepted that species accept the inefficiency of sexual reproduction because something about the process gives us an evolutionary boost. A new study used 50 generations of beetles to examine just how important sexual selection -- the act of choosing one potential partner over another -- is to the survival of a species.
[Long-forgotten secrets of whale sex revealed] From a purely biological standpoint, the existence of the male sex is kind of perplexing: When it's time to create a new generation, the males of a species often contribute nothing but genetic material to the mix. Sure, many males are deeply involved in the rearing of their children -- take penguins, sea horses, and humans, for example -- but in extreme cases, males are nothing but parasitic sperm-producers that latch onto their females of choice. Want more science? Continue reading. Germ Line Engineering with CRISPR Leads to Designer Human Embryos. Editor’s note: Since this article was first published online, there have been significant policy developments as well as a first report of engineered human embryos, both initially described in the feature below.
If anyone had devised a way to create a genetically engineered baby, I figured George Church would know about it. At his labyrinthine laboratory on the Harvard Medical School campus, you can find researchers giving E. Coli a novel genetic code never seen in nature. Around another bend, others are carrying out a plan to use DNA engineering to resurrect the woolly mammoth. When I visited the lab last June, Church proposed that I speak to a young postdoctoral scientist named Luhan Yang. As I listened to Yang, I waited for a chance to ask my real questions: Can any of this be done to human beings? Here it was: a technical proposal to alter human heredity. That’s the promise. But all these declarations were made before it was actually feasible to precisely engineer the germ line. UCI, fellow chemists find a way to unboil eggs. Irvine, Calif., Jan. 23, 2015 – UC Irvine and Australian chemists have figured out how to unboil egg whites – an innovation that could dramatically reduce costs for cancer treatments, food production and other segments of the $160 billion global biotechnology industry, according to findings published today in the journal ChemBioChem.
“Yes, we have invented a way to unboil a hen egg,” said Gregory Weiss, UCI professor of chemistry and molecular biology & biochemistry. “In our paper, we describe a device for pulling apart tangled proteins and allowing them to refold. We start with egg whites boiled for 20 minutes at 90 degrees Celsius and return a key protein in the egg to working order.” Like many researchers, he has struggled to efficiently produce or recycle valuable molecular proteins that have a wide range of applications but which frequently “misfold” into structurally incorrect shapes when they are formed, rendering them useless. Rules for babies 'from three people' 17 December 2014Last updated at 10:03 ET By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website The rules for creating babies from three people - which state only two would be classed as parents - have been announced by the UK government.
The fertility technique uses material from the mother, father and a donor woman to prevent deadly diseases. MPs will soon vote on whether to make the UK the first country in the world to legalise the procedure. Opponents say it is unethical to make babies with DNA from three people and that it represents a "slippery slope" . The UK scientists that have led the research hope to offer the procedure next year. Some families have lost up to seven children to "mitochondrial diseases" that leave the body with insufficient energy to function. Mitochondria are the microscopic power stations in nearly every cell of the body. However, mitochondria have a tiny amount of their own DNA so any resulting child would have genetic information from three people. Deadly. Microscope work wins Nobel Prize - Abbe's diffraction limit.
8 October 2014Last updated at 05:57 ET The technique has extended the resolution of light microscopes The 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to a trio of researchers for improving the resolution of microscopes. Eric Betzig, Stefan Hell and William Moerner used fluorescence to extend the limits of the light microscope. The winners will share prize money of eight million kronor (£0.7m). They were named at a press conference in Sweden, and join a prestigious list of 105 other Chemistry laureates recognised since 1901.
The Nobel Committee said the researchers had won the award for "the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy". Committee chair Prof Sven Lidin, a materials chemist from Lunds University, said "the work of the laureates has made it possible to study molecular processes in real time". Optical microscopes had previously been held back by a presumed limitation: that they would never obtain a better resolution than half the wavelength of light. Cure for Type 1 diabetes imminent after Harvard stem-cell breakthrough. Height differences 'could be caused by DNA changes' 5 October 2014Last updated at 13:57 ET Thousands of genes could be involved in height, according to the study Subtle changes in our genetic make-up could help to explain why some people are taller than others, the largest ever study of height has suggested.
About 400 genome regions have been identified that may be responsible for the extra inches, according to research involving more than 250,000 people. Scientists say this could pave the way for a simple test to reassure parents with fears about their child's growth. It may also shed more light on cancer, where cell growth is out of control. Continue reading the main story “Start Quote This... could have real impact in the treatment of diseases that can be influenced by height such as osteoporosis or cancer” End QuoteProf FraylingUniversity of Exeter Studies suggest up to 80% of what determines height lies in our genetic code.
But the exact genes and other bits of DNA involved are only just being explored. Genes May Predispose Some People to Focus on the Negative. News New research finds that a previously known gene variant may predispose individuals to perceive emotional events — especially negative ones — more vividly than others. The new findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. “This is the first study to find that this genetic variation can significantly affect how people see and experience the world,” says psychological scientist Rebecca Todd of the University of British Columbia. “The findings suggest people experience emotional aspects of the world partly through gene-colored glasses — and that biological variations at the genetic level can play a significant role in individual differences in perception.” The gene in question is the ADRA2b deletion variant, which influences the hormone and neurotransmitter norepinephrine.
The study’s 200 participants were shown positive, negative and neutral words in a rapid succession. The article abstract is available online. Hepatitis C: New drug treatment 'is a breakthrough' 12 April 2014Last updated at 01:01 ET After 12 weeks, 191 of 208 patients no longer had hepatitis C after being given an oral treatment A new treatment for hepatitis C "cured" 90% of patients with the infection in 12 weeks, scientists said. The study is a "major breakthrough" and marks a "turning point" in hepatitis C treatment, said experts. More than 200,000 people are infected with hepatitis in the UK, and deaths from the infection have increased threefold since 1996. Only 3% of patients in the UK currently opt for the existing treatment, which only works half of the time. 'Excited for patients' Continue reading the main story “Start Quote We suddenly have the opportunity to eliminate the virus in the UK - even without a vaccine” End QuoteCharles GoreHepatitis C Trust Hepatitis C is a virus that can infect and damage the liver.
It is passed on by the blood, or bodily fluids of an infected person, and can be transferred through tattoo needles, or people taking drugs and sharing needles. Genetic link to autism found, known as CHD8 mutation -- ScienceDaily. In a collaboration involving 13 institutions around the world, researchers have broken new ground in understanding what causes autism. The results are being published in Cell magazine July 3, 2014: "Disruptive CHD8 Mutations Define a Subtype of Autism in Early Development. " "We finally got a clear cut case of an autism specific gene," said Raphael Bernier, the lead author, and UW associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the clinical director of the Autism Center at Seattle Children's. Bernier said people with a mutation in the CHD8 gene have a very "strong likelihood" that they will have autism marked by gastrointestinal disorders, a larger head and wide set eyes.
In their study of 6,176 children with autism spectrum disorder, researchers found 15 had a CHD8 mutation and all these cases had similar characteristics in appearance and issues with sleep disturbance and gastrointestinal problems. Implanted Neurons become Part of the Brain. Printer friendly version Share 04 August 2014 Université du Luxembourg Scientists at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg have grafted neurons reprogrammed from skin cells into the brains of mice for the first time with long-term stability. Six months after implantation, the neurons had become fully functionally integrated into the brain. This successful, because lastingly stable, implantation of neurons raises hope for future therapies that will replace sick neurons with healthy ones in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients, for example.
The Luxembourg researchers published their results in the current issue of ‘Stem Cell Reports’. The LCSB research group around Prof. In their latest tests, the research group and colleagues from the Max Planck Institute and the University Hospital Münster and the University of Bielefeld succeeded in creating stable nerve tissue in the brain from neurons that had been reprogrammed from skin cells. UK | Human species 'may split in two' She's Her Own Twin. Scientists hail synthetic chromosome advance. Students Build the First Eukaryotic Chromosome from Scratch. Activity levels in mums and children 'directly linked'
Child health problems 'linked to father's age' Stem cell 'major discovery' claimed. Mutation in key gene allows Tibetans to thrive at high altitude | Science. Gene therapy 'could be used to treat blindness' Twin DNA test: Why identical criminals may no longer be safe. 'Memories' pass between generations. Researchers block replication of AIDS virus. Immune upgrade gives 'HIV shielding' Tibetans inherited high-altitude gene from ancient human. Testosterone Promotes Reciprocity in the Absence of Competition. Potential 'universal' blood test for cancer discovered | DoxCole. 'Spider style' blood vessel building. Mosquito 'invisibility cloak' discovered. World's first lab-grown burger is eaten in London. Peru Bans Monsanto and GMOs. Wheat Genetic Sequence Mapping was Successful. Selfish traits not favoured by evolution, study shows. Testicle size 'link to father role'
Has Carl June Found a Key to Fighting Cancer? | Philadelphia magazine. Cancer Scientists Prove Long-Standing Theory on How Cancer Spreads. Schizophrenia not a single disease but multiple genetically distinct disorders. Anthracimycin: New Antibiotic Kills Anthrax, MRSA | Medicine. Meet the world's largest virus. New wonder drug matches and kills all kinds of cancer — human testing starts 2014. Antarctic Lake Vostok buried under two miles of ice found to teem with life. Getting stem cells from urine. Scientists Identify Gene Required for Nerve Regeneration | Genetics. Child born with HIV cured by US doctors. How Cells Obtain Energy. Antibiotics resistance 'as big a risk as terrorism' - medical chief.
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