Natural gene therapy for intractable skin disease discovered
Pathogenic gene mutations causing a type of intractable skin disease can be eliminated from some parts of patients skin as they age, according to Hokkaido University researchers and their collaborators in Japan. This represents a form of natural gene therapy.
IMPROVED CRISPR SYSTEM WITH POWER ON SWITCH FOR GENE EDITING
CRISPR is one of the power tools used by molecular biologists in gene-editing. However, the system lacks one important part - a switch.
Transplanted bone marrow endothelial progenitor cells delay ALS disease progression
Transplantation of human bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) into mice mimicking symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) helped more motor neurons survive and slowed disease progression by repairing damage to the blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB), University of South Florida researchers report.
Gene-editing tool CRISPR repurposed to develop better antibiotics
A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher and his collaborators at the University of California, San Francisco have repurposed the gene-editing tool CRISPR to study which genes are targeted by particular antibiotics, providing clues on how to improve existing antibiotics or develop new ones.
Engineers develop process to 3-D print cells to produce human tissue such as ligaments and tendons
With todays technology, we can 3-D-print sculptures, mechanical parts, prosthetics, even guns and food.
Record-breaking gene edit disables 13,200 LINE-1 Transposons in a single cell
An international team of researchers has succeeded in making 13,200 edits to a single cell—and the cell survived. In their paper uploaded to the bioRxiv preprint server, the team describes the edits they made, how they did it and why.
Fishing for Mutations Using CRISPR-Chip
A team of academic and industry researchers in California has developed a new technique that further demonstrates the utility of CRISPR-Cas technology in the diagnostic space.
Stem Cells Could Prevent Tissue Damage Caused by Radiotherapy
A new study in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine indicates mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a safe and innovative option to heal normal tissue following radiotherapy.
Stem cells implanted into the brain stop epilepsy seizures in rats
For people with severe epilepsy, no medication is effective – but a radical approach of implanting stem cells into the brain could stop seizures at their source.
China Claims It Cloned a Police Dog to Save Time and Money on Training
Earlier this month, a southwestern police department in China received its newest canine trainee. Normally that wouldn’t make the news, except this pup was China’s first cloned police dog, according to Chinese state media.
