Designer Babies
Preimplantation genetic testing. Useful for pre-selecting embryos that will:
Create babies that do not carry debilitating genetic mutations that have been in you family history.
Create babies to be a matching bone marrow donor for someone in your family who needs a bone marrow transplant; such as in multiple myelome or leukemia.
Fascinating…
LeGoo, an Innovative Gel That Stops Blood Flow During Vascular Surgery, Gains FDA Approval
Plant RNAs Found in mammals … you are what you eat, apparently?
MicroRNA (miRNAs) are small molecules of RNA that affect everything from viral infection to gene expression levels. They are an ancient and unique way to control how other nucleic acids behave in cells.
It now appears that miRNAs from plants can cross over into their mammalian consumers, ending up in their cells. They might even inhibit some of the plant-eater’s genes, as was seen for a rice miRNA and a low-density lipoprotein-related gene.
A very surprising discovery, for sure, but more work will have to be done to figure out if these miRNAs actually have a function in the cells of their consumers.
(via The Scientist)
About 8 years ago, heart researchers were abuzz with excitement. Studies in mice had found that infusing bone marrow into the heart after a heart attack could heal the organ and prevent subsequent heart failure. Given that there are about 500,000 new cases of heart failure each year in the United States and only 2000 heart transplants, a new therapy for failing hearts was badly needed. But when researchers tried the same approach in humans, it didn’t work as well. Now scientists think they may have pinpointed one big reason why.
Nanomedicines are becoming increasingly popular. Some researchers worry, however, that these drugs encapsulated in nanoparticles may pass through the body, into sewage, and into the environment, where they may pose a threat to wildlife. Adding weight to such concerns, a new study finds that polymeric nanomedicines adsorb onto a surface commonly located in the environment
IBM Watson: Transforming Healthcare (by IBM)
There are over 12,000 diseases in the world. Some take years to diagnose and treat. This, combined with medical knowledge that doubles every 5 years often makes it difficult for doctors to keep up. IBM is working on new solutions based on Watson to help doctors with faster and more accurate diagnoses.
To learn more, please visit http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/healthcare_solutions/ideas/index.html?….
Meet the new generation of microbe hunters, and take a look at their new arsenal:
Was it anthrax? If so, was it a genetically engineered bioterrorism strain, or a strain that normally lives in the soil? How dangerous was it?
And the answers, Dr. Musser realized, could come very quickly from newly available technology that would allow investigators to determine the entire genome sequence of the suspect micro-organism.
It is the start of a new age in microbiology, Dr. Musser and others say. And the sort of molecular epidemiology he and his colleagues wanted to do is only a small part of it. New methods of quickly sequencing entire microbial genomes are revolutionizing the field.
(via NYTimes)
How people in science see each other…
Battle of the Bacteria: Genetically Modified E.coli vs. P.aeruginosa
Biochemical engineers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have genetically modified a strain of the Escherichia coli bacteria to fight Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Need to track your blood oxygen levels? There may soon be an app for that.
Turning medical science into medical solutions requires innovators to leap all kinds of hurdles, but one of the biggest is the financial “Valley of Death,” where many underfunded, early-stage ventures meet their demise.
PhD in Molecular Biology turned Buddhist monk. Take a look at his unique perspective…
http://www.matthieuricard.org/en/index.php/index/
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/matthieu_ricard_on_the_habits_of_happiness.html
New Drug Could Cure Nearly Any Viral Infection!!
I had to reblog this in case you missed it from the Science feed. Why? Because this. is. AWESOME! (And, of course, DARPA has their hands in it, which is like having a ‘mad-science seal of approval’.)
RCS Highlights:
Most bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics such as penicillin, discovered decades ago. However, such drugs are useless against viral infections, including influenza, the common cold, and deadly hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola.
Now, in a development that could transform how viral infections are treated, a team of researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory has designed a drug [dubbed DRACO] that can identify cells that have been infected by any type of virus, then kill those cells to terminate the infection…
The drug works by targeting a type of RNA produced only in cells that have been infected by viruses. “In theory, it should work against all viruses,”… Because the technology is so broad-spectrum, it could potentially also be used to combat outbreaks of new viruses, such as the 2003 SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak, Rider says…
Combining those two elements [one to target infected cells; one to initiate cell death] is a “great idea” and a very novel approach, says Karla Kirkegaard, professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University. “Viruses are pretty good at developing resistance to things we try against them, but in this case, it’s hard to think of a simple pathway to drug resistance,” she says…
The researchers are now testing DRACO against more viruses in mice and beginning to get promising results. Rider says he hopes to license the technology for trials in larger animals and for eventual human clinical trials.
