“Once the virus is recognised, the CRISPR enzyme is activated and chops up the virus,” she said.
Paris (AFP)
Scientists have used CRISPR gene-editing technology to successfully block the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in infected human cells, according to research released Tuesday that could pave the way for Covid-19 treatments.
Writing in the journal Nature Communications, researchers in Australia said the tool was effective against viral transmissions in lab tests, adding that they hoped to begin animal trials soon.
If you want to learn, then you have to break some things.
Summary: Brain cells snap DNA in more places and in more cell types than previously realized in order to express genes for learning and memory.
Source: Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
The urgency to remember a dangerous experience requires the brain to make a series of potentially dangerous moves: Neurons and other brain cells snap open their DNA in numerous locations—more than previously realized, according to a new study—to provide quick access to genetic instructions for the mechanisms of memory storage.
The extent of these DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in multiple key brain regions is surprising and concerning, said study senior author Li-Huei Tsai, Picower Professor of Neuroscience at MIT and director of The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, because while the breaks are routinely repaired, that process may become more flawed and fragile with age. Tsai’s lab has shown that lingering DSBs are associated with neurodegeneration and cognitive decline and that repair mechanisms can falter.
Two reports call for the development of global standards for gene editing, covering unfair and potentially dangerous applications of experimental techniques, including altering DNA to enhance athletic ability.
University of Maryland scientists discover that match matters: The right combination of parents in nematode worms can turn a gene off indefinitely.
Evidence suggests that what happens in one generation — diet, toxin exposure, trauma, fear — can have lasting effects on future generations. Scientists believe these effects result from epigenetic changes that occur in response to the environment and turn genes on or off without altering the genome or DNA sequence.
But how these changes are passed down through generations has not been understood, in part, because scientists have not had a simple way to study the phenomenon. A new study by researchers at the University of Maryland provides a potential tool for unraveling the mystery of how experiences can cause inheritable changes to an animal’s biology. By mating nematode worms, they produced permanent epigenetic changes that lasted for more than 300 generations. The research was published on July 9, 2021, in the journal Nature Communications.
Using CRISPR-Cas9, the researchers subsequently removed the one copy of the Ndn gene from the 15q dup mouse model to generate mice with a normalized genomic copy number for this gene (15q dupΔNdn mouse). Using this model, they demonstrated that the abnormalities observed in 15q dup mice (abnormal spine turnover rate and decreased inhibitory synaptic input) could be ameliorated.
A research group including Kobe University’s Professor TAKUMI Toru (also a Senior Visiting Scientist at RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research) and Assistant Professor TAMADA Kota, both of the Physiology Division in the Graduate School of Medicine, has revealed a causal gene (Necdin, NDN) in autism model mice that have the chromosomal abnormality called copy number variation.
The researchers hope to illuminate the NDN gene’s molecular mechanism in order to contribute towards the creation of new treatment strategies for developmental disorders including autism.
These research results were published in Nature Communications on July 1, 2021.
A 2010 study had found that people who were given zoledronate after experiencing hip fractures showed slightly reduced all-cause mortality compared to a control group. Patients who took the drug were at significantly lower risk for heart arrhythmias and pneumonia.
As this is a drug that is already being given to people, the choice to go back to genetically modified fruit flies, a much simpler model of aging, may seem counterintuitive. The team chose to test these insects for two principal reasons. The first is that Drosophila flies are a common subject of studies on basic aging pathways, which the researchers wished to explore. The second is simpler: Drosophila flies lack bones, making the bone-affecting properties of zoledronate irrelevant to the study.
Evidence suggests that what happens in one generation—diet, toxin exposure, trauma, fear—can have lasting effects on future generations. Scientists believe these effects result from epigenetic changes that occur in response to the environment and turn genes on or off without altering the genome or DNA sequence.
But how these changes are passed down through generations has not been understood, in part, because scientists have not had a simple way to study the phenomenon. A new study by researchers at the University of Maryland provides a potential tool for unraveling the mystery of how experiences can cause inheritable changes to an animal’s biology. By mating nematode worms, they produced permanent epigenetic changes that lasted for more than 300 generations. The research was published on July 9, 2021, in the journal Nature Communications.
“There’s a lot of interest in heritable epigenetics,” said Antony Jose, associate professor of cell biology and molecular genetics at UMD and senior author of the study. “But getting clear answers is difficult. For instance, if I’m on some diet today, how does that affect my children and grandchildren and so on? No one knows, because so many different variables are involved. But we’ve found this very simple method, through mating, to turn off a single gene for multiple generations. And that gives us a huge opportunity to study how these stable epigenetic changes occur.”
The Retrobiome, Cancer, And Aging — Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer CtrThe Retrobiome, Cancer, And Aging — Dr. Andrei Gudkov, PhD, DSci, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, joins me on Progress, Potential, And Possibilities Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine #Cancer #Vaika #Genome #DnaDamage #ImmunoSenescence #Pets #Dogs #Health #Lifespan #LifeExtension #Inflammaging #Longevity #Aging #Oncology
Dr Andrei Gudkov, PhD, DSci, is a preeminent cancer researcher who serves as Senior Vice President, Research Technology and Innovation, Chair of the Department of Cell Stress Biology, and a member of the senior leadership team for National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center Support Grant at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (https://www.roswellpark.org/andrei-gudkov).
Dr. Gudkov is responsible for building on the basic and translational research strengths of the Cell Stress Biology program in DNA damage and repair, photodynamic therapy, thermal and hypoxic stress and immune modulation.
Dr. Gudkov assists the President & CEO in developing and implementing strategic plans for new scientific programs and enhancing collaborations in research programs with regional and national academic centers as well as with industry.
Before joining Roswell Park, Dr. Gudkov served as chair of the Department of Molecular Genetics at Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and Professor of Biochemistry at Case Western University. He earned his doctoral degree in Experimental Oncology at the Cancer Research Center, USSR and a Doctorate of Science (D.Sci) in Molecular Biology at the Moscow State University, USSR. He has authored or co-authored over 135 scientific articles and holds 27 patents.
Dr. Gudkov is also an accomplished entrepreneur who founded Cleveland BioLabs, Inc., OncoTartis LLC and Everon Biosciences, Inc.
He holds the position of Director & Chief Scientific Advisor at Panacela Labs, Inc., Chief Scientific Officer of OncoTartis LLC, Chief Scientific Officer for Everon Biosciences, Inc., Chief Science Officer at Genome Protection, Inc. and Chief Scientific Officer of Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. Andrei V. Gudkov is also on the board of Incuron LLC.
Dr. Gudkov also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board and is author of the founding concept for the Vaika (https://www.vaika.org/) program, a not-for-profit charitable medical research organization with a mission to extend the health-span and life-span of domestic animals, with a focus on aged sled dogs.
This mapping of aetiological sources of cross-disorder overlap can guide future research aiming to identify specific mechanisms contributing to risk of physical conditions in people with ADHD, which could ultimately inform preventive and lifestyle intervention efforts. Our findings highlight the importance of assessing the presence of physical conditions in patients with ADHD.
Swedish Research Council; Swedish Brain Foundation; Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life, and Welfare; Stockholm County Council; StratNeuro; EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme; National Institute of Mental Health.
High-risk neuroblastoma is an aggressive childhood cancer with poor treatment outcomes. Despite intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy, less than 50 percent of these children survive for five years. While the genetics of human neuroblastoma have been extensively studied, actionable therapeutics are limited.
Now researchers in the Feng lab at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), in collaboration with scientists in the Simon lab at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), have not only discovered why this cancer is so aggressive but also reveal a promising therapeutic approach to treat these patients. These findings appear online in the journal Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
“Our work pinpoints a targeted therapy for treating this group of at-risk patients, likely leading to improved survival,” said corresponding author Hui Feng, MD, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology and medicine at BUSM.
