Category Biology/Biotechnology

Nanoparticles releasing microRNAs (light blue) inside a human brain cancer cell. Credit: Yuan Rui, Johns Hopkins

In a “proof of concept” study, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have successfully delivered nano-size packets of genetic code called microRNAs to treat human brain tumors implanted in mice. The contents of the super-small containers were designed to target cancer stem cells, a kind of cellular “seed” that produces countless progeny and is a relentless barrier to ridding the brain of malignant cells.

Results of their experiments were published online June 21 in Nano Letters. “Brain cancer is one of the most widely understood cancers in terms of its genetic makeup, but we have yet to develop a good treatment for it,” says John Laterra, M.D., Ph.D...

A computer built to mimic the brain’s neural networks produces similar results to that of the best brain-simulation supercomputer software currently used for neural-signaling research, finds a new study published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Neuroscience. Tested for accuracy, speed and energy efficiency, this custom-built computer named SpiNNaker, has the potential to overcome the speed and power consumption problems of conventional supercomputers. The aim is to advance our knowledge of neural processing in the brain, to include learning and disorders such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

“SpiNNaker can support detailed biological models of the cortex – the outer layer of the brain that receives and processes information from the senses – delivering results very similar to ...

The research team created CRISPR guides that would cause green fluorescent protein to be expressed in only certain cellular locations and structures.
Credit: Alex Marson’s Lab.

With faster, cheaper, more precise technique, authors say it’s ‘off to the races’ toward new cell therapies. In an achievement that has significant implications for research, medicine, and industry, UC San Francisco scientists have genetically reprogrammed the human T cells without using viruses to insert DNA...

Study in mice shows promise for treating genetic conditions during early stages of development. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Yale University have for the first time used a gene editing technique to successfully cure a genetic condition in a mouse model. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, present a promising new avenue for research into treating genetic conditions during fetal development.

An estimated 8 million children are born each year with severe genetic disorders or birth defects. Genetic conditions can often be detected during pregnancy using amniocentesis, but there are no treatment options to correct these genetic conditions before birth. “Early in embryonic development, there are a lot of stem cells dividing at a rapid pace...