NEWS and OPINIONS
Three Noteworthy Applications of CRISPR
By Demaris Mills, Integrated DNA Technologies - Technology Networks Only 10 years ago, Nobel prize-winning work introduced CRISPR, or clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, as a new and powerful genome editing tool. Since then, many exciting...
FDA approves first ALS drug in 5 years after pleas from patients
The treatment was thought up by two Brown University undergraduates a decade ago. By Laurie McGinley - The Washington Post The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday overcame doubts from agency scientists and approved a fiercely debated drug for ALS, a move that...
Stem Cell Grafts and Rehabilitation Combined Boost Spinal Cord Injury Results
By UC San Diego Today In animal models, researchers found that intensive physical therapy in tandem with implanted neural stem cells increased tissue growth, repair, and functionality more than those treatments alone In recent years, researchers have made measurable...
Reactive Oxygen Species Found to Play Key Role in Stem Cell Function
By University of Oxford - Genengnews.com Scientists at Mount Sinai say they have published one of the first studies to demonstrate the importance of reactive oxygen species in maintaining stem cell function and preventing inflammation during wound repair. The team...
How an experimental treatment beat a little girl’s cancer
CBS Sunday Morning Emily Whitehead has a secret weapon: "My T-cells, part of my immune system, were trained to fight and kill my cancer." She was only six when she became the first child ever to receive genetically-modified T cells. The experimental treatment cured...
World’s first stem cell treatment for spina bifida delivered during fetal surgery
Brilliant and inspiring article! Stem cell treatment for spina bifida! For the first time in the world, #UCDavisHealth successfully cured #paralysis and predicted associated neurological defects spina bifida for babies in utero during fetal surgery. Kudos to fetal...
New Treatment Target Could Counter Bone Loss
By University of Pennsylvania - Sci Tech Daily Overactive populations of osteoclasts may result in a variety of disorders such as osteoporosis, arthritis, and cancer. A new function for a protein that regulates osteoclasts—the cells that break down bone—has been...
Experimental umbilical cord stem cell therapy treats rare disease
A girl with a rare disorder can now breathe more easily after receiving transfusions of a liquid that her sister's umbilical cord stem cells were grown in By Clare Wilson - New Scientist A girl who was critically ill with heart failure is doing well after receiving an...
Chinese scientists find axolotl’s ability to regenerate after injury may hold key to human brain health
Image caption: Chinese scientists whose study of the axolotl’s ability to regenerate cells after injury was published in Science journal say their findings have the potential to help improve the regenerative capability of mammalian and human brains in the future....
Cancer death rates continue to fall, driven by new treatments and improved screening
There are more cancer survivors in the U.S. than ever before, thanks to advances in cancer research. By Kaitlin Sullivan - NBC News Significant strides in cancer treatments, diagnostic tools and prevention strategies continue to drive down cancer death rates,...
There’s New Proof Crispr Can Edit Genes Inside Human Bodies
The technique had largely been limited to editing patients’ cells in the lab. New research shows promise for treating diseases more directly. By Emily Mullin - Wired A decade ago, biologists Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier published a landmark paper...
Newly discovered protein connected to Alzheimer’s disease risk
A mutation in the small protein SHMOOSE is associated with Alzheimer’s risk and highlights a possible target for treatment. By Beth Newcomb - USC Leonard Davis A mutation in a newly discovered small protein is connected to a significant increase in the risk for...