Talk about precision gene editing. Scientists from Harvard University have just unveiled a new gene editor that uses the revolutionary CRISPR-Cas9 technology to target and change a single letter in a string of DNA bases — no cutting necessary. Considering that there are billions of letters in the human genome, converting one letter to another...
Category: <span>Immunology</span>
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No magic wand required: Scientists propose way to turn any cell into any other cell type
By harnessing massive amounts of data on activity within and between snippets of DNA, researchers say it could be possible to reprogram both healthy and diseased cells In fairy tales, all it takes to transform a frog into a prince, a servant into a princess or a mouse into a horse is the wave of...
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Immune engineering: From systems immunology to engineering immunity
Highlights • Engineers can impact biomedical research and health care by leveraging their expertise and toolboxes. • Systems immunology plays a key role in dissecting molecular interactions in human diseases and guiding immune engineering. • Immune engineering bears a tremendous potential in the fight against cancer, infections, and autoimmune diseases. The smallpox vaccine represents the earliest attempt in...
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Scientists discover new gene associated with debilitating lung disease
Health scientists at the University of Leicester and University of Nottingham have heralded the discovery of a gene associated with lung fibrosis as ‘a potential new avenue of treatment for further research into this terrible disease.’ The breakthrough is announced in a paper published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a debilitating lung disease,...
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Study reveals connection between microbiome and autoimmune disorders
Many people associate the word “bacteria” with something dirty and disgusting. Dr. Pere Santamaria disagrees. Called the microbiome, the bacteria in our bodies have all kinds of positive effects on our health, Santamaria says. “The bacteria we have in our gut actually have many beneficial functions. They help in our digestion, prevent infection by pathogens...
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Activation of immune T cells leads to behavioral changes
Scanning electron micrograph of a human T lymphocyte (also called a T cell) from the immune system of a healthy donor. Scientists from the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences in Japan and collaborators have found that T cells—immune cells that help to protect the body from infections and cancer—change the body’s metabolism when...
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The skinny on lipid immunology
T-cell Receptors (gold, upper) on the surface of T-cells selectively bind the lipid antigen presenting molecule on dendritic cells, CD1b (lower), presenting a rare cellular phospholipid (gold), over common phospholipids found in membranes (pink, cyan and green), which in turn induces an autoimmune response. Phospholipids — fat molecules that form the membranes found around cells...
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Timing and Sequence Critical for Immunotherapy Combination
A new study in mice suggests that for treatment that combines two immunotherapy drugs, the timing and sequence of the drugs’ administration are critical to the treatment’s efficacy and safety. Molecules that block PD-1 (PD-1 inhibitors) or activate OX40 (OX40 agonists) increase T-cell activity, enabling T cells to kill cancer cells. The study investigators found that...
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Creating a better RNA switch
Newly developed switch activates genes thousands of times better than nature If scientists could precisely regulate gene expression, they could turn off the genes responsible for illness and disease and turn on those that enhance health and the immune system. “This is why controlling gene expression is so fundamental,” said Northwestern University’s Julius Lucks. “Once...
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Scientists Developed a Way to Precisely Edit Genes in the Human Brain
IN BRIEF Researchers have developed a technique that enables gene editing on neurons — something previously thought to be impossible. This new tool will present amazing new opportunities for neuroscience research. LIMITS OF GENE EDITING Technologies designed for editing the human genome are transforming biomedical science and providing us with relatively simple ways to modify...