OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY A form of gene therapy currently used to treat Parkinson’s disease may dramatically reduce alcohol use among chronic heavy drinkers, researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and institutions across the country have found. The study in nonhuman primates showed that implanting a specific type of molecule that induces cell growth effectively...
Category: <span>Genetics</span>
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Genetically engineered bacteria can detect cancer cells in a world-first experiment
by Dan Worthley, The Conversation Credit: Shutterstock As medical technology advances, many diseases could be detected, prevented and cured with cells, rather than pills. This branch of medicine is called cellular or cell therapy. It’s already used in clinical practice in some situations, such as patients receiving fecal microbial transplants (“poo transplants”) when they have a severe gastrointestinal infection,...
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Long COVID may be caused by damage to cells’ energy generators
By Paul McClure August 11, 2023 A study has found that SARS-CoV-2 damages the genes of mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouses, in the lungs and other organs Depositphotos A new study has found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, damages the genes of the mitochondria, the cell’s energy generators, causing dysfunction in organs other than...
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Researchers reverse hearing loss in mice
New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London has successfully reversed hearing loss in mice. This proof-of-concept study suggests that gene therapy for this type of hearing loss in humans may be successful in the future. The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used a genetic approach to...
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Research sheds new light on gene therapy for blood disorders
by University of Michigan Credit: National Institutes of Health Research from experts at Michigan Medicine, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine is breaking ground on new ways of treating blood disorders, such as sickle cell anemia, through gene therapy. The study is published in the journal Science. To cure blood disorders, patients must undergo high dose chemotherapy...
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Gene therapy hope for children with kidney disease
by University of Bristol Image [left to right]: Professor Moin Saleem, Dr Wen Ding [Academic Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Renal Medicine] and Professor Gavin Welch [Professor of Renal Cell Biology] from the University of Bristol’s Medical School Credit: Kidney Research UK Researchers at the University of Bristol have made a remarkable step forward in finding a potential cure for...
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A new clue to the reason some people come down with long COVID
August 8, 2023 10:06 AM ET Max Barnhart Protesters march outside the White House to call attention to those who have long COVID. Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Stéphanie Longet is an immunologist and a COVID researcher at the University of Saint-Etienne in France, and just like 10-20% of adults who were infected with the...
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Genes linked to sex and age pave the way for tailored weight-loss drugs
By Bronwyn Thompson August 02, 2023 Sex-specific genetic therapy could make it easier for everybody to lose weight Depositphotos Obesity is a massive global crisis, with around 650 million adults and 124 million children and adolescents impacted. It’s also estimated that up to 70% of body size is directly linked to genetic factors. In addition...
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New insights into heterotopic ossification: Progenitor cells play a key role in aberrant bone formation
by West China Hospital of Sichuan University Tppp3+ tendon sheath progenitors expand at the heterotopic ossification (HO) induction site after Achilles tendon injury. a Schematic representation of HO induction, including complete Achilles tenotomy (left) and dorsal burn (right). b Tppp3ECE/+;R26RtdT animals wereadministered tamoxifen (TMx) for three continuous days, followed by a 10-day washout period before...
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Researcher identifies key mechanism in Parkinson’s disease
by Anna Zarra Aldrich, University of Connecticut Proper regulation of LRRK2 levels is important for Parkinson’s disease (PD). ATIC, a purine biosynthesis pathway enzyme, and its substrate precursor AICAr regulate LRRK2 mRNA levels via an mRNA decay pathway. AICAr suppresses LRRK2 expression and can rescue LRRK2-induced dopaminergic neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in PD animal models. Credit: The EMBO...