A man in Germany has been cleared of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to researchers, after receiving a stem cell transplant from an HIV-resistant donor. The 53-year-old man, known as the “Düsseldorf patient,” received a stem cell transplant within his bone marrow in 2018, and has remained HIV-free since. Administered in conjunction with an already …
Precision Steering of CAR-T Therapies May Effectively Target More Tumor Types
Recent years have seen increased research interest in the potential of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cancer therapies. This approach uses genetic engineering to modify T cells from a person with cancer so that the cells will make CARs, proteins that can detect cancer cells and identify them as targets for killer T cells. Although such …
Genome Sequencing Labs in Africa and Asia Expand Beyond COVID-19 to Endemic Diseases
Funding unlocked during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed many countries in Asia and Africa to perform in-house genome sequencing, resulting in faster results and action that can help stem the spread of disease. Previously, samples would be sent to distant labs for analysis. Now, many countries are using the increased capacity to analyze samples from other …
Research on Extending Lifespan with Cell Reprogramming Yields “Cautious Optimism”
Investors are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into research designed to minimize the harms of aging through genetic engineering. The San Diego-based biotech, Rejuvenate Bio, added to the flurry of research in this area with a preprint article (not peer-reviewed) that appeared on the bioRxiv website. In the paper, Rejuvenate scientists presented the widely …
Experimental mRNA Vaccine Takes a Multivalent Approach to the Flu
The events of the COVID-19 pandemic have largely upended how we perceive and respond to global viral threats. One positive change is the technology that has been developed throughout the pandemic’s course and the promise it holds for the future of vaccine development. For example, fears of new pandemics, and experiences with past ones, are …
It Took Time, But Ionis Made Antisense Therapy Make Sense
Although antisense therapy — using antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to control protein function — has generated controversy and skepticism over the years, it is now considered a promising strategy for treating a variety of disorders. This blog will look back at the steps leading up to this point and review current ASOs in the market and …
How Ancient Wolves Evolved into Man’s Best Friend
If you compare a pack of fearsome ancient wolves with a pack of modern-day chihuahuas, it’s clear that domesticated dogs have evolved almost beyond recognition. And while scientists have mapped the ancestry of Man’s Best Friend back to fanged, den-dwelling beasts, the scientific community remains unclear on where and when wolves became our beloved domestic …
Are Fully Hypoallergenic Cats the Pets of the Future?
Pet owners represent a whopping 70 percent of U.S. households, with dogs and cats reigning supreme as the most popular pets. But while cat owners make up one in four U.S. households, cat allergies impact as much as 15 percent of the global population. Given the popularity of cats – and the ubiquity of cat …
Back in Black: Understanding the Origins of the “Original Pandemic”
In a time when news headlines, academic journals, and science websites sharing the latest discoveries and theories about SARS-CoV-2 and its many variants demand our attention, it may seem counterintuitive to shift our focus to the past to look for insights. Surprising for some, there is much to learn from the ‘original’ pandemic — the …
Could a New Gap-Free Human Genome Make Personal DNA Sequencing “Routine” Care?
In 2003, while recognizing the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix, researchers announced that the human genome had been sequenced — at least most of it. The achievement followed a decade of work by hundreds of scientists around the world. The result was a human genome sequence that was about 92 percent …
