Biotech start-up Ring Therapeutics, founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2017, hopes to transform gene therapy by using a new class of vector — anelloviruses – a diverse family of harmless viruses present in the human body. Current gene therapies mostly use an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to carry genetic material into a cell – often a …
How SARS-CoV-2 Spreads Infection so Efficiently | Part 2 – Hijacking Host Cells
Like most viruses, SARS-CoV-2 infects its hosts by entering and “hijacking” the operations of a host cell. A significant amount of the research on COVID-19 has focused on how the virus’s surface spike protein works as a means to develop treatment and preventive measures like the vaccines. But that isn’t the only area of interest …
When Will COVID End?
Eighteen months have passed since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The pandemic has upended society as we know it, shuttering businesses, disrupting supply chains, and dramatically impacting our way of life. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that someone might ask: When will COVID end? The answer …
A Genetic Game-Changer in Treating Obesity
An estimated 650 million adults live with obesity today, which puts those individuals at increased risk for some of the leading causes of death worldwide, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer. Most prescription weight-loss drugs work by decreasing appetite or providing a feeling of satiety to help people lose weight. The …
How SARS-CoV-2 Spreads Infection So Efficiently | Part 1 – The Spike Protein
As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads throughout the world, the scientific community learns more about the SARS-CoV-2 virus and plans to use that information to develop new prevention and treatment options. Much of the research focuses on how SARS-CoV-2 enters cells to infect people, and why this virus is more adept at infection than its predecessors. …
How the Delta Variant May Impact COVID-19 Travel Restrictions
About 2,238,462 travelers passed through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints on August 1, 2021. Per TSA data, that’s nearly three times the number of travelers logged a year ago on August 1, 2020. The data doesn’t lie: With about 60 percent of the country at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19, Americans are undoubtedly feeling safer …
Clinical Trial Shows In Vivo CRISPR-Cas9 Therapy Effective Against Rare Disease
Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR amyloidosis) is a rare but fatal disease marked by clumping and accumulation of mutated, misfolded transthyretin proteins in peripheral nerves and cardiac tissue. Most patients experience neuropathy and/or cardiomyopathy, and average survival from disease onset is between two and 17 years. About 50,000 people worldwide have its autosomal dominant inherited form. Current …
Could Giraffes Advance Human Genetic Research?
Depending on your perspective, giraffes are either the world’s most graceful animal or a baffling, doe-eyed sloppy eater. (This could depend largely on whether you’re observing giraffes on safari or, say, feeding them pellets at the zoo.) But personal giraffe encounters aside, one thing is certain: these fascinating animals represent several truly astounding evolutionary feats. …
The SARS-CoV-2 Jump from Bats to Humans and What It Tells Us
Scientists involved in the search for the source of SARS-CoV-2 have pointed to a “jump” from bats occurring in and around Wuhan, China. Whether the virus moved from bats into people directly or if it traveled through an intermediate species was a subject of great debate in the scientific community. Previous forms of coronaviruses, such …
The Common Cold vs. COVID-19
You wake up with a congested nose, an annoying cough, and body aches. You’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19 – and yet, you can’t help but panic. “Oh, no,” you think. “It’s COVID.” But the statistics show that breakthrough COVID infections are uncommon. The most realistic outcome? You have the common cold. Like COVID-19, the common …
