Month: July 2021

Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, develops in the cells (melanocytes) that produce melanin—the pigment that gives your skin its color. Melanoma can also form in your eyes and, rarely, inside your body, such as in your nose or throat. The best treatment for melanoma depends on the size and stage of cancer,

Research by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that a type of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) that is produced by the intestine plays a previously unknown role in protecting the liver from injury. The team’s studies showed that this type of HDL, known as HDL3, protects the liver by blocking inflammatory

‘Tis the season to start your Christmas quilts! Other people might moan that Christmas comes too early every year, but as a quilter, you know better—Christmas patchwork actually starts in July! Check out this beautiful roundup of holiday delights that was originally published in October of 2018. We published two Christmas quilt patterns in Love

Scientists report that a novel technique that analyzes how individual immune cells react to the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) could pave the way for new vaccine strategies against this deadly disease, and provide insights into fighting other infectious diseases around the world. The approach was developed in the lab of David Russell, PhD, the

Caribou sold 19 million shares at $16 a share—the top of its $14-to-$16 price range. Investors pushed up the share price to $19.17 at 11:57 a.m. Friday before it fell, closing at $16.32 a share. [Caribou Biosciences] Caribou Biosciences, the developer of gene-edited cell therapies co-founded by Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, PhD, has launched an

Dopamine, the brain’s messenger molecule associated with anticipating reward and experiencing pleasure is widely studied in the context of cognitive health and neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease where its synthesis is reduced. Although much is known about external signals that control the release of this “feel-good”molecule, less is understood about the spontaneous impulses of

The tremors that shook the life sciences community last December were mere prelude. Back then, at a biennial protein-prediction competition, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool called AlphaFold delivered an outstanding performance, predicting structures quite as well as X-ray crystallography or cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), the gold standard experimental techniques. Now, AlphaFold has produced an eruption: a

Late last week, the synthetic biology company Synlogic announced data from a Phase 1/2a study of their living biologic designed for the treatment of Phenylketonuria (PKU). The findings of the first-in-human study of a frozen liquid formulation of the drug—known as SYNB1618—in healthy volunteers and patients with PKU, showed that the drug was safe and

Age-related memory loss is widely believed to begin around the age of 60, but some research suggests that memory and other mental declines may commonly occur decades earlier. Making conscious efforts to boost your brain function is crucial in preventing age-related memory loss. Now, a new study gives hope in restoring this loss. Scientists at

Genome editing has been used to alter the genomes of species from plants to humans. Now, a group of researchers from the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) have added a new animal to the list of animals that have been genetically engineered using CRISPR-Cas9, through the first successful demonstration of gene knockout in a marsupial.

Source: Photo by Colin Lloyd on Unsplash A form of gene therapy administered to mice has been shown to protect optic nerve cells and help prevent vision loss or blindness from optic nerve damage and other serious retinal injury, and from retinal diseases including diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Mount Sinai scientists demonstrated how using gene

If you could chop up a meter-long stick into a billion little pieces, each would be a nanometer (nm) long. Materials made of particles with diameters in the nanoscale range are being used in targeted pharmaceuticals, sensors, devices that capture and store energy and a variety of emerging applications. Scientists have now used particles less

An international team of researchers published an article (“Identification of altered cell signaling pathways using proteomic profiling in stable and progressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia”) in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology that reportedly reveals that certain protein markers may indicate which patients have stable forms of CLL and which have more aggressive types. Identifying these proteins

Mwah ah ahhhh, just when you thought the crafting coast was clear we have a spooky little reminder for you— Halloween quilting is coming! We know we’re right smack dab in the dog days of summer, but we already have chilly nights and creepy Halloween quilting projects dancing in our heads like jangly skeletons in