Tag: Gene Editing

A group of researchers has used CRISPR to create energy-dissipating brown adipocytes (fat cells) from white preadipocytes. The new cells were then shown to alleviate obesity in mice [1]. Obesity: the nemesis of longevity Obesity is one of humanity’s deadliest enemies. It is a known comorbidity in a plethora of diseases, including age-related, such as...

Researchers have overcome a major limitation of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system, which should allow previously inaccessible parts of the genome to be edited with ease. What is CRISPR-Cas9? Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) is used in CRISPR-Cas9 and CRISPR-associated protein, a gene editing system that has created considerable excitement in the last...

A new study recently accepted by iScience has shown that a specific genetic alteration can selectively remove pluripotent stem cells from stem cell therapies in order to purify them for use in treatment. The cells we don't want As we age, our stem cells both decrease in number and become less efficient in replenishing somatic...

For the November episode of the Journal Club, Dr. Oliver Medvedik will be reviewing a new study from a team of researchers including Professor George Church. The study saw the deployment of a multiple target gene therapy focused on 3 known longevity genes delivered via an adeno-associated virus. The focus was on mitigating T2 diabetes, heart failure,...

On April 30th at 13:00 EST the Journal Club will be discussing the recent paper from the Salk Institute. The findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, showcase a novel CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing therapy that can suppress the accelerated aging observed in mice with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. This treatment provides an important insight into the molecular pathways...

A couple of days ago, news about the first designer babies has shaken the world. A Chinese researcher, Jiankui He, and his team at the Southern University of Science and Technology of China have been recruiting couples in order to create the world’s first babies with artificially increased resilience to HIV. The embryos were modified...