November 04, 2024
In a groundbreaking Nature paper, researchers have developed synthetic regulatory sequences that could prevent targeted gene therapies from having effects in unwanted cell types. More than methylation While methylation is the most well-known regulator of gene expression, it isn't the only thing that determines what is to be expressed when. Cis-regulatory elements (CREs), so called...
July 09, 2024
A new study describes a method of genetically modifying a fraction of tumor cells, programming them to self-destruct and take therapy-resistant cells with them [1]. Resisting the resistance Advanced solid tumors remain the main challenge for modern oncology. It’s hard to deliver a therapy to all of the cells in a tumor, and then the...
July 12, 2023
The Journal Club returns on 25th July at 12:00 Eastern time to the Lifespan.io Facebook channel. Editing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has long been a challenge and systems such as CRISPR, which make editing regular DNA faster and easier, are very difficult to use when it comes to mtDNA. This month we are going to take...
June 23, 2023
Researchers have genetically engineered lettuce to produce human insulin. The resulting plant-based drug, which can be taken orally, was successfully tested in mice [1]. An epidemic and a costly drug Diabetes mellitus has reached epidemic proportions, affecting about half a billion people worldwide. This debilitating metabolic disease, which also exacerbates numerous processes of aging...
May 22, 2023
Researchers publishing in Nature Biotechnology have developed a novel method of editing mitochondrial DNA, which cannot be accomplished with nuclear DNA tools. Where CRISPR doesn't work Why We Age: Mitochondrial DysfunctionAs they age, the mitochondria in our cells lose their ability to provide cellular energy and release reactive oxygen species that harm cells and cause...
January 09, 2023
A preprint published in bioRxiv by scientists working at Rejuvenate Bio has described how gene therapy that allows for OSKM expression can be used to increase the lifespans of mice. A new handle on old problems The researchers begin this study with a discussion of the known problems of aging research. They bring up the...