Tag: Gene Therapy

Scientists have devised a CRISPR-based tool that can kill cells carrying a specific strand of RNA. The tested targets include cancerous and virus-infected cells [1]. Targeted assassination of cells CRISPR-based systems work by cutting or changing DNA at a particular spot, an ability that can be used to fix dangerous mutations, such as in the...

A recent study investigated the roles of brown adipose tissue and a lipid-controlling hormone, 12,13-diHOME, in cardiac health. The researchers examined the molecular mechanisms behind 12,13-diHOME's effects on the hearts of aged mice [1]. The aging heart Aging leads to many cardiovascular system-related changes, which are connected to disruptions in Ca2+ metabolism [2]. Similarly, brown...

Researchers have investigated a never-before-used method of transfecting senescent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and published their results In the Cell journal Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids. Detergents for gene therapy Altering the genetics of a living person is much trickier than altering them in cells in a dish, and it requires entirely different approaches. One of...

Yesterday in Aging Cell, researchers published their findings that using gene therapy to overexpress a synaptic promoter increases cognitive ability in ordinary, middle-aged mice. Hevin vs. SPARC Astrocytes are general-purpose helper cells of the brain, and one of their tasks is to maintain synapse structure [1]. They secrete synapse-modifying molecules, including members of the SPARC...

In JCI Insight, researchers have explored the possibility of using gene therapy to restore a crucial protein and repair hearing loss. Hearing and its failure In mammals, afferent neurons, which originate from the inner ear, transform received stimuli (sound waves) into electrical signals [1]. This process is known as mechanoelectrical transduction, and a specific myosin,...

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...