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Archive for the ‘biotech/medical’ category: Page 1227

Jul 1, 2021

RedHill Biopharma reports preliminary results from new preclinical study showing potent inhibition of COVID-19 variants

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Preliminary results showed potent inhibition of both the Beta and Gamma variants by opaganib at non-cytotoxic doses, the company said.

Opaganib is a unique host-targeted, dual antiviral and anti-inflammatory drug that acts on the cause and effect of COVID-19.

Jul 1, 2021

Addicted pancreatic cancer cells die when denied key protein

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

It’s not hard to kill cancer cells,” says Dr. Marianne Koritzinsky, who led the study. “It’s hard to kill cancer cells without harming the cancer patient.


By better understanding the way cancer cells are able to thrive in the human body, scientists continue to learn where their vulnerabilities lie, and with that comes potential new forms of treatment. Researchers in Canada taking this approach have made a significant discovery around pancreatic cancer, pinpointing a protein the cells rely on for growth and targeting it to inhibit tumor growth in the lab.

Led by scientists at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, the study focuses on the unique biology of pancreatic cancer cells, which drive a particularly deadly form of the disease with a five-year survival rate of just eight percent. The scientists knew that these cancer cells increase levels of a key metabolite called NADPH that helps fuel their growth, so they carried out genomic analysis to shed more light on the process.

Continue reading “Addicted pancreatic cancer cells die when denied key protein” »

Jul 1, 2021

The Entire Human Genome Has (Finally) Been Sequenced

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

Researchers have finally sequenced the complete human genome, filling the gaps in the Human Genome Project’s (HGP) historic first draft.

“Having been part of the original Human Genome Project in 2001, and especially focused on the difficult regions, it’s really satisfying for me to see this done even though it took 20 years,” researcher Evan Eichler, a genome scientist from the University of Washington in Seattle, told New Scientist.

The human genome: A genome is like a genetic instruction manual — it contains all the information an organism needs to grow and function. The human genome is written in DNA, and while your exact genome is unique to you, about 99.9% of it is identical across all people.

Jun 30, 2021

SOCOM To Test Anti-Aging Pill Next Year

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, military

SOCOM is using Other Transaction Authority (OTA) funds to partner with private biotech laboratory Metro International Biotech, LLC (MetroBiotech) in the pill’s development, which is based on what is called a “human performance small molecule,” he explained.

“These efforts are not about creating physical traits that don’t already exist naturally. This is about enhancing the mission readiness of our forces by improving performance characteristics that typically decline with age,” Hawkins said. “Essentially, we are working with leading industry partners and clinical research institutions to develop a nutraceutical, in the form of a pill that is suitable for a variety of uses by both civilians and military members, whose resulting benefits may include improved human performance – like increased endurance and faster recovery from injury.”

Hawkins said SOCOM “has spent $2.8 million on this effort” since its launch in 2018.

Jun 30, 2021

An aquarium accident may have given this crayfish the DNA to take over the world

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Crayfish DNA can help us conquer cancer finally.


Finding may also provide clues to how cancer spreads.

Jun 30, 2021

Beyond coronavirus: the virus discoveries transforming biology

Posted by in categories: biological, biotech/medical

Over the past ten years, the number of known and named viruses has exploded, owing to advances in the technology for finding them, plus a recent change to the rules for identifying new species, to allow naming without having to culture virus and host. One of the most influential techniques is metagenomics, which allows researchers to sample the genomes in an environment without having to culture individual viruses. Newer technologies, such as single-virus sequencing, are adding even more viruses to the list, including some that are surprisingly common yet remained hidden until now. It’s an exciting time to be doing this kind of research, says Breitbart. “I think, in many ways, now is the time of the virome.”


SARS-CoV-2 is just one of nonillions of viruses on our planet, and scientists are rapidly identifying legions of new species.

Jun 30, 2021

Your chips will be in short supply this July 4

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, employment, government, military, sustainability

Fortunately, automakers, suppliers and government leaders are examining things like electric vehicles and where batteries and other parts come from as they push for North American production. The Department of Energy has released a National Blueprint for Lithium Batteries, and a plan to support the domestic battery production to meet growing needs as people go back to work and school in the fall.

It is tempting to see the chip storage problem as just a technology story. But it also has real-world implications for our national security as so much of defense relies on computers and communications in the era of modern warfare.

As Americans celebrate our independence, we have to re-commit to being independent when it comes to reliance on others for goods and services that fuel our lives. We can’t make everything at home, but we can make more and ensure that disruptions abroad don’t reverberate, negatively, at home. As Congress continues to debate infrastructure and other major legislation, and the COVID-19 pandemic retreats, we will need to work together to ensure that we are prepared for whatever 2022 might bring.

Jun 30, 2021

Mendel’s Law Of Independent Assortment

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

#mendelslawofindependentassortment #Genetics #genes #molecularbiology #biology #biotech #recombinants #Genetic


This video explains the mendel’s law of independent assortment.

Continue reading “Mendel’s Law Of Independent Assortment” »

Jun 30, 2021

Experimental device could treat ear infections using jets of plasma

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Bacterial infections of the middle ear are quite common, particularly in children, yet they can be difficult to treat. An experimental new device has been designed to help, by zapping the bacteria with plasma.

Usually, such infections are treated with topically applied antibiotics. According to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, however, such an approach is ineffective in over 30 percent of acute infections. This is because the antibiotics have trouble penetrating the bacterial biofilm that has formed on the surface of the inner ear tissue.

Additionally, the greater the amount of antibiotics that are used, the greater the chances that the bacteria will develop a tolerance to them over time. With these limitations in mind, U Illinois scientists set out to develop an alternative treatment, or at least one that would allow smaller amounts of antibiotics to be more effective.

Jun 30, 2021

Mouse and human germline cells appear to reset their biological age

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, life extension

Not sure how interesting this will be to people who know a lot on aging/longevity research.


A team of researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School have found evidence of mouse and human germline cells resetting their biological age. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their study of the aging process in germline cells and what they found by doing so.

As animals grow older, all of the cells in their body replicate themselves repeatedly. As the process continues, errors in replicating and other external factors (such as exposure to pollutants) lead to gradual decay in cell quality, which is all part of the natural aging process. In this new effort, the researchers have found evidence showing that have a mechanism for resetting this process, allowing offspring to reset their aging clocks.

Continue reading “Mouse and human germline cells appear to reset their biological age” »