Lifeboat Foundation

The adeno-associated viruses often used as vectors to deliver gene therapy can trigger unwanted and sometimes dangerous immune responses. Now, a Harvard University team led by renowned geneticist George Church, Ph.D., has developed a way to “cloak” AAVs from immune surveillance. They’ve spun off Ally Therapeutics to develop it.

A neurscience/neurogenesis link.

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Natural compounds found in apples and other fruits may help stimulate the production of new brain cells, which may have implications for learning and memory, according to a new study in mice published in Stem Cell Reports.

A team of researchers from Russia, the Czech Republic and Israel has found that the reason some blind mole rats live longer than other small creatures is because they have short immune memory. In their paper published in the journal Nature Aging, the group describes their study of the adaptive immune system of long-lived blind mole rats.

Stimuli-responsive control of drug activation can mitigate issues caused by poor drug selectivity. Now, it has been shown that mechanical force—induced by ultrasound—can be used to activate drugs in three different systems. This approach has enabled the activation of antibiotics or a cytotoxic anticancer agent from synthetic polymers, polyaptamers and nanoparticle assemblies.

CRISPR/Cas9 treatment allowed mice to live 25% longer and be physically stronger. Biologists see these results being relatively easy to reproduce on humans in a clinical setting.

Cell-Intrinsic Learning And Memory Storage Dynamics — Dr. David Glanzman Ph.D., Professor, in the Department Integrative Biology and Physiology, at UCLA College of the Life Sciences.

Dr. David Glanzman is Professor, in the Department Integrative Biology and Physiology, at UCLA College of the Life Sciences, Professor in the Department of Neurobiology in the David Geffen School of Medicine, and Member, Brain Research Institute.

Continue reading “Dr. David Glanzman Ph.D. — UCLA — Studying Cell-Intrinsic Learning And Memory Storage Dynamics” »

If an opinion poll were taken for the most popular component of mammalian cells, the result probably would be a 50–50 split: Half of respondents would likely vote hands down for the nucleus and the other half for the mitochondria—a decision that in no way diminishes or casts aspersions on the other hardworking constituents of cells.

In this special episode of Hello World, best-selling author and Bloomberg Businessweek journalist Ashlee Vance goes on a RV road trip through California in the midst of a pandemic and sweeping forest fires. Along the way, he hangs out with a Tesla co-founder who wants to recycle all the world’s batteries, some robotic farmers, a test pilot who almost lost his life and desert space-geeks building a lunar lander.

#HelloWorld #BloombergBusinessweek #California.

Continue reading “Pioneers in the Desert: A Tech-Infused Road Trip” »

A team of Australian researchers believe they have taken a significant step towards unlocking the regenerative power of the stem cells in our bodies.