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Category: biotech/medical – Page 1,678
A Distinctive Inflammatory Signature Found in a Genetic Form of ALS
Summary: Researchers found an increased inflammatory signal in patients with the C90rf72 subtype of ALS. The increased inflammatory biomarkers could be found in peripheral serum tests.
Source: Thomas Jefferson University.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that strikes nearly 5000 people in the U.S. every year.
Scientists Discover Cause of Age-Related Mitochondrial Decay
The inside of a mitochondria is made up of a folded membrane, which has evolved to produce the greatest surface area possible between two parts of the mitochondria known as the intermembrane space (the outer part) and the mitochondrial matrix (the inner part). To drastically oversimplify this entire process, the mitochondria uses glucose (and ethanol if it’s available) to pump hydrogen ions (with the occasional deuterium and tritium ion) across the membrane which separates these two compartments of the mitochondria (known as the cristae) into the intermembrane space. These hydrogen ions then flow back into the mitochondrial matrix through a very special protein called ATP synthase, which uses the electrostatic potential energy of the hydrogen ion to manufacture ATP.
Unfortunately, as we get older this inner membrane starts to decay and become smaller. As the cristae starts to shrink, there is less space for ATP synthase, which means there is less ATP produced, which ultimately means that our cells do not have enough energy to maintain all of our cellular functions. As you can imagine, this lack of energy is catastrophic for the health of the cell, and will eventually lead to either cell senescent (where the cell essentially becomes dormant), or complete cell death.
Numerous different suggestions have been put forward as to explain why exactly why mitochondria decay in this way, including mutations within the DNA of the mitochondria (they have their own chromosomes), as well as the build up of oxidative agents within the cell itself which cause direct damage to the mitochondria. However, a group of scientists lead by Dr Hazel Szeto have discovered that the decay of the mitochondrial cristae is linked to declining levels of a phospholipid (fat) called cardiolipin. It turns out that as we age, oxidative agents within our body destroy this phospholipid, which is essential for maintaining the folded inner membrane of the mitochondria.
Omega-3s May Hold Key to Unlocking Blood-Brain Barrier
Summary: A new imaging study reveals how the MFSD2A transporter protein provides a gateway for omega-3 fatty acids to enter the brain.
Source: Columbia University.
Spectacular images of a molecule that shuttles omega-3 fatty acids into the brain may open a doorway for delivering neurological therapeutics to the brain.
Genetically engineered nanoparticle delivers dexamethasone directly to inflamed lungs
Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed immune cell-mimicking nanoparticles that target inflammation in the lungs and deliver drugs directly where they’re needed. As a proof of concept, the researchers filled the nanoparticles with the drug dexamethasone and administered them to mice with inflamed lung tissue. Inflammation was completely treated in mice given the nanoparticles, at a drug concentration where standard delivery methods did not have any efficacy.
The researchers reported their findings in Science Advances on June 16.
What’s special about these nanoparticles is that they are coated in a cell membrane that’s been genetically engineered to look for and bind to inflamed lung cells. They are the latest in the line of so-called cell membrane-coated nanoparticles that have been developed by the lab of UC San Diego nanoengineering professor Liangfang Zhang. His lab has previously used cell membrane-coated nanoparticles to absorb toxins produced by MRSA; treat sepsis; and train the immune system to fight cancer. But while these previous cell membranes were naturally derived from the body’s cells, the cell membranes used to coat this dexamethasone-filled nanoparticle were not.
Synthetic protein lattices explained
Check out my short video in which I explain some super exciting research in the area of nanotechnology: de novo protein lattices! I specifically discuss a journal article by Ben-Sasson et al. titled “Design of biologically active binary protein 2D materials”.
Here, I explain an exciting nanotechnology paper “Design of biologically active binary protein 2D materials” (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-03120-8).
Though I am not involved in this particular research myself, I have worked in adjacent areas such as de novo engineering of aggregating antimicrobial peptides, synthetic biology, nanotechnology-based tools for neuroscience, and gene therapy. I am endlessly fascinated by this kind of computationally driven de novo protein design and would love to incorporate it in my own research at some point in the future.
I am a PhD candidate at Washington University in St. Louis and the CTO of the startup company Conduit Computing. I am also a published science fiction writer and a futurist. To learn more about me, check out my website: https://logancollinsblog.com/.
Bioinspired, roughness-induced, water and oil super-philic and super-phobic coatings prepared
Circa 2015
Coatings that attract water (hydrophilic) are useful for anti-fogging applications6; any liquid water spreads out into a thin film thereby maintaining transparency. This is more favorable than using hydrophobic surfaces for anti-fogging as this requires a surface to be tilted for the droplets to roll off and transparency be maintained. Hydrophilic surfaces can also be used for self-cleaning7. Previous examples of superhydrophilic surfaces include the use of polymer–nanoparticle coatings8,9,10,11 however mechanical durability was not investigated.
Coatings with surface tensions lower than that of water (72 mN m–1) but higher than that of oils12 (20–30 mN m–1) will attract oils (oleophilic) but repel water and can be used to create oil–water separators13,14,15. When applied to a porous substrate, the coating will allow the passage of oil but block the passage of water, resulting in their separation. In addition, their water repellency also makes them ideal for self-cleaning4,16 and anti-icing17,18,19 applications. Anti-icing surfaces are typically superhydrophobic as supercooled droplets of water are able to roll off the cold surface before freezing and any ice formed is weakly adhered compared to hydrophilic surfaces due to an air cushion18,20.
Coatings with lower surface tensions (∼ 20 mN m–1 or less) will repel both oil (oleophobic) and water and are useful for anti-fouling such as in medical and transport applications, where both the oil-repellency and nanostructuring are of importance21,22,23,24,25,26,27. Previous work was not suitable for such applications as either the durability28 or oil-repellency29 was not optimal. The oil repellency also makes these surfaces ideal for anti-smudge applications30,31 where the oils from fingers are not deposited onto the surface and the surface remains clear. The water repellency means these coatings can also be used in self-cleaning and anti-icing applications.
CRISPR Test Uses Cell Phone Camera to Detect SARS-CoV-2
Circa 2020
Researchers at UC Berkeley have developed a rapid test for SARS-CoV-2 that uses an enzyme to cleave viral RNA, initiating a fluorescent signal that can be detected using a smartphone camera, and which can provide a quantitative measurement of the level of viral particles in the sample. The test produce a result in as little as 30 minutes and does not require bulky or expensive laboratory equipment.
Rapid testing is key to measuring and stopping the spread of COVID-19, but current tests, such as PCR, are time consuming and require expensive laboratory equipment, creating a bottleneck in obtaining results. Researchers have been developing alternatives, and this latest technology was rapidly repurposed when the pandemic began. Originally intended to detect HIV in blood samples, the Berkeley researchers have pivoted to allow the device to detect SARS-CoV-2 in nasal swab samples.
The test relies on CRISPR-Cas, originally developed as a gene editing technology. When a pre-programmed Cas13 enzyme is added to the sample, it can cleave RNA sequences from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This results in other nearby sequences being cleaved also, including a probe that releases fluorescent light when cleaved. The device uses a laser to excite this fluorescence and a smartphone camera can then detect the light, providing a quantitative measurement of the viral particles present in the sample.