Lifeboat Foundation

“We want to better understand what causes cancer to resist or respond to immunotherapy to help design more effective strategies for patients,” said senior author Gregory Beatty, MD, PhD, an associate professor of hematology-oncology and the director of clinical and translational research for the Penn Pancreatic Cancer Research Center. “Our findings show that liver cells—with their release of SAA proteins—effectively serve as an immune checkpoint regulating anticancer immunity, making them a promising therapeutic target.”

The study builds on previous research from the team, including co-lead authors Meredith Stone, PhD, a research associate, and Jesse Lee, a graduate student, into liver inflammation in cancer: In a 2019 study, they showed how it promotes pancreatic tumor metastasis to that organ. In 2021, researchers from the Beatty Lab observed that systemic inflammation, involving many of the same molecules implicated in liver metastasis, is associated with worse responses to immunotherapies in pancreatic cancer patients.

The latest study was designed to investigate in more detail how liver inflammation may block the effects of these immune-boosting therapies.

I found this on NewsBreak:

The crew of the International Space Station has stumbled upon a drug-resistant bacteria on board, leaving them baffled as to how it arrived.

Scientists working in the low orbit lab have confirmed the discovery, which raises concerns about the potential evolution of more robust bacteria that could defy current treatments. The unique microgravity environment of the ISS is suspected to be a factor in the bacteria’s persistence.

Continue reading “International Space Station crew find ‘drug-resistant bacteria’ and have no idea how it got there” »

I found this on NewsBreak: Mitochondrial Meltdown: The Energy Failure Behind Neurodegenerative Diseases.

People who have obesity, or are tall with fat accumulation around their middle, are at an increased risk of colorectal cancer, regardless of their ancestry.

Repeated studies have made the link between obesity and height and increased cancer risk, including colorectal cancer. For example, a study published in 2022 showed that people of European ancestry who are tall and centrally obese, as well as people with general obesity, have a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer.

An international collaborative research team, including scientists from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), has discovered a novel mechanism underlying memory involving rapid changes in a specific DNA structure.

News stories, articles and whitepapers referencing Queensland Brain Institute on Drug Target Review.

CRISPR has transformed gene editing, but still presents challenges in hard-to-transfect cells, such as pluripotent stem cells and primary cells.¹ The key to obtaining successful transfection in these cells lies in innovative workflows. Here Georges Müller, CEO and cofounder of SEED Biosciences, shares his perspective on why focusing on editing a single cell, rather than bulk cells, is a pivotal strategy to optimise CRISPR delivery.

Delivery of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) into cells is an essential factor for successful CRISPR gene editing. However, this is difficult to guarantee using traditional CRISPR gene editing methods, especially in hard-to-transfect cells. The standard CRISPR technique involves gathering a group of cells and then electroporating them, using short high-voltage pulses to overcome the barrier of their cell membranes. This allows bulk transfection of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) into the cells and then hopefully, nuclear translocation.

In this special episode, we’re joined by Cytosurge CSO Tobias Beyer, Ph.D., and SEED Biosciences CEO and Co-Founder Georges Muller, Ph.D., for an overview of gene editing with Cytosurge’s FluidFM® in combination with DispenCell™ dispensing technologies.

Tobias and Georges explain the FluidFM® technique and how it differs from traditional CRISPR methods along with the advantages the technology has over other methods of gene editing.

Continue reading “The Ins and Outs of Single Cell Gene Editing (Sponsored by Molecular Devices)” »

Scientists at King’s College London have discovered a new cause for asthma that sparks hope for treatment that could prevent the life-threatening disease.

Most current asthma treatments stem from the idea that it is an inflammatory disease. Yet, the life-threatening feature of asthma is the attack or the constriction of airways, making breathing difficult. The new study, published in Science, shows for the first time that many features of an asthma attack—inflammation, mucus secretion, and damage to the airway barrier that prevents infections—result from this mechanical constriction in a mouse model.

The findings suggest that blocking a process that normally causes epithelial cell death could prevent the damage, inflammation, and mucus that result from an asthma attack.