Researchers have used induced pluripotent stem cells produced from the skin of a patient with a rare, genetic form of insulin-dependent diabetes, transformed the stem cells into insulin-producing cells, used the CRISPR gene-editing tool to correct a defect that caused the diabetes, and implanted the cells into mice to reverse diabetes in the animals. The…

A cell-based influenza vaccine has effectively provided protection against the flu in children and adolescents, according to a new study. The research found the cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVc) produced a sufficient immune response in children aged two to 18 years. The lead investigator on the study was Professor Terry Nolan, head of the Vaccine…

A nationwide team of researchers has determined how a genetic mutation found in mice and monkeys interferes with viruses such as HIV and Ebola. They say the finding could eventually lead to the development of medical interventions in humans. The gene, called retroCHMP3, encodes an altered protein that disrupts the ability of certain viruses to…

In a study with lab-grown mouse cells, researchers say they have found that a protein that helps form a structural network under the surface of the cell’s ‘command center’ — its nucleus — is key to ensuring that DNA inside it remains orderly. «The impact of these findings could extend beyond the known laminopathic diseases,…

A team of scientists has tackled this fundamental question and recently identified a target to ‘tone down’ the hyper-active immunity to influenza infection. These novel findings have promising clinical implications in the near future for the treatment of flu. How can we help our immune system to balance the two main host defense strategies: attacking…

Researchers have demonstrated in mice and monkeys that human antibodies lacked the ability to make SARS-CoV-2 infection worse and, instead, exerted their defensive powers against the infection. The findings help reinforce evidence that antibodies are safe when given as treatments or induced by COVID-19 vaccines. In a study published in the journal Cell, Duke investigators…

Researchers have discovered new information about how a dangerous parasite takes control of a patient’s cells as it spreads throughout their body, an important finding that could help in the development of new drugs to treat this infection. «The parasite essentially hijacks these cells, using them as vehicles to get to various organ systems, including…

A research team has directly reprogrammed whale somatic cells to neuronal cells, and conducted a neurotoxicity test using these cells. Exposure to a metabolite of polychlorinated biphenyls, ubiquitous environmental pollutants, caused apoptosis in the reprogrammed neurons. Transcriptome analysis of 4?OH-CB72-treated whale neurons showed altered expressions of genes associated with oxidative phosphorylation, chromatin degradation, axonal transport,…

It was a medical mystery: When scientists induced a particular genetic mutation in mouse eggs, the resulting embryos would all die in the womb within a week. And yet, people with the same troublesome gene are thriving. And yet, people with the same troublesome gene are thriving. «This gene is clearly very deleterious — the…

Researchers have shown that the beneficial effects of gene therapy can be seen decades after the transplanted blood stem cells has been cleared by the body. The research team monitored five patients who were successfully cured of SCID-X1 using gene therapy at GOSH. For 3-18 years patients’ blood was regularly analysed to detect which cell…