News by Subject Biology

A decision aid developed to support patients undergoing genomic sequencing can reduce the amount of time patients spend speaking with overburdened genetic counselors while helping them feel more knowledgeable, suggests a study from St. Michael's Hospital.

Scientists at UC San Francisco and UC San Diego have discovered a remarkable new strategy that some phages employ to avoid becoming the next casualty of these DNA-dicing enzymes: after they infect bacteria, these phages construct an impenetrable "safe room" inside of their host, which protects vulnerable phage DNA from antiviral enzymes. This compartment, which resembles a cell nucleus, is the most effective CRISPR shield ever discovered in viruses.

Leaky lungs are a very common side effect of heart failure, but all currently available drugs do is reduce the amount of fluid in the body, rather than plug the leak itself. A new gene therapy created at the Wyss Institute and Boston Children's Hospital and tested in human Lung Chips blocks the mechanical function of a channel protein implicated in lung leakage while leaving its chemical functions intact, offering a new potential clinical target for pulmonary edema with minimal toxicity.

Taking a more systematic approach to the capsid protein-engineering problem, Harvard researchers mutated one by one each of the 735 amino acids within the AAV2 capsid, the best-known member of the AAV family, including all possible codon substitutions, insertions and deletions at each position. They generated a virus library containing about 200,000 variants and identified capsid changes that both maintained AAV2's viability and improved its 'homing' potential (tropism) to specific organs in mice.

Dyno Therapeutics announces a publication in Science demonstrating the power of a comprehensive machine-guided approach to improve adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsids for gene therapies. Working to surpass the few naturally occurring AAV capsids currently in use, the authors synthesized large libraries of capsids and discovered changes that improve key properties preventing current AAVs from optimal therapeutic function. Dyno is a biotechnology company pioneering the use of artificial intelligence in gene therapy.

Researchers present sensor prototype that can rapidly, precisely, and cost-effectively measure molecular signals for cancer.

The recent live births resulting from human embryonic CRISPR editing have heightened global concerns regarding 'designer babies.' Currently, the most practical approach to genetic 'enhancement' is preimplantation genetic screening of IVF embryos. According to a study publishing Nov. 21 in the journal Cell, the ability to select for traits that are brought about by multiple genes -- rather than genetic diseases caused by a single mutation -- is more far off and complicated than most people realize.