Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have succeeded in correcting a genetic mutation using a customized “genetic patch” in early stage fish embryos so that these embryos developed normally. The research may help prevent one-fifth of human birth defects due to genetic mutations. The breakthrough was reached using a zebrafish model of the Menkes disease, which is caused by a mutation in the ATP7A gene in humans.
According to Michael Blaber, a researcher at the Florida State University College of Medicine, mutant forms of human protein may help restore blood flow to the damaged areas of the heart. Blaber hopes that these mutant proteins may be used in new treatment methods for those patients with advanced heart disease who had no other options earlier.
Resmed Nutraceuticals Corporation has announces a new marketing plan designed to allow everyone to try the supplement Resmedin™, a red wine nutritional supplement featuring super antioxidant resveratrol, free for 30 days. Several studies have shown the powerful antioxidants found in Resmedin™ to have impressive properties. According to the research, resveratrol showed unprecedented promise as possibly being the most powerful super antioxidant ever discovered.
Scientists at John Innes Centre have discovered that plants cluster the required genes to produce defence chemicals. These findings may lead to new natural products, such as drugs, herbicides or crop protectants. The researchers, led by Anne Osbourn, earlier found that oats produce avenacin to protect roots against fungal diseases.
New tests of HepaLife Technologies Inc.’s bioartificial liver device demonstrated that the company’s bioreactor system and patented PICM-19 cells inside the device remain functional over prolonged periods time, far exceeding the number of treatment hours referenced in published research studies of human liver failure patients undergoing conventional liver support therapies. During the tests, HepaLife’s bioartificial liver device system was able to successfully retain the highest levels of liver-specific metabolic activity, mimicking the most important functions of the human liver, for 14 days. With these test results, the company has progressively moved towards the commercialization of the technology.
Scientists are on their way to developing an effective antidote for botulinum toxin - one of the world’s most feared biological weapons. The researchers have developed a protein that blocks the effects of the toxin by tricking it into not attacking cells in the body. The protein acts on the most powerful of these seven toxins produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium, for which there is no medical treatment. The developed protein behaves as a decoy to proteins in the nerve cells, which means that the toxin chooses not to attach itself to the nerve cells when it enters the body, preventing paralysis.
A team of three researchers are developing new sensors that take advantage of the sensory capabilities of biological cells. The tiny sensors, only a few millimeters in size, could speed up and improve the detection of everything from explosive materials to biological pathogens to spoiled food or impure water. The researchers plan to use other specialized cells much like a canary in a coal mine. The cells would show stress or die when exposed to certain pathogens, and the sensing circuits monitoring them would trigger a warning, more quickly and accurately than in present systems.
A multi-institutional team, led by John T. McDevitt, reported at a recent meeting of the American Association for Dental Research that it may be possible to diagnose a heart attack in the early stages by using only a few drops of saliva and a new nano-bio-chip. The nano-bio-chip assay could some day be used to analyze a patient’s saliva on board an ambulance, at the dentist’s office or at a neighborhood drugstore, helping save lives and prevent damage from cardiac disease. The tests performed by the device, which is the size of a credit card, promise to dramatically improve the accuracy and speed of cardiac diagnosis.
Scientists in the U.S. have developed a much faster way to isolate highly specific antibodies needed to make flu vaccines by pinpointing the window of opportunity when the human immune response to a particular pathogen peaks. The discovery may also lead to new and faster ways to produce vaccines and therapies to fight several other diseases.
Laureate Pharma, Inc. has entered into a cGMP contract manufacturing agreement with Alopexx Pharmaceuticals, LLC. Alopexx’s mAb F598 antibody will now be manufactured by Laureate under the agreement. The antibody is intended to be used for the treatment and prevention of Staphylococcus aureus infections.
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