Dr. Kiran Musunru (left) and Dr. Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas (right) led the researchers who developed a personalized treatment for baby KJ – Released CHOP and Penn CRISPR has been used to create a genetic therapy option for a child born in Pennsylvania with a rare metabolic disorder. Unable to convert ammonia to urea, newborn KJ was … Read more
Disease trajectory – credit, Salk Institute, released Not all diseases are caused nutrient deficiencies, but they often do come with one. A deficiency of vitamin D, for example, is found most cases of illness, from cancer to upper-respiratory tract infections to sepsis and osteoporosis. Recently, researchers at the renowned Salk institute for Biological Studies have … Read more
– credit Unsplash In what is being called a major milestone in American cancer research and treatment, 5-year survival rates averaged across all cancers have never been higher, with 7-in-10 cancer patients living past 5 years post-diagnosis. This average was pumped up by large survival rate increases in leukemia (20%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (18%), and ovarian … Read more
The soft exoskeleton- credit, screengrab via the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) South Korean engineers have developed a soft, shirt-like exoskeleton to give individuals with degenerative muscle conditions more mobility and independence. Costing thousands less than hard, motor-driven exoskeletons, and weighing less than 2 pounds, it’s a game-changing innovation in the field of … Read more
– credit, National Cancer Institute A Bangladeshi pharma company will soon release a generic version of an expensive drug for cystic fibrosis that will allow hundreds of patients worldwide to access treatment. The only pharmaceutical option available for cystic fibrosis has for years been a combination treatment called ETI (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor) priced between $300,000 and $370,000. … Read more
Histopathological image of multiple myoloma – credit, CC 3.0. via Wikimedia Commons In a pair of groundbreaking studies, scientists replicated a time-consuming, laboratory-based, cancer therapy within myeloma patients’ own bodies. If standardized, such an advancement would allow for one of the most successful non-chemo cancer treatments to be done both faster and cheaper. CAR T-cell … Read more
Tick species that spread Lyme disease – credit CDC From 60 Minutes comes the story of a Georgia science team that carried the Stars and Stripes to Europe for an international science competition and finished in the top ten by using genetic engineering to develop a superior testing and treatment method for Lyme disease. If … Read more
A lumbar puncture – credit, BruceBlaus CC 3.0. via Wikimedia Commons A single-dose gene replacement therapy is found to transform the capabilities for movement in children over 2 years of age and teenagers with spinal muscular atrophy, according to research published in Nature Medicine. The effects allowed these minors who could sit but not stand … Read more
The pancreatic cancer testing device has a similar appearance – credit, Getty Images for Unsplash + A quick and easy breath test to detect the difficult-to-diagnose pancreatic cancer is being trialed nationally in the UK with huge expectations. Pancreatic cancer has a high mortality rate among cancers because of the tendency to discover it at … Read more
Courtesy of Kiley Riffell / UW There are dozens of ways to implement mosquito control, but none have proved a cure-all against the deadliest animal on Earth. Now, researchers have genetically-engineered a natural enemy of the mosquito—with millions of years of evolution backing up its deadly design—to attract and kill the insects even when humans … Read more