A 66-year-old man managed to survive for nine months with a genetically modified pig kidney without the need for dialysis, until receiving a human donor transplant, marking a milestone in the development of xenotransplants. (translated)
A genetically modified pig kidney managed to keep Tim Andrews alive for nine months, providing him with a temporary solution while waiting for a human transplant, before being removed due to immune rejection. (translated)
A genetically modified pig kidney functioned for 271 days in the body of a patient in the USA, setting a record in xenotransplantation, before being removed, but providing new insights for the use of animal organs in treatments for patients waiting for human transplants. (translated)
A genetically modified pig kidney transplanted to an American functioned for 271 days, setting a new record in the field of xenotransplantation and providing hope for patients waiting for a human organ. (translated)
The company Kindred Companion Sciences has created genetically modified dogs that do not produce the main canine allergen using the CRISPR technique, but experts warn about the risks and unknown consequences of such modifications. (translated)
implementation matters: it can lead to breakthrough genetic solutions for disease prediction and prevention - from cardiovascular diseases and cancer to infertility. #GeneticSolutions #DiseasePrevention #HealthInnovation #Thetweetdoesnotmentionanyspecificcountries.Therefore #therearenocountrycodestoreturn.
A new study suggests that the process of learning to read in the human brain involves both anatomical and genetic factors, revealing the complexity of how we transform signs and sounds into reading skills. (translated)
Researchers at the University of Coimbra successfully tested a new therapeutic approach using extracellular vesicles for genetic editing in Machado-Joseph disease, moving closer to a safer strategy to treat this neurodegenerative condition. (translated)
An international study with more than one million participants confirms that genetics influences personality traits such as extraversion, kindness, and responsibility, establishing a connection between inherited DNA and personal development. (translated)
A new study led by Michigan State University has identified 1,260 genetic variants associated with the Big Five personality traits, demonstrating that genetics plays a role in shaping personality, although in a complex manner and in interaction with the environment. (translated)
A group of researchers from Illinois has developed cookies called µBites, made using genetically engineered yeasts that transform plastic and agricultural waste into food ingredients, offering a potential solution to reduce plastic waste and produce new foods in critical contexts. (translated)
A new RNA-based therapeutic strategy developed by researchers at the University of Toronto offers hope for the treatment of genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations, using modified suppressor tRNA to overcome premature stop signals in protein synthesis. (translated)
Montagmorgen mit Bea. Schon wieder. 😹☕️ Ich wollte wirklich nicht schon wieder bei Dr. Bea Merscher landen – aber dann öffnet man ihre Dissertation von 2014 und findet plötzlich kein bisschen „Kinderärztinnen-Instagram“, sondern: Atm-Knockout-Mäuse. Knochenmarktransplantationen. Immunsuppression. Bestrahlung. GFP-Durchflusszytometrie. PCR. Nekropsien. Organentnahmen. Immunfluoreszenz von Cerebellum und Lunge. 🐭🧬 Titel: „Untersuchung zum Engraftment ATM-positiver Knochenmarkstammzellen nach Transplantation in Atm-defiziente Mäuse“ Und das Ganze hängt ziemlich offensichtlich mit der bereits 2012 online veröffentlichten / 2013 gedruckten Arbeit in Human Molecular Genetics zusammen: „Bone marrow transplantation improves the outcome of Atm-deficient mice through the migration of ATM-competent cells“ Mit M.B. Merscher als 4. Autorin. Das Inhaltsverzeichnis der Dissertation ist bemerkenswert konkret: Stammzellgewinnung und -applikation, Irradiation, GFP-Expression, PCR-Analyse der Organe, histologische Untersuchungen von Gehirn und Lunge – anschließend „Eigene Publikationen“ und „Kongressbeiträge“. Also Montagmorgen-Erkenntnis: Bea's frühe wissenschaftliche Laufbahn war experimentelle Stammzell-/Transplantationsforschung im Atm-defizienten Mausmodell. Und weil in dieser Forschungsachse auch LOEWE-Förderung auftaucht, rollt Frau Hodl jetzt natürlich das gesamte LOEWE-Funding auf: Förderkennzeichen → Teilprojekte → Arbeitsgruppen → Konsortialpartner → Mittel → Publikationen → personelle Netzwerke. Und dann schauen wir mal ganz entspannt, ob in diesem Geflecht irgendwann auch DKMS und die Familie Reimann belastbar auftauchen. Noch ist das eine Suchspur, kein Befund. Außerdem fehlen mir weiterhin die Seiten 123–130: eigene Publikationen → Kongressbeiträge → Lebenslauf → Danksagung → Selbständigkeitserklärung Schon wieder Bea. Ich kann nichts dafür. Der Spaten hat jetzt LOEWE gewittert. 😹 #Wissenschaft #Forschung #Biologie
The right to our own bodies also must imply a right to know our own bodies, and share such information if we wish. The French anti-genetic testing laws don't seem to be compatible with such rights. https://t.co/dVyF1E8IGf #BodyAutonomy #GeneticTesting #RightToKnow #FR
The scientist Consuelo Walss-Bass investigates the biological roots of schizophrenia, influenced by her family history, where her mother and sister suffer from the disease, and she has developed mini-brains to better understand the genetic and environmental factors involved in its onset. (translated)
The Belyaev Fox Experiment: Selective Breeding, Tameness, and Domestication In 1959, Soviet geneticist Dmitry Belyaev began a long-term experiment at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk to investigate how wild animals might undergo domestication. Working with silver foxes (*Vulpes vulpes*) from fur farms, he selected approximately the tamest 10% in each generation as breeding parents. Selection focused mainly on behaviour—reduced fear and aggression and greater willingness to interact with humans—rather than on physical traits. The results were rapid and striking. Within about six generations, some foxes licked researchers’ hands, accepted physical contact, wagged their tails, and actively sought human attention (Dugatkin, 2018). Over time, selection for tameness was accompanied by changes in coat pigmentation, ear and tail shape, reproductive patterns, physiology, and behaviour (Trut et al., 2009). These traits resembled features found in domestic dogs and other domesticated mammals and became associated with the “domestication syndrome,” which includes reduced aggression, increased social tolerance, juvenile behaviours, pigmentation changes, and altered craniofacial development. Belyaev proposed that selection for reduced fear and aggression could affect wider developmental and physiological systems. Later research suggested that changes involving neural crest cells might help explain how behavioural selection could produce multiple physical traits (Wilkins et al., 2014). The experiment also offered a model for dog domestication. Early wolves that were less fearful and aggressive may have remained near human settlements, where they experienced a new selective environment. Over generations, increasing tolerance of humans could have led to further behavioural, physiological, and morphological changes. Belyaev’s experiment remains important because it shows how behavioural selection can rapidly influence development, genetics, and evolution, while also highlighting the need for caution when applying the concept of a universal domestication syndrome. **References:** Belyaev (1979); Dugatkin (2018); Lord et al. (2020); Trut et al. (2009); Wilkins et al. (2014).
"Avevo uno zio che era un grande scienziato, un grande uomo. Ha lavorato al Mit per 41 anni: il dottor John Trump. E amava lo spazio. Mi parlava dello spazio... e ogni tanto ci infilava in mezzo la parola 'nucleare'. La mia passione per lo spazio è genetica"
Researchers have identified genetic factors that allow for distinguishing which patients with giant cell arteritis have a higher risk of severe complications such as blindness, stroke, or aneurysms, which could improve their monitoring and prevention. (translated)
A new RNA therapy could revolutionize the treatment of various genetic diseases by modifying transfer RNA so that cells ignore premature stop signals and complete the production of functional proteins. (translated)
A new study conducted by the universities of Pavia and Padua and published in Scientific Reports has revealed that the Shroud of Turin may contain 39% DNA from lineages of the Indian subcontinent, suggesting the possibility that the linen of the cloth comes from India, and identified a significant 30% DNA from carrots, confirming contaminations that occurred in the post-medieval period. (translated)
