AL | Science News
Scientists Repair Cells Using Breakthrough Gene-Editing Technique
A new gene-editing technique used by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center involves low-dose irradiation to repair patient cells, and is 10 times more effective than those currently in use.
Te irradiation method could prove effective in learning more about diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophy and Huntington’s disease. Gene editing allows scientists to correct irregular mutations and theoretically cure the disease in a petri dish. Additionally, with this technology, scientists can create disease mutations in normal cells, thus modeling human disease.
Te scientists were able to efficiently insert reporter genes that glow when a stem cell turns into a specific cell of the body. For example, stem cells turn green when converted to a heart cell and red when turned into a neuron. “Te combination of low-dose irradiation and correct gene copy will accelerate our ability to model human disease using stem cells from patients with many different disorders,” said co-senior author Vaithilingaraja Arumugaswami, MVSc, Ph.D., director of the Pancreas and Liver Program in the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute.
Unique “Smart” Drug Reduces ,QÁDPPDWLRQ 6LGH (IIHFWV
A novel “smart” drug developed by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and the University of Colorado is able to target inflammation and could potentially augment the body’s natural ability to battle infection. Te drug is injected as a nonactive drug that is activated by inflammation at a localized site. Tis is important “because inhibition of inflammation in a nonspecific manner reduces the natural ability to fight infections and is a common side effect of anti-inflammatory biologic therapeutics,” explained Dr. Peleg Rider of BGU’s Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology.
When a nonspecific agent is used, patients with local inflammation might be exposed to opportunistic infections at distant sites, such as the lungs, risking tuberculosis. Tis is concerning mainly to immunosuppressed patients, older patients and patients undergoing chemotherapy.
“The beauty of this invention lies in the use of a known natural biological code,” Dr. Rider said. “We mimicked a natural process that occurs during inflammation.”
Te protein molecule is a chimera composed of two domains, both originating from the potent inflammatory cytokine family of IL-1. Te first part of the protein holds the functional part of the molecule inactive, as occurs in normal living cells, and is connected to a potent natural inhibitor of IL-1. When it encounters inflammatory enzymes, the molecule is cleaved and the functional part becomes active.
Te researchers’ findings were demonstrated in a mouse model of local inflammation. Tey showed that leukocytes, which infiltrate inflammatory sites, indeed activate the chimeric protein, which in turn reduces local inflammation. Te activation of the protein correlated with the amount of inflammatory stimuli.
Beet Juice Consumption Leads to Increased Endurance During Exercise
A study conducted by the American Physiological Society found that regular consumption of beet juice lowers blood pressure and has positive cardiovascular effects. During a 15-day period, healthy males who drank beet juice had more dilated blood vessels at rest and while exercising, lower blood pressure and increased endurance.
Beet juice is a dietary source of nitrate. When converted in the body, nitrate can dilate the blood vessels and increase blood flow, which are important for exercise performance.
Study researchers say that beet juice can be used as a dietary nutraceutical supplement to enhance oxygen delivery to the muscles and reduce the work of the heart during exercise. Exercise can be “performed at a given workload for a longer period of time before the onset of fatigue,” they added.
AMERICAN LABORATORY • 6 • AUGUST 2015
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