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Category: biotech/medical – Page 19

Researchers copy viral strategies to get mRNA medicines into cells in one piece

Drugs made of mRNA have the potential to transform medicine—if only they could get into cells in one piece. Now, University of Connecticut researchers have shown that packaging mRNA like a virus could smuggle it into cells safely, opening up a new way to deliver mRNA into cells to treat diseases such as cancer. Their research is published in the journal ACS Nano.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a single strand of ribonucleic acids that tells the protein-making machinery inside cells what to do. Usually RNA strands are made using the DNA blueprints inside a cell’s central nucleus, and then travel out to the protein production areas. Getting a medicinal mRNA into a cell from outside, though, is another matter. Most things trying to enter a cell have to pass through an endosome. An endosome is like a decontamination bubble. Its interior becomes acidic, which activates enzymes that chew up anything potentially dangerous—like foreign RNA.

But many viruses have evolved to hijack this system.

Sunray-like ripples emerge on a frozen reaction front

Researchers in Belgium have unveiled a striking chemical reaction in which ripples along a frozen reaction front resemble the rays of a shining star. Publishing their results in Physical Review Letters, Anne De Wit and colleagues at the Université Libre de Bruxelles have shed new light on the patterns that emerge in reaction–diffusion systems, offering fresh insight into how similar structures arise in the natural world.

From forest fires to the spread of infectious diseases, many natural processes involve a “front” forming between two distinct states: be they burned and unburned forest, infected and healthy individuals, or any number of other examples in which one state spreads by consuming another.

Such behavior is often described using reaction–diffusion systems, where local reactions are coupled to transport processes such as diffusion. In the lab, this mechanism can be recreated by injecting a chemical compound into the center of a circular chamber filled with another reactant. If the chemistry is autocatalytic —where one of the reaction products catalyzes its own formation—a circular reaction front will form around the injection point.

Stanford Scientists Cure Type 1 Diabetes in Mice Without Insulin or Immune Suppression

An “immune system reset” eliminated autoimmune, or Type 1, diabetes in mice in a study conducted at Stanford Medicine. Researchers say the strategy could also have potential for treating other autoimmune diseases and improving outcomes in organ transplantation. In a new study from Stanford Medici

Android mental health apps with 14.7M installs filled with security flaws

Several mental health mobile apps with millions of downloads on Google Play contain security vulnerabilities that could expose users’ sensitive medical information.

In one of the apps, security researchers discovered more than 85 medium-and high-severity vulnerabilities that could be exploited to compromise users’ therapy data and privacy.

Some of the products are AI companions designed to help people suffering from clinical depression, multiple forms of anxiety, panic attacks, stress, and bipolar disorder.

MGem: AAV, from almost a virus to an awesome vector—or is it?

An interesting paper evaluating the challenges faced by the existing generation of AAV vectors and proposing best practices for the future of AAVs in gene therapy. Useful tables of serotype, dose, and outcome are included. [ https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.02957-25](https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.02957-25)

Adeno-associated virus (AAV), discovered in 1965 (1), was considered a “biological oddity” and was dubbed as “almost a virus” (2), because it fails to undergo a productive replication in the absence of co-infection with a helper virus, such as adenovirus (3), herpesvirus (4), vaccinia virus (5), or human papillomavirus (6). Infection with the wild-type (WT) AAV infection is also not associated with any known disease in humans. However, following the availability of the complete nucleotide sequence of the WT AAV2 genome (7), molecular cloning (8, 9), and the demonstration of its remarkable ability to integrate site-specifically into human chromosome 19q13.3 (10, 11), sparked a significant interest in AAV, subsequently leading to the development of the first generation of recombinant AAV2 vectors (12, 13), followed by further refinements (14, 15).

Ever since then, interest in AAV vectors has continued to grow exponentially (16–19). The first generation of AAV vectors has been used in at least 700 programs, and there are over 200 currently active Phase I/II/III clinical trials for gene therapy of a wide variety of human diseases. Thus far, seven AAV “drugs”—Luxturna for Leber congenital amaurosis (20–22); Zolgensma for spinal muscular atrophy (23); Hemgenix for hemophilia B (24–27); Elevidys for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (28); Roctavian for hemophilia A (29–32); Beqvez for hemophilia B (33) (Beqvez has now been discontinued); and Kebilidi for aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency (34, 35)—have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The 10 Worst Alien Invasion Strategies

From Martians undone by germs to predators who insist on sporting duels, we explore the most ridiculous alien invasion tactics in fiction, and what they reveal about strategy, science, and human resilience.

Join us as we journey beyond the birth of the universe to unravel the mysteries of what might have preceded the Big Bang—and whether time itself had a beginning.
Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net.
Join Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur.
Support us on Patreon: / isaacarthur.
Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-a… Group: / 1,583,992,725,237,264 Reddit: / isaacarthur Twitter: / isaac_a_arthur on Twitter and RT our future content. SFIA Discord Server: / discord Credits: The 10 Worst Alien Invasion Strategies Episode 733; July 1, 2025 Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator SFIA Discord Server: / discord 0:00 Intro 0:48 10. The “Park and Wait” Strategy 2:02 9. Invading a Planet That Can Kill You 3:46 8. Single Point of Failure: The Hive or Control Ship 5:22 7. Telegraphing Your Arrival 6:50 6. Overly Convoluted Takeovers 8:30 5. Broadcasting Your Weakness 9:55 4. Playing Fair & Ritual Combat 11:54 3. Overconfidence & Underestimating the Locals 13:07 2. Hive Minds That Collapse Instantly 15:03 1. Ignoring the Home Field Advantage 16:06 Outro.
Facebook Group: / 1583992725237264
Reddit: / isaacarthur.
Twitter: / isaac_a_arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
SFIA Discord Server: / discord.
Credits:
The 10 Worst Alien Invasion Strategies.
Episode 733; July 1, 2025
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur.
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images.

Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator.
SFIA Discord Server: / discord.

0:00 Intro.
0:48 10. The “Park and Wait” Strategy.
2:02 9. Invading a Planet That Can Kill You.
3:46 8. Single Point of Failure: The Hive or Control Ship.
5:22 7. Telegraphing Your Arrival.
6:50 6. Overly Convoluted Takeovers.
8:30 5. Broadcasting Your Weakness.
9:55 4. Playing Fair & Ritual Combat.
11:54 3. Overconfidence & Underestimating the Locals.
13:07 2. Hive Minds That Collapse Instantly.
15:03 1. Ignoring the Home Field Advantage.
16:06 Outro

Impact of cellular proteases on the function of antiviral antibodies

Microbiology Monday: Antibodies play a key role in clearing viruses from the body—but there are a lot of ways viruses evade them. For instance, viral infections can hijack host proteases to reduce antibody effectiveness. These proteases lob off viral antigens expressed on host cell membranes, creating soluble decoys that bind antibodies and hinder their neutralizing powers, among other mechanisms. Learn more in JVirology.

Viruses and their hosts have been co-evolving in a continual arms race for fitness and survival, respectively (1). In humans, the innate and adaptive arms of immunity intimately interact to control infection. Antibodies (Abs), secreted by certain activated B cells, are an essential portion of the adaptive immune response and are a major pillar in the viral clearance of both enveloped viruses as well as some non-enveloped viruses (1–5). Certain antibodies are developed with the ability, through their fragment antigen-binding region, to bind to viral epitopes and, through a variety of methods (e.g., steric obstruction or changing conformation), result in the neutralization of the target antigen (4).

Antibodies are also a bridge between the adaptive and innate immune responses. Through their fragment crystallizable (Fc) region, antibodies bind to either activators of the complement system or Fc Receptors (FcR) on effector cells, inducing the so-called antibody “effector” or “non-neutralizing” functions, such as complement-mediated cytotoxicity, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), or antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (6–8). Together, neutralization and effector function induction place antibodies as correlates of protection across many infections (9–11), as well as at the center of vaccine and therapeutic monoclonal antibody design (2–4, 12).

Apart from complement activation, induction of effector functions depends on the formation of an immune synapse between an antibody-coated target and an effector cell. Globally, this immune synapse depends on Ab density on the target membrane, cofactors within the effector cells (adhesion molecules, signaling molecules, or cofactors such as NKG2D on NK cells), and conditioning by the microenvironment (cytokines, pH, etc.). For complement, completion of the cascade and elimination of viruses and/or infected cells depend on the initial hexamerization of the antibody’s Fc on the target surface and the presence and activity of several inhibitory factors existing within the cascade (7, 11).

Shoulder scans in most people above 40 show rotator cuff abnormalities, pain or not

Shoulder pain is the third most common musculoskeletal complaint seen by doctors, affecting approximately 18–31% of the global population each month. Up to 85% of these cases are due to problems with the rotator cuff (RC)—the shoulder’s built-in support system. Made up of four muscles and their tendons, the RC keeps the upper arm bone securely in the socket while allowing the arm to lift, rotate, and move smoothly.

A Finnish Imaging of Shoulder (FIMAGE) study found that rotator cuff changes on MRI are nearly universal after age 40. Overall, 99% of people in this age group showed some form of abnormality on imaging, whether or not they had shoulder pain. The findings are published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The results point toward the fact that many MRI findings likely reflect normal age-related changes in RC rather than the true source of pain. The researchers suggest that routine imaging should not be taken as the sole guide for the diagnosis or treatment of shoulder pain.

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