Archive for the ‘biotech/medical’ category: Page 2584
Mar 13, 2016
Welcome to Major Mouse Testing Project | Major Mouse Testing Project
Posted by Steve Hill in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, health, life extension
SENS has kindly commented about MMTP and the impact our research should have on aging. We launch a fundraiser in April to test senolytics (ApoptoSENS) with a planned follow up to combine this with stem cell therapy (RepleniSENS). It is time to put the engineering approach to aging to the test!
Some drugs tested have been found to increase mouse lifespan such as Metformin and Rapamycin for example and are considered for human testing. Many more substances have never been tested and we do not know if they might extend healthy lifespan.
Mar 12, 2016
Modified CRISPR Can Act As A Toggle Switch To Silence Genes
Posted by Robert James Powles in categories: biotech/medical, genetics
CRISPR may have burst on the scene as a revolutionary gene editing tool, but it’s proving to be so much more. Tagging the targeting system with a gene silencing component could revolutionise stem cell work and enable a new level of genetic control we’ve never seen before.
A wonder tool
Efficient and accurate, CRISPR may be in the throes of a patent battle but it’s undoubtedly going down in history as a landmark in biological science. There may be other similar systems out there, but CRISPR makes things quick and comparatively cheap — which tends to revolutionise any industry.
Mar 12, 2016
An Interview With The Major Mouse Testing Program: We Talk Longevity Advocacy And Fast Tracking Progress
Posted by Robert James Powles in categories: biotech/medical, government, life extension
Innovative new project the MMTP aims to fast forward translation from lab to clinic with rapid, parallel mice testing. We caught up with Steve Hill and Elena Milova from the MMTP team to discuss the program and why being pro-actively involved with longevity advocacy is so important.
What’s the gap in the market you’re aiming to fill and the major motivation behind the MMTP?
Steve – The bridge between basic research and taking it to clinical trials. People like The SENS Foundation are spinning a lot of plates doing the high risk, nitty gritty research that isn’t profitable, but crowdfunding can get that done. We want to create a solid gold standard testing platform without the restrictions of government, where any team can come to us for parallel testing and halve development time. The problem with animal testing is there’s this disconnect; it’s not sexy science basically. A common response is let me know when it’s available in humans, but it’s not going to be! No animal data means no human testing, organizations like the FDA, NHS and EMA all insist on a battery of animal testing before human trials. Period. It’s not sexy, it’s not available in humans next week, but if MMTP or other projects don’t get things done on mice for example, it’s never going to get done. It doesn’t matter if one theory turns out to be wrong, let’s get stuck in and find out!
Mar 12, 2016
Making the world’s first brain-controlled bionic leg
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: biotech/medical, cyborgs, electronics, neuroscience, transhumanism
Bionics: surgically inserted sensors controlling a prosthetic limb. Meet the man who sometimes forgets that his bionic leg is not his own.
Mar 12, 2016
Desktop Genetics: Now You Can Do Genetic Engineering Without Ever Entering a Lab
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, genetics
CRISPR may be revolutionary; however, it’s not nearly as easy as it’s made out to be. But thanks to this company, individuals can alter the source code of life without ever needing to enter a lab.
A new genome editing technique is allowing us to alter DNA—the source code of life—with unprecedented precision. It is known as CRISPR, and with it, we can target and change a gene from any cell of any species without interfering with any other genes. If that’s not enough, we are able to edit these genes at just a fraction of the cost of previous methods.
Mar 11, 2016
Dramatic remissions in blood cancer in immunotherapy treatment trial
Posted by Sean Brazell in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical
It won’t be long now before cancer is nothing but a terrible, terrible memory.
Never soon enough, though.
Continue reading “Dramatic remissions in blood cancer in immunotherapy treatment trial” »
Mar 11, 2016
Scientist identifies mechanism to regenerate heart tissue
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: biotech/medical, genetics
The MDI Biological Laboratory has announced new discoveries about the mechanisms underlying the regeneration of heart tissue by Assistant Professor Voot P. Yin, Ph.D., which raise hope that drugs can be identified to help the body grow muscle cells and remove scar tissue, important steps in the regeneration of heart tissue.
Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the western world. Yin is using zebrafish to study the regeneration of heart tissue because of the amazing capacity of these common aquarium fish to regenerate the form and function of almost any body part, including heart, bone, skin and blood vessels, regardless of their age. In contrast, the adult mammalian cardiovascular system has limited regenerative capacity.
“Although zebrafish look quite different from humans, they share an astonishing 70 percent of their genetic material with humans, including genes important for the formation of new heart muscle,” Yin said. “These genes are conserved in humans and other mammals, but their activity is regulated differently after an injury like a heart attack.”
Continue reading “Scientist identifies mechanism to regenerate heart tissue” »
Mar 10, 2016
Electroceuticals: The Future of Medicine
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: biotech/medical, futurism
More news from DARPA’s Electrical Rx efforts along with GSK’s own advancement.
In the future, doctors won’t treat diseases with drugs. Instead, they’ll use tiny implantable devices that communicate with our body’s electrical language.
Mar 10, 2016
IARPA awards $18.7 million contract to Allen Institute to reconstruct neuronal connections
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: biotech/medical, engineering, information science, neuroscience, robotics/AI
Allen Institute working with Baylor on reconstructing neuronal connections.
The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) has awarded an $18.7 million contract to the Allen Institute for Brain Science, as part of a larger project with Baylor College of Medicine and Princeton University, to create the largest ever roadmap to understand how the function of networks in the brain’s cortex relates to the underlying connections of its individual neurons.
The project is part of the Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks (MICrONS) program, which seeks to revolutionize machine learning by reverse-engineering the algorithms of the brain.