“It’s not a true aspiration catheter, but it can work,” says Sillero. “We have to be careful because the groin is very small at this age — you have to really think outside the box.”

Neurosurgical procedures are especially challenging when operating on kids under two, he explains, partly because medical supply companies don’t make miniature versions of devices such as catheters, since paediatric stroke and aneurysm (a bulge in a blood vessel) are so rare.

Sillero has overcome such challenges not only through improvisation, but thanks to Children’s Health’s innovative model for diagnosis and treatment, which encourages close collaboration between different specialists.

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A useful review on the nucleic acid contaminants found in AAVs, how to detect such contaminants, their biological implications, and how we can minimize nucleic acid contaminants in the future through new manufacturing innovations! #biotech #genetherapy

Brimble and colleagues review nucleic acid heterogeneity of rAAV for gene therapy. Alongside the intended expression cassette, non-therapeutic DNA is present within rAAV preparations. These contaminants can be transferred and can even expressed after delivery. They discuss sources of DNA contamination in rAAV and highlight existing strategies to improve vector purity.

There are currently over 750,000 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States. Globally, 2.6 million patients receive renal replacement therapy with either dialysis or a kidney transplant, which is estimated to double in number by 2030. Kidney care was revolutionized by the invention of the dialysis machine in 1943 by Willem Kolff and the subsequent development of the arteriovenous fistula in 1960 by Belding Scribner. The first successful human kidney transplantation was performed in 1954 by Joseph Murray, teaming with John Merrill, and has since become the treatment of choice for patients with ESRD. Although there have been only incremental innovations since that time, recent exciting developments in kidney research have the potential to transform treatment beyond dialysis and transplantation. Here, we highlight five emerging approaches for ESRD.

(Circa 2022)

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