By combining synthetic biology and RNA therapy, the team at startup Strand Therapeutics Inc. hopes to make mRNA therapy more effective. Strand recently announced an immuno-oncology deal with Beigene Ltd. that netted the company $5 million to begin with and could end up being worth more than $250 million. Beyond immuno-oncology, the company’s basic technology could be broadly useful for both mRNA- and cell-based therapies.
Keeping you up to date on recent developments in cardiology, including: Registry data suggest invasive procedures may be omitted in some cardiac arrest patients; Cryoablation beats medical management for some AF patients; Aetna deems certain leadless pacing experimental.
The first selective inhibitor of protein kinase R- (PKR)-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), GSK-2606414, has been shown to attenuate vascular remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in mice, according to a study reported in the January 26, 2021, edition of Science Signaling.
The Human Skin Cell Atlas, comprising transcriptomes of 528,253 single cells, shows that cellular processes involved in skin development in embryos are reactivated in inflammatory skin diseases. In addition to suggesting potential new drug targets for atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, the transcriptomes provide a new route to understanding other inflammatory diseases, and provide a template for culturing skin for wound repair, according to the authors of a paper published in the Jan. 22, 2021, issue of Science.
Keeping you up to date on recent developments in neurology, including: Genetic analysis of symptoms yields new insights into PTSD; AI used to predict schizophrenia in relatives of patients; Growth factors linked to lysosomes, Parkinson’s risk; Study links ALS gene to tumor suppressor, transcription changes.
A packaged nanoparticle that delivered a relaxin-encoding gene therapy with microRNA reduced liver fibrosis, researchers in the laboratory of Leaf Huang at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Eshelman School of Pharmacy described in the Jan. 21, 2021, issue of Nature Nanotechnology.
Keeping you up to date on recent developments in diagnostics, including: Diagnosing myotonia; Lumbar spine MRI interpretation; Gray matter damage in MS starts at synapses.
A study led by scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei City is the first to show that astrocytic apolipoprotein E (ApoE) regulates neuronal epigenetic states via reprogramming lipid metabolism, which was shown to control brain function, in particular memory consolidation, in mice.
Keeping you up to date on recent developments in orthopedics, including: Scientists use a novel ink to 3D print 'bone' with living cells; Student uses zebrafish to study spinal deformities; A compound that slows bone loss, and a resource for developing treatments to slow aging.
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