Chinese scientists have shown for the first time that the down-regulation of a single RNA-binding protein, polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1 (Ptbp1), locally converted glial cells to neurons and showed promise for treating the symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases in mice.

BioWorld looks at translational medicine, including: Engineering better bacterial backstabbers; Targeting bystander protein improves sepsis outcome; Long noncoding RNA has sex-specific role in depression; Targeted IL-12 heats up cold tumors; Fast route from fibroblasts to photoreceptors; Eating pro-inflammatory IgG helps prevent liver failure; Depression’s structural problem; Modeling the post-infarct heart; Interleukins rile each other up in reaction to implants; Complement links high BMI to dementia.

The largest study to date on hypermutated gliomas has delivered new insights into their origin, as well as their response to several different treatments. Specifically, even though they are hypermutated, such tumors are unlikely to respond to PD-1 blockers.

“Vaccines, obviously, are the ultimate solution for pandemics,” Rino Rappuoli told BioWorld. They have, he added, “already eliminated a lot of pandemic threats – smallpox, influenza, poliomyelitis.”

Specific therapies against a new disease take time to develop. But there are methods that can speed up that development.

There will be lessons learned aplenty when the COVID-19 pandemic finally breaks, including how serological and molecular testing can be used to maximum effect to corral a future pandemic.

“In any crisis, leaders have two equally important responsibilities: solve the immediate problem and keep it from happening again."