Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells are astounding. In B-cell cancers, they have been transformative. Yet engineering-wise, CAR T cells are in the equivalent of the Model T era. CAR T-cell engineering has already evolved, with the addition of costimulatory domains, which affect cell expansion and signaling. But once the cells are injected into a patient, there is really no way to affect their behavior.
The farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a bile acid receptor, plays a direct role regulating innate immune cells in the gut, and treating mice with an FXR agonist improved symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The findings provide a link between diet and innate immunity, and could lead to better ways to treat IBD. “The intestine is a major target for inflammation and inflammatory disease, particularly in the modern Western culture, where high-fat diets are becoming very prevalent,” Ronald Evans told BioWorld.
Repeat expansions of two or more base pairs cause dozens of neurological disorders – Huntington’s disease, which is caused by an expansion of the triplet CAG in the coding sequence for huntingtin, is perhaps the most famous one. Now, investigators at Stanford University have shown that cancer genomes, too, frequently feature repeat expansions.
Unlike amphibians, mammals do not regenerate appendages. Except when they do. “If you amputate one of the branches off of the antler [of a reindeer], it will also regenerate,” Jeff Biernaskie told BioWorld. Even without amputation, the antlers of both male and female reindeer regenerate annually, including their skin. That regeneration is “the only large mammal model of true skin regeneration,” he said.
The positively charged nanoparticle polyamidoamine generation 3 (P-G3) can be specifically targeted to either visceral or subcutaneous fat, and affects both types of fat in different ways, researchers from Columbia University reported in two papers recently published.
The positively charged nanoparticle polyamidoamine generation 3 (P-G3) can be specifically targeted to either visceral or subcutaneous fat, and affects both types of fat in different ways, researchers from Columbia University reported in two papers recently published. The studies, published online in Nature Nanotechnology on Dec. 1, 2022, and in Biomaterials on Nov. 28, 2022, are both “a conceptual advance” and “quite amenable to translation,” co-corresponding author Kam Leong told BioWorld.
Researchers have identified a link between amyloid plaques and dysfunctional neuronal conduction in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Their study, which was published in the Dec. 1, 2022, issue of Nature, suggests new ways to think about AD, as well as badly needed potential alternatives to plaque removal to fight the disease.
Investigators at the University of Bristol and Biognos AB have identified a structural feature that distinguished the deadly coronavirus strains from harmless, common cold-causing variants. The findings, which were published in the Nov. 23, 2022, issue of Science Advances, could form the basis of universal COVID antivirals, putting an end to the endless race to deal with new variants that has so far been a necessity.
Researchers have identified a link between amyloid plaques and dysfunctional neuronal conduction in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Their study, which was published in the Dec. 1, 2022, issue of Nature, suggests new ways to think about AD, as well as badly needed potential alternatives to plaque removal to fight the disease.
Researchers have identified a link between amyloid plaques and dysfunctional neuronal conduction in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Their study, which was published in the Dec. 1, 2022, issue of Nature, suggests new ways to think about AD, as well as badly needed potential alternatives to plaque removal to fight the disease.