New study reveals how an unexpected genetic mechanism influences the evolution of butterfly wing coloration.
Tag: CRISPR
MSU discovers method for CRISPR-based genome editing in Nile grass rats
A team of researchers at Michigan State University has discovered a set of methods that enabled the first successful CRISPR-based genome editing in Nile grass rats.
Accurate sexual health information on TikTok? It’s this UCLA doctor’s mission
UCLA Health’s Dr. Russell Johnson educates and empowers on TikTok with accurate sexual health information Dr. Russell Johnson, UCLA Health primary care physician and HIV and sexual health expert, is available for interview on the following topics: Intersection of medicine,…
Changes Upstream: RIPE team uses CRISPR/Cas9 to alter photosynthesis for the first time
A RIPE team used CRISPR/Cas9 to increase gene expression in rice by changing its upstream regulatory DNA. Their work is the first unbiased gene-editing approach to increase gene expression and downstream photosynthetic activity and was recently published in Science Advances.
A gene mutation associated with a rare neurological disorder and increased susceptibility to viral infections may be treatable with oleic acid
A mutation in a protein regulating natural killer (NK) cells’ function is at the root of immune deficiency in some people with a rare genetic condition characterized by cognitive and developmental delay, seizures, and other manifestations. The findings also have broader implications for immunity and cell therapies.
New Genetic Analysis Tool Tracks Risks Tied to CRISPR Edits
While CRISPR has shown immense promise as a next-generation therapeutic tool, the gene editing technology’s edits are still imperfect. Researchers have developed a new system to test and analyze CRISPR-based DNA repair and related risks from unintended but harmful “bystander” edits.
We Now Know Why Killer T Cells Lose Energy Inside of Solid Tumors
Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine have found that a metabolic enzyme called Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase causes T cells to store fat when they are in solid tumors, rather than burning fat for energy.
It’s Hearty, It’s Meaty, It’s Mold
Fungi naturally produce all the ingredients needed for a cruelty-free meat substitute. Our scientists are exploring how tuning the genomes of mushrooms and molds can transform these food sources into gourmet, nutrient-packed meals made with minimal processing and a light environmental footprint.
Faster Monkeypox (mpox) Testing Through CRISPR
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a rare viral disease that is spread through physical contact between people.
Green Genetic Engineering: Making Mendel’s Dream Come True with Molecular Scissors
Molecular biologist Professor Holger Puchta from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is granted funding within a Reinhart Koselleck Project by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for work on specific restructuring of plant genomes. Puchta, a pioneer of green genetic engineering,…
Technology Developed at Rutgers Sublicensed to Global Biopharmaceutical Company
Base editing technology invented at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and exclusively licensed to Revvity, Inc. subsidiary Horizon Discovery, has been sub-licensed to biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to support its creation of cell therapies for the treatment of cancer and immune-mediated diseases.
Cancer Research Institute Awards Over $28 Million in Grants to Fuel Immunotherapy Innovations
The Cancer Research Institute awarded $28.7 million in research grants and fellowships in the 2023 fiscal year ending June 30, 2023. In total, CRI distributed 73 awards that will advance cancer immunology research at 41 institutions in 10 countries. CRI grants were awarded to support projects involving a variety of immune-based approaches as well as the development of novel technologies that may help pave the way for the next generation of immunotherapies.
New Genetic Technology Developed to Halt Malaria-Spreading Mosquitoes
Using CRISPR technology, scientists have engineered a new way to genetically suppress populations of Anopheles gambiae, the mosquitoes that primarily spread malaria in Africa and contribute to economic poverty in affected regions.
AI and CRISPR Precisely Control Gene Expression
The study by researchers at New York University, Columbia Engineering, and the New York Genome Center, combines a deep learning model with CRISPR screens to control the expression of human genes in different ways—such as flicking a light switch to shut them off completely or by using a dimmer knob to partially turn down their activity. These precise gene controls could be used to develop new CRISPR-based therapies.
New understanding of why kidney cancers become metastatic discovered by MD Anderson researchers
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer have engineered a new model of aggressive renal cell carcinoma (RCC), highlighting molecular targets and genomic events that trigger chromosomal instability and drive metastatic progression.
The study, published today in Nature Cancer, demonstrates that the loss of a cluster of interferon receptor (IFNR) genes plays a pivotal role in allowing cancer cells to become tolerant of chromosomal instability. This genomic feature may be used to help clinicians predict a tumor’s potential to become metastatic and treatment resistant.
Novel Gene Therapy Proving Safe and Successful in Sickle Cell Patients Treated at Cleveland Clinic Children’s
Researchers presenting preliminary data from a clinical trial aimed at discovering a cure for sickle cell disease reveal positive results among its first patients. Sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder, is a painful and debilitating condition for which there are few approved therapies.
Combination therapy overcomes BET inhibitor resistance
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists developed a combination therapy for a leukemia subtype harboring rearrangements in the KMT2A gene. The approach overcomes the cancer’s drug resistance, without adding toxicity. The study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
新的基因编辑技术成功地逆转小鼠的视力损失
视网膜色素变性症是人类失明的主要原因之一。中国的研究人员成功地恢复了患有视网膜色素变性症的小鼠的视力。该研究将于[三月十七日]发表在《实验医学杂志》上。该研究使用一种新型的、高度通用的CRISPR基因组编辑技术,有潜力纠正各种导致疾病的遗传突变。
New gene-editing technique reverses vision loss in mice
Researchers in China have successfully restored the vision of mice with retinitis pigmentosa, one of the major causes of blindness in humans. The study, to be published March 17 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, uses a new, highly versatile form of CRISPR-based genome editing with the potential to correct a wide variety of disease-causing genetic mutations.
Hijacking the Hijackers: Engineering Bacterial Viruses to Genetically Modify their Hosts
Most methods of editing bacterial genomes use plasmids to transfer DNA between bacterial cells, but this approach isn’t always efficient in mixed microbial communities. This research instead developed a new phage-based DNA delivery tool that leverages these viruses’ ability to inject DNA into host bacteria. The researchers also used this tool to edit individual genes inside a target host organism within a living microbial community.
Researchers Create New System for Safer Gene-Drive Testing and Development
Researchers have developed a new system for developing gene drives for areas ranging from human health to global food supplies. The new “hacking” system converts split gene drives into full drives, offering new flexibility for safely conducting gene drive experiments in a range of applications.
Gene therapy corrects mutation responsible for common heart condition, UT Southwestern research shows
Using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system, UT Southwestern researchers corrected mutations responsible for a common inherited heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in human cells and a mouse model of the disease.
CRISPR insight: How to fine-tune the Cas protein’s grip on DNA
At the heart of every CRISPR reaction, whether naturally occurring in bacteria or harnessed by CRIPSR-Cas gene editing technology, is a strong molecular bond of a Cas protein via a guide RNA to its target site on DNA. It’s like a nanoscale ski binding.
Embargoed news from UCLA: First use of CRISPR to substitute genes to treat patients with cancer
For the first time, scientists have used CRISPR technology to insert genes that allow immune cells to focus their attack on cancer cells, potentially leaving normal cells unharmed and increasing the effectiveness of immunotherapy.
El tratamiento CRISPR reduce la inflamación en pacientes con angioedema hereditario
Un nuevo estudio que se presenta en la Reunión Científica Anual del ACAAI de este año muestra que un tratamiento que usa una tecnología de edición genética de repeticiones palindrómicas cortas, agrupadas y regularmente interespaciadas logró aliviar la inflamación y reducir la frecuencia de los ataques.
Montana BioAgriculture Inc. is to develop commercial product for wheat stem sawfly
Insects, diseases, and abiotic stressors cause losses of millions of tons of wheat and cost farmers $100s of millions each year.
Beyond the blood-brain barrier: HIV research at Texas Biomed gets NIH funding boost
Texas Biomed has received a $3.9 million NIH grant to explore how gene-editing technology may help eradicate HIV in the brain.
“Soft” CRISPR May Offer a New Fix for Genetic Defects
Scientists have developed a CRISPR-based technology that could offer a safer approach to correcting genetic defects. The new “soft” CRISPR system makes use of natural DNA repair machinery, providing a foundation for novel gene therapy strategies with the potential to cure genetic diseases.
MD Anderson Research Highlights for June 29, 2022
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights provides a glimpse into recent basic, translational and clinical cancer research from MD Anderson experts. Current advances include a lower-intensity therapy for acute myeloid leukemia, a new target for treating chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, real-world synthetic controls for clinical trials in rare cancers, a potential biomarker to predict endocrine therapy response in breast cancer, integrated CRISPR screens to identify novel tumor suppressors, and a deeper knowledge of the immune tumor microenvironment in melanoma-derived brain metastases.
Who trusts gene-edited foods? New study gauges public acceptance
Researchers at ISU surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 U.S. residents to gauge public acceptance of gene-edited foods. Social factors like food beliefs and trust in institutions played a big role in the participants’ willingness to eat or actively avoid products made with gene-editing technologies.
Low levels of high-risk salmonella evade traditional methods of detection
Poultry is responsible for more than one out of every five cases of salmonella infection in the U.S. But traditional methods of testing the chicken you grab off the grocery shelf may not be enough to detect all strains of the bacteria, according to new research from the University of Georgia.
A ‘factory reset’ for the brain cures anxiety, drinking behavior
Gene editing may be a potential treatment for anxiety and alcohol use disorder in adults who were exposed to binge drinking in their adolescence, according to the results of an animal study published in the journal Science Advances. The researchers used a gene-editing tool called CRISPR-dCas9 in their experiments to manipulate the histone acetylation and methylation processes at the Arc gene in models of adult rats.
Study encourages cautious approach to CRISPR therapeutics
Researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys and the National Cancer Institute have shown that gene editing with CRISPR may select for certain cancer-associated mutations, highlighting the need for caution when using CRISPR therapeutically.
New Research Helps Explain the Genetic Basis of Why We Look the Way We Do
Comparing features of a common laboratory fruit fly with its rarer cousin collected from Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, UC San Diego researchers used CRISPR technology to uncover clues about how high-level control genes called Hox genes shape our appearance.
Genetic analysis uncovers shared evolutionary history of fish fins and vertebrate limbs
Scientists from UChicago and Spain use CRISPR to show how genes that control growth at the end of fish fins play the same role in fingers and toes.
Researchers Develop CRISPR-based Rapid Diagnostic Tool for SARS-CoV-2
UC San Diego scientists have created a new technology that rapidly detects the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The new SENSR was developed using CRISPR gene-editing technology as a rapid diagnostic that could eventually be used in homes, airports and other locations.
MD Anderson and SNIPR BIOME collaborate to advance next-generation CRISPR microbiome therapeutics
MD Anderson and SNIPR BIOME have announced a strategic collaboration to advance next-generation CRISPR-based microbiome therapies to reduce immune-related side effects in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
GW Wins Contract to Develop Antidote-Bearing Organisms to Protect Against Biological, Chemical Threats
The George Washington University has been awarded a $3.6 million contract to genetically modify commensal organisms to produce antidotes for harmful biological and chemical agents, such as anthrax, Ebola, and even COVID-19.
New Technology Designed to Genetically Control Disease-spreading Mosquitoes
Scientists have created the precision-guided sterile insect technique, a new CRISPR-based technology to control Aedes aegypti, the mosquito species responsible for spreading wide-ranging diseases including dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika.
$6M NIH Grant Launches UC San Diego Consortium to Study Insulin-Producing Cells
UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers will receive $6.4 million in National Institutes of Health grant funding to study how external signals and genetic variations influence the behavior of one cell type in particular: insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.
Behind the COVID-19 Diagnostic for Testing Hundreds of People at a Time
Hertz Fellow Cameron Myhrvold and colleagues are advancing research that started long before the pandemic.
Genetics/biotech expert offers comments & availability on IVG (in vitro gametogenesis) major breakthrough
A groundbreaking study demonstrating the most advanced form of in vitro gametogenesis (making eggs from stem cells, IVG) was published Thursday in Science. See STAT’s coverage of the study. Regarding the study and breakthrough, Dr. Kevin Doxzen offers the below comments…
UM School Of Medicine Researchers Receive NIH Avant Garde Award For Out-Of-Box, Innovative Concept To Cure HIV And Treat Co-Existing Addiction
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Professor of Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Linda Chang, MD, MS, received the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 2021 Avant Garde Award (DP1) for HIV/AIDS and Substance Use Disorder Research — a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Pioneer Award.
UC San Diego Scientists Develop the First CRISPR/Cas9-based Gene Drive in Plants
Researchers have created the first CRISPR-Cas9-based gene drive designed for plants. The new technology, which allows scientists to cut and copy key genetic elements, helps scientists breed plants that defend against crop diseases and withstand the impacts of climate change.
Researchers Create New CRISPR Tools to Help Contain Mosquito Disease Transmission
Scientists have developed a toolkit that helps pave the way to a gene drive designed to stop Culex mosquitoes from spreading disease. Culex mosquitoes spread devastating afflictions stemming from West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis virus and the pathogen causing avian malaria.
New Genetic ‘CopyCatchers’ Detect Efficient and Precise CRISPR Editing in a Living Organism
Scientists have developed a novel CRISPR-based genetic sensor called a “CopyCatcher” to detect instances in which a genetic element is copied precisely from one chromosome to another in cells of a fruit fly.
With gene therapy, scientists develop opioid-free solution for chronic pain
A gene therapy for chronic pain could offer a safer, non-addictive alternative to opioids. Researchers at the University of California San Diego developed the new therapy, which works by temporarily repressing a gene involved in sensing pain. It increased pain tolerance in mice, lowered their sensitivity to pain and provided months of pain relief without causing numbness.
Potential Target for Treating Many Cancers Found Within GLI1 Gene
Scientists from the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago found that a region within the DNA of the cancer-promoting GLI1 gene is directly responsible for regulating this gene’s expression. These findings, published in the journal Stem Cells, imply that this region within GLI1 could potentially be targeted as cancer treatment, since turning off GLI1 would interrupt excessive cell division characteristic of cancer.
UIC researchers invent new gene-editing tool
Researchers have discovered a new gene-editing technique that allows for the programming of sequential cuts — or edits — over time.
Scientists Use DNA Origami to Monitor CRISPR Gene Targeting
ROCKVILLE, MD – The remarkable genetic scissors called CRISPR/Cas9, the discovery that won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, sometimes cut in places that they are not designed to target.