Jet Lag Promotes Cancer Growth via Alteration of Tumor Microenvironment
“A key takeaway from this study is that if someone has a proliferative disorder, in this case melanoma, doing shift work or regularly changing time zones could exacerbate the problem by dampening immune system response to tumor growth,” noted one researcher.
Broad Adaptive Pancreatic Clinical Trial Platform Launched
The goal of Precision Promise is to improve the speed at which effective drugs can come to market and reduce the overall cost of running clinical trials. It seeks to accomplish this by designing a clinical trial platform that tests multiple experimental therapies at the same time.
Antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 Persist for Months After Infection
Both studies point to the IgG class of antibodies as the longest-lasting antibodies detectable in the blood and saliva of patients during this timeframe, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG antibodies may serve as promising targets to detect and evaluate immune responses against the virus.
Doudna Spin Out Scribe, Partners with Biogen on CRISPR-Based Treatment for ALS
Scribe’s platform is focused on engineering, delivering, and developing novel, custom CRISPR molecules. The company’s first technology, X-Editing (XE), provides greater editing activity, specificity, and deliverability than other CRISPR genome editing tools currently available.
Payer Policies not Sole Reason for Inconsistent Utilization of Genomic Testing
A report from the Personalized Medicine Coalition found significant variability in the use of genomic testing for patients not only from state to state, but also within states.
Doudna, Charpentier, Pioneering Developers of CRISPR Technology Share Nobel Prize in Chemistry
While some have speculated that the Nobel Prize for CRISPR might come from the Physiology or Medicine committee, there was little doubt that, should a Nobel Prize for CRISPR be awarded in Chemistry, Doudna and Charpentier would claim two of the possible three slots.
New Fluorescence-Based COVID-19 Test is Quick and Easy
The “one-pot” assay uses fluorescence-based detection of RNA from pathogens, can be performed within 30–50 minutes of incubation time, and can reach a limit of detection of 0.1-attomolar RNA concentration.
Cancer Mutation Accumulation is Linked to 3D Chromosome Structure
The way cancer mutations accumulate in the genome depends on both the 3D structure of the chromosome and the factor that is causing the mutation, which could help to guide treatment better as well as inform investigators searching for cancer causing mutations.
Genetic Network that Differentiates Regulatory T Cells Mapped
Studies have suggested that increasing the number of regulatory T cells—and therefore putting stronger “brakes” on the immune system—might help subdue symptoms of autoimmune diseases, while blocking regulatory T cells, or lifting these molecular brakes, could help the immune system better fight cancer.
SOPHiA Genetics Completes $110M Series F Financing
Proceeds from the financing will allow SOPHiA to embark upon the next stage of its planned global expansion, aimed at satisfying growing clinical and biopharma demand for secure data pooling and knowledge sharing for healthcare professionals.
