NederlandsSection
Biotech
Life extension, cell rejuvenation, gene therapy and medicines designed with AI.
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Researchers wake up silent, healthy genes in Prader-Willi syndrome
In Prader-Willi syndrome a group of genes does not work, even though every cell has a healthy back-up copy. Researchers in Melbourne switched that copy back on by removing one protein, in patient cells and in mice. Work on a medicine is now under way.
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Magnetic brain treatment tuned to the patient's own rhythm cleared for PTSD
In the US, a PTSD treatment has been cleared that tunes magnetic pulses to the patient's own brain rhythm. In a trial with 158 adults it worked better than a sham treatment, without serious side effects. A scientific publication is still to follow.
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Wafer-thin mesh draws electricity from beating human heart cells
Researchers in the US grew beating human heart tissue around a wafer-thin mesh that generates a little electricity with every heartbeat. The work has so far been done in the lab. The goal: implants such as pacemakers that no longer need a battery.
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Personalised mRNA vaccine cuts the risk of melanoma returning by 42 per cent
A vaccine made to measure for each patient cut the risk of recurrence or death by 42 per cent in a large study of 1,137 people with melanoma. The full results have now been presented at the European cancer congress ESMO.
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Precise DNA correction used inside a patient's body for the first time
Prime Medicine has for the first time treated a patient with prime editing directly inside the body. A single infusion is meant to repair a DNA error in the liver in Wilson's disease, an inherited copper disorder. The study has just begun; first results are expected in 2027.
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Breakthrough in hepatitis B: first medicine that lets 1 in 5 patients stop taking pills
In the United States, a medicine has now been approved that can 'functionally' cure chronic hepatitis B in some patients. After six months of injections, the virus stayed under control in about 1 in 5 participants, even when they stopped all medication.
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AI model designs working proteins from a sentence in plain language
Researchers in China have built an AI model that designs proteins from a description in plain language. In four trials, the result actually did what was asked of it: give off light, break down plastic, convert alcohol and help capture CO2.
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Claude designs proteins against scorpion venom in 64 hours: 17 bind to their target in the lab
A research version of Claude designed over 318,000 small proteins against five scorpion toxins in 64 hours. Two labs made 211 of them, and 17 bound firmly to their toxin. It is not yet an antidote, but it is a first step.
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MIT researchers' glue sticks to wet tissue in seconds and could soon replace stitches
The company SanaHeal, an MIT spinout, makes a glue that sticks to wet and bleeding tissue within a few seconds. According to MIT it is already approved for stopping bleeding after accidents. Next year, trials in people during surgery will begin.
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Antibody keeps immune cells out of the brain and slows Alzheimer's damage in mice
Researchers in St. Louis blocked the route immune cells take into the brain in mice. The mice kept about 40 per cent more brain tissue and remembered better, while the harmful protein tau simply stayed in place. The next step is finding out whether this can be done safely in people.
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Bacteria in forest soil eat bioplastic with a 'Pac-Man enzyme' that also disarms penicillin
Researchers at the University of Konstanz buried bioplastic in forest soil and found the enzyme bacteria use to eat it. That enzyme also turns out to make penicillin harmless. The discovery helps with better biodegradable plastic and with research into resistance.
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Australian researchers give doctors a 'switch' to control immune cells as medicine
Researchers at WEHI in Melbourne have modified immune cells so that doctors can control them using two existing medications: one helps the cells grow, while the other inhibits them. The next step is a first study in humans.
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British biobank maps the immune systems of 80,000 people, as learning material for AI
The London company IMU Biosciences will measure the immune cells in 80,000 blood samples from UK Biobank in great detail. Linked to genes and health data, this should teach AI models which changes in the immune system signal diseases such as cancer or dementia.
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Probiotics slow an early blood sign of Alzheimer's in Korean study
In a South Korean study, older people with early memory problems took good gut bacteria or a dummy treatment every day for half a year. In the probiotics group, a blood value linked to Alzheimer's went down. Larger and longer studies now need to confirm this.
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Saline injection gives longer relief from carpal tunnel syndrome than an anti-inflammatory
In carpal tunnel syndrome, a nerve in the wrist is trapped. Indian doctors freed that nerve with an injection of salt water, guided by ultrasound. After six months it was still helping, while the complaints came back after an anti-inflammatory. Larger studies now need to confirm this.
