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Genomics week in brief: Week ending 1st January

Check out what’s been happening across the genomics field over Christmas in the latest Genomics Week in Brief.

Top stories from the past week

  • Scientists have developed a new CAR-T cell that can also act as a ‘micropharmacy’ (can deliver a toxic drug payload directly to a tumour). (Garner et al, 2021)
  • A research team from the University of Göttingen has developed a new methodological approach to complete the remaining gaps in genome sequences. (Pook et al, 2021)
  • Researchers have explored with atomic resolution how DNAzymes work in real time. (Borggräfe et al, 2021)
  • New research has suggested that suppressing abnormal fibrin activity could hold promise for preventing or treating periodontal disease as well as other inflammatory disorders such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis. (Silva et al, 2021)
  • Cambridge researchers have revealed a tug-of-war between genes inherited from the father and mother over nutrition in the womb. (Sandovici et al, 2021)
  • Scientists have developed new tools that allow DNA repair to be visualised by analysing hundreds of proteins at once. (Martinez-Pastor et al, 2021)
  • A recent study has explored some of the factors that enable the assembly and maturation of the spliceosome, specifically in the proteins RUVBL1 and RUVBL2. (Serna et al, 2021)
  • For the first time, scientists have recovered DNA from cement on hairs taken from mummified remains that date back 1,500-2,000 years. (Pedersen et al, 2021)

In other news

  • Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of blood-testing start-up Theranos, has been convicted of defrauding investors after a months-long landmark trial. (BBC, 2022)
  • Victoria Gray, the first sickle cell patient treated with CRISPR gene-editing, is still thriving more than another year later after receiving the experimental treatment. (NPR, 2021)

Image credit: canva


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CAR-T Cell / DNA / Genomics / Week in brief