What’s been going on in the life sciences world this week? Check out Week in Brief for an overview of the biggest news from the last seven days.
ONE PRIME EDITING SYSTEM COULD TREAT MANY RARE DISEASES. A new prime editing tool that targets nonsense mutations can restore proper protein production, a problem that is at the core of around a third of genetic disorders. This technique could be used to treat multiple rare conditions, without needing to be tailored to each specific disease.
NEURONS DIVERSIFY THROUGH RNA EDITING. A new study in fruit-fly neurons found that hundreds of RNA editing sites are used, and each individual cell edits these sites at different rates. Expanding on previous research that may have underestimated the variability, these new findings suggest that RNA editing contributes substantially to neuronal diversity.
NEW TARGET FOR BRCA1 CANCER TREATMENT. Recent work shows that a heat shock protein can “buffer” harmful BRCA1 mutations, hiding their damaging effects and delaying cancer onset. When cancer cells rely on this buffering, they can become resistant to PARP inhibitors, but a low-dose HSP90 inhibitor restores drug sensitivity, pointing to a promising combination therapy.
GENOME-SCALE MODELS UNLOCK GUT MICROBE FUNCTION. Researchers have developed a tool, called coralME, that rapidly builds models linking a microbe’s genome to its metabolism, gene and protein expression. Using coralME, they simulated how different diets and conditions influence gut bacteria, and applied IBD patient data to reveal shifts in gut metabolism that may drive disease.
NEW MALARIA DRUG COULD COMBAT RESISTANCE. A potential new malaria drug has shown promise in a clinical trial, curing over 97% of participants. If approved, it would become the first new drug to treat the condition in over two decades and would fill the gaps left by treatment resistance.
OLDEST RNA FOUND IN MUMMIFIED MAMMOTHS. A new study has revealed that, under the right conditions, RNA can be extracted from specimens that are up to 50,000 years old. By analysing these samples, researchers could learn more about gene expression and activity in these ancient species.
A COMMON GENE VARIANT WORSENS BRAIN INFLAMMATION AFTER REPEATED HEAD TRAUMA. A new study has found that a risk variant in a transmembrane protein raises inflammation in people exposed to repeated head impacts. Carriers of the risk variant had more severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) pathology and, depending on age, a much higher probability of dementia.
ALZHEIMER’S RISK GENE RAISES RISK OF DELIRIUM. A large-scale study has shown that the APOE gene, which is known for its link to Alzheimer’s disease, is also associated with delirium. The work suggests that this is not solely due to its role in the condition – increasing delirium risk in those without dementia – and therefore the gene must be directly linked to this symptom.
GENETIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS PLAY A ROLE IN DEMENTIA. A new study has found that a combination of genetic risk factors and cardiovascular risk factors increases the chance of developing dementia. The findings suggest that lifestyle or medical interventions targeting cardiovascular risk factors may help delay or even prevent dementia onset, even when genetic risk is high.
SUICIDES NOT ALWAYS LINKED TO DEPRESSION. New work suggests that people who die by suicide without prior suicidal behaviour or known psychiatric diagnoses actually have fewer genetic risk factors for depression, anxiety, Alzheimer’s, and PTSD. This challenges the assumption that undiagnosed mental health conditions are always the driver in these cases, suggesting that some suicides may arise from different, non-traditional genetic risk profiles
Check out last week’s Week in Brief here.
