Transdifferentiation Strategy Weeds Out Immature Cancer CellsMarch 29, 2015Every gardener knows the key to successful weeding; extract the entire root because even a small section can regenerate the whole plant. When treating cancer, doctors are faced with the same problem. Immature cancer stem cells often escape treatment and repopulate the tumor, despite its successful elimination by radio or chemotherapy. In a new take […]
The Long Route of MeCP2 in TranscriptionMarch 24, 2015A number of teams have already spent time in trying to uncover the path that leads from MeCP2 disruption to Rett syndrome, a severe neurodevelopmental disorder in the autism spectrum. Adding detail to MeCP2’s repressive function, a team led by Michael Greenberg gathered data from MeCP2 mouse mutants and patient samples, finding an unexpected clue in long-gene […]
Hearts on ChipsMarch 24, 2015Chips, in most incarnations, are bad for the heart. Whether you’re frying them, baking them into cookies, or carrying one on your shoulder, chips are not cardiologist-approved. A new paper from Kevin Healy’s lab aims to mend this relationship with a microfluidic chip that is able to coax human induced stem cells into beating 3D […]
iPSCs and CRISPR the Dynamic Duo of Regenerative MedicineMarch 23, 2015Laurel and Hardy, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Batman and Robin – can we now add iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells) and CRISPR to the list of famous duos? Linzhao Cheng (John Hopkins) certainly thinks so, and in a recently study his group have demonstrated how this combination of technologies may lead to an effective cell treatment […]
5hmC: a Helping Hand in Drug AddictionMarch 23, 2015While there’s no doubting that one month of continuous cocaine exposure is going to have an effect on the brain, it seems that some of the molecular culprits behind the response and long-term effects are 5hmC and the TET protein family. An international research team studying addiction via cocaine show that repeat exposure downregulates the TET machinery in the brain’s reward centre, the nucleus […]
