Lifeboat Foundation

In a novel study, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have introduced LoGoFunc, an advanced computational tool that predicts pathogenic gain and loss-of-function variants across the genome.

Unlike current methods that predominantly focus on loss of function, LoGoFunc distinguishes among different types of harmful mutations, offering potentially valuable insights into diverse disease outcomes. The findings are described in Genome Medicine.

Genetic variations can alter protein function, with some mutations boosting activity or introducing new functions (gain of function), while others diminish or eliminate function (loss of function). These changes can have significant implications for human health and the treatment of disease.

All living systems perpetuate themselves via growth in or on the body, followed by splitting, budding, or birth. We find that synthetic multicellular assemblies can also replicate kinematically by moving and compressing dissociated cells in their environment into functional self-copies. This form of perpetuation, previously unseen in any organism, arises spontaneously over days rather than evolving over millennia. We also show how artificial intelligence methods can design assemblies that postpone loss of replicative ability and perform useful work as a side effect of replication. This suggests other unique and useful phenotypes can be rapidly reached from wild-type organisms without selection or genetic engineering, thereby broadening our understanding of the conditions under which replication arises, phenotypic plasticity, and how useful replicative machines may be realized.

Summary: Researchers achieved a groundbreaking feat by creating the first complete cell atlas of a mammalian brain, specifically a mouse. This comprehensive map details over 32 million cells, their types, locations, molecular information, and connectivity.

The atlas offers an in-depth look into the mouse brain, a crucial model in neuroscience, and lays the groundwork for advanced treatments for mental and neurological disorders. It encompasses structural, transcriptomic, and epigenetic data, providing a blueprint for brain circuit operations and functioning.

Cloning, a topic that has captured the imagination of many, continues to be a subject of scientific interest, ethical debates, and speculative musings. While its various forms and implications have been widely discussed, this article aims to provide an overview of cloning, present examples of successful cloning in different organisms, explore the mechanisms involved, and address the reports and speculations surrounding possible human cloning.

Understanding Cloning: Cloning is the process of creating an organism that is genetically identical to another individual. It can occur naturally, such as with identical twins, or it can be achieved artificially through scientific techniques. Artificial cloning techniques include somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), where the nucleus of a donor cell is transferred into an enucleated egg cell, and reproductive cloning, which aims to create a living copy of an existing organism.

Armed with gene technologies and CAR-Ts, scientists are attempting to eliminate viruses that escape immune detection and lurk in tissues for years.

Scientists have discovered how our DNA can use a genetic fast-forward button to make new genes for quick adaptation to our ever-changing environments.

During an investigation into DNA replication errors, researchers from Finland’s University of Helsinki found that certain single mutations produce palindromes, which read the same backward and forward. Under the right circumstances, these can evolve into microRNA (miRNA) genes.

These tiny, simple genes play a significant role in regulating other genes. Many miRNA genes have been around for a long time in evolutionary history, but scientists discovered that in some animal groups, like primates, brand-new miRNA genes suddenly appear.

FDA approval for revolutionary Sickle Cell Disease gene-editing treatment promises a bright future.

Some chemical tags on DNA, called epigenetic factors, that are present at a young age can affect the maximum life spans of mammal species.

As Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics’ exa-cel and Verve Therapeutics’ VERVE-101 move forward, questions remain about possible drawbacks of such therapies.