A huge leap for cloning
Animal cloning, the creation of a genetically identical copy of an individual organism, holds promise for many different reasons, including its use to conserve endangered species and to improve our understanding of developmental biology, which could eventually help us prevent or reverse developmental disorders from the get-go. Although more than 20 species of animals have ... Read More about A huge leap for cloning
Getting a grip on genetic loops
A new discovery about the spatial orientation and physical interactions of our genes provides a promising step forward in our ability to design custom antibodies. This, in turn, could revolutionize the fields of vaccine development and infection control. “We are beginning to understand the full biological impact that the physical structure and movement of our ... Read More about Getting a grip on genetic loops
Solving the DIPG puzzle a single cell at a time
For more than 15 years, pediatric neuro-oncologist Mariella Filbin, MD, PhD, has been on a scientific crusade to understand DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma). She hopes to one day be able to cure a disease that has historically been thought of as an incurable type of childhood brain cancer. “While I was in medical school, I ... Read More about Solving the DIPG puzzle a single cell at a time
Trial shows chemotherapy is helping kids live with pulmonary vein stenosis
Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is a rare disease in which abnormal cells build up inside the veins responsible for carrying oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the heart. It restricts blood flow through these vessels, eventually sealing them off entirely if left untreated. Typically affecting young children, the most severe form of PVS progresses very quickly ... Read More about Trial shows chemotherapy is helping kids live with pulmonary vein stenosis
Science Seen: An intestinal toxin’s trick, a potential cancer fighter
Clostridium difficile, also called “C. diff,” causes severe gastrointestinal tract infections and tops the CDC’s list of urgent drug-resistant threats. In work published in Nature in 2016, Min Dong, PhD, and colleagues found the elusive portal that enables a key C. diff toxin, toxin B, to enter the intestines’ outer cells and break down the ... Read More about Science Seen: An intestinal toxin’s trick, a potential cancer fighter
Failed cancer drug may extend life in children with progeria
Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, better known as progeria, is a highly rare genetic disease of premature aging. It takes a cruel toll: Children begin losing body fat and hair, develop the thin, tight skin typical of elderly people and suffer from hearing loss, bone problems, hardening of the arteries, stiff joints and failure to grow. They ... Read More about Failed cancer drug may extend life in children with progeria
Families and data scientists build insights on Phelan-McDermid syndrome
This is the third year that Jacob Works has made the trip down to Boston Children’s Hospital from Maine. With research assistant Haley Medeiros, he looks at pictures, answers questions, manipulates blocks and mimes actions like knocking on a door. His father, Travis, and another research assistant look on through a window. “At first, we ... Read More about Families and data scientists build insights on Phelan-McDermid syndrome
Science Seen: New microscope reveals biological life as you’ve never seen it before
Astronomers developed a “guide star” adaptive optics technique to obtain the most crystal-clear and precise telescopic images of distant galaxies, stars and planets. Now a team of scientists, led by Nobel laureate Eric Betzig, PhD, are borrowing the very same trick. They’ve combined it with lattice light-sheet to create a new microscope that’s able to capture real-time, incredibly ... Read More about Science Seen: New microscope reveals biological life as you’ve never seen it before
Study: Children with upper limb differences have better emotional health
A recent study found that while children with upper limb differences have lower upper limb function, some form better peer relationships and have more positive emotional states compared to population norms.
The softer the nanoparticle, the better the drug delivery to tumors
For the first time, scientists have shown that the elasticity of nanoparticles can affect how cells take them up in ways that can significantly improve drug delivery to tumors. A team of Boston Children’s Hospital researchers led by Marsha A. Moses, PhD, who directs the Vascular Biology Program, created a novel nanolipogel-based drug delivery system that allowed ... Read More about The softer the nanoparticle, the better the drug delivery to tumors