Packaged DNA: MLU researchers develop new method to promote bone growth

Image Credit: Sangharsh Lohakare

DNA can help to stimulate bone healing in a localized and targeted manner, for example after a complicated fracture or after severe tissue loss following surgery. This has been demonstrated by researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), the University of Leipzig, the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS in Halle. They have developed a new process in which they coat implant materials with a gene-activated biomaterial that induces stem cells to produce bone tissue. Their findings were published in the renowned journal Advanced Healthcare Materials.

Bones are a fascinating example of the body’s ability to regenerate. They are able to regain full functionality - even after a fracture - thanks to their ability to form new, resilient tissue at the fracture site. "However, when it comes to complicated fractures or major tissue loss, even a bone’s self-healing power is insufficient," explains Professor Thomas Groth, head of the Biomedical Materials research group at MLU’s Institute of Pharmacy. "In such cases, implants are needed to stabilize the bone, replace parts of joints, or bridge larger defects with degradable materials." The success of such implants depends largely on how well they are incorporated into the bone. Increased efforts have been made in recent years to support this process by coating implants with bioactive materials to activate bone cells and mesenchymal stem cells. 

Tidal stream power can significantly enhance energy security

A new study reveals the potential of tidal resources to make a marked difference on a community's clean energy ambitions
Needles, Isle of Wight, UK
Photo Credit: Dan

Adopting tidal power alongside other forms of renewable energy can significantly enhance energy security and go some way to enabling communities to fulfil their clean energy ambitions, a new study has shown.

Researchers found that installing tidal stream systems, in addition to solar and offshore wind farms, is around 25% more effective at balancing supply with demand than just relying on solar and wind technologies.

Using tidal technologies as part of a renewable energy mix can also reduce the space required for power-generating facilities, both on land and at sea, by around 33% and significantly reduce their visual impact since much of their operation is below the sea’s surface.

It can also help to reduce the levelized cost of whole-system energy, relative to solar and wind systems, because it reduces the requirement to access expensive reserve supplies.

Nicotine exposure during pregnancy may increase risk of sudden infant death

SNUS
Photo Credit: Bengt Wiberg

Infants whose mothers have used snus (a moist oral tobacco product) during pregnancy run three times the risk of sudden infant death, according to a comprehensive registry study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Pediatric Research. The risk was much lower if the mother had stopped taking snus before the first antenatal visit. The researchers conclude that all types of nicotine products should be avoided during pregnancy.

“Fortunately, the incidence of sudden infant death is very low, but we can see that taking snus or smoking while pregnant is associated with an increased risk,” says Anna Gunnerbeck, pediatrician at the Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital and researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet.

Studied two million babies

While it is known that smoking during pregnancy is a risk factor in sudden infant death, little research has been done on snus and other nicotine products. To address this, the researchers conducted a registry study comprising over two million babies born in Sweden between 1999 and 2019. During this time, only two out of 10,000 babies suffered sudden infant death, which is when death occurs suddenly for no apparent reason during sleep.

How hepatitis E viruses penetrate cells

It was only around three years ago that a cell culture model was developed that can be used to examine hepatitis E exactly in the laboratory.
Photo Credit: RUB, Marquar

A certain surface protein is important for the cell entry of the hepatitis E virus. Medicines can suppress it.

Although hepatitis E is a common disease, little is known about the life cycle of the virus. A team from Molecular and Medical Virology at the Ruhr University Bochum and Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg reports on initial findings on how he manages to infect cells in the journal Hepatology from 7. February 2023. A protein called EGFR, short for Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor, plays a decisive role in the penetration of virus particles into cells. This finding could open up new treatment routes for hepatitis E. Because there are already approved drugs against EGFR that inhibit the activity of this receptor.

Cell culture model makes investigations possible

One of the reasons why hepatitis E has been researched comparatively little is that it was only around three years ago in Bochum and Hanover a robust cell culture model has been developed for its investigation is. Using this model, the researchers were now able to investigate how the virus manages to infect cells.

"With medication, we suppressed the activity of the EGFR protein at the time the virus entered some cell lines," explains first author Jil Alexandra Schrader. “With these cultures, we could see that there were significantly fewer infected cells." The researchers used cell cultures as a cross-check, in which the co-receptor was produced in excess. In this case, there were more infections than untreated cells.

Complications in pregnancy linked to increased risk of heart disease

Photo Credit: freestocks

Certain complications during pregnancy bring an increased risk of heart disease later on. However, there is still much to learn about how arteriosclerosis develops between pregnancy and heart disease later in life. A large new study led by researchers from Lund University in Sweden shows that narrowing and calcification of the blood vessels of the heart are more common in women previously affected by pregnancy complications.

Despite complications in pregnancy having increasingly been acknowledged as a new type of risk factor for heart disease, it is yet to be determined how this information can best be used within healthcare.

“Our results suggest that the correlation exists even among women with a low expected risk of cardiovascular disease. The study is an important piece of the puzzle in understanding how women with pregnancy complications should be followed-up by their healthcare provider after pregnancy,” says Simon Timpka, associate professor of clinical epidemiology who leads the research team Perinatal and Cardiovascular Epidemiology at Lund University and is a resident in obstetrics and gynecology at Skåne University Hospital.

Making molecules faster

Replica of the complex molecule, stemoamide, built in mere three steps in Tim Cernak’s Lab.
Photo Credit: Austin Thomason, Michigan Photography

With a big assist from artificial intelligence and a heavy dose of human touch, Tim Cernak’s lab at the University of Michigan made a discovery that dramatically speeds up the time-consuming chemical process of building molecules that will be tomorrow’s medicines, agrichemicals or materials.

The discovery, published in the journal of Science, is the culmination of years of chemical synthesis and data science research by the Cernak Lab in the College of Pharmacy and Department of Chemistry.

The goal of the research was to identify key reactions in the synthesis of a molecule, ultimately reducing the process to as few steps as possible. In the end, Cernak and his team achieved the synthesis of a complex alkaloid found in nature in just three steps. Previous syntheses took between seven and 26 steps.

Researchers successfully prevent peanut allergic reactions in mice, blocking onset in its tracks

Basar Bilgicer, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Photo Credit: Courtesy of University of Notre Dame

An allergen-specific inhibitor devised by researchers at the University of Notre Dame and the Indiana University School of Medicine has successfully prevented potentially life-threatening allergic responses to peanuts.

The results of the new study were just published in Science Translational Medicine.

Peanuts cause severe, sometimes fatal, reactions in an estimated 1.1 percent of the global population. Strict dietary avoidance is the most common therapy for peanut allergies, but the risk of accidental exposure is high. There currently are no therapies to prevent allergic events from happening in the first place.

"Our approach is unique because our inhibitor starts working before the allergen has a chance to trigger an allergic reaction," said Başar Bilgiçer, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Notre Dame. “Our collaboration with Dr. Mark Kaplan at Indiana University School of Medicine and Dr. Scott Smith at Vanderbilt University Medical Center made the development of these inhibitors possible. With their help, we were able to demonstrate the potency of our approach in animal studies.”

Pharmacy Researchers Develop Treatment for Glioblastoma

Dr. Shipra Malik, left, and associate professor of pharmaceutics Dr. Raman Bahal pose for a photo in a lab inside the Pharmacy/Biology Building on Jan. 20, 2023.
Photo Credit: Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo

A team of researchers, including those at the University of Connecticut, has developed a nanoparticle-based treatment that targets multiple culprits in glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer.

The results, a collaboration between UConn and Yale University, were published today in Science Advances.

The new treatment uses bioadhesive nanoparticles that adhere to the site of the tumor and then slowly release the synthesized peptide nucleic acids that they’re carrying. These peptide nucleic acids target certain microRNAs – that is, short strands of RNA that play a role in gene expression. Specifically, they’re directed at a type of overexpressed microRNA known as “oncomiRs” that lead to the proliferation of cancer cells and growth of the tumor.  When the peptide nucleic acids attach to the oncomiRs, they stop their tumor-promoting activity.

‘Game-changing’ findings for sustainable hydrogen production

Illustration Credit: Courtesy of University of Surrey

Hydrogen fuel could be a more viable alternative to traditional fossil fuels, according to University of Surrey researchers who have found that a type of metal-free catalysts could contribute to the development of cost-effective and sustainable hydrogen production technologies. 

The study has shown promising results for the use of edge-decorated nano carbons as metal-free catalysts for the direct conversion of methane, which is also a powerful greenhouse gas, into hydrogen. Among the nano carbons investigated, nitrogen-doped nano carbons presented the highest level of performance for hydrogen production at high temperatures. 

Crucially, the researchers also found that the nitrogen-doped and phosphorous-doped nano carbons had strong resistance to carbon poisoning, which is a common issue with catalysts in this process. 

Study finds much still not known about cognitive decline

Why do some elderly people keep their cognitive ability much longer than others? Scientists still have much to learn.
Photo Credit: Alexandra Lowenthal

The risk factors linked to cognitive decline in older adults explain a surprisingly modest amount about the large variation in mental abilities between older people, according to a new national study.

Researchers found that the factors most commonly associated with cognitive functioning – including socioeconomic status, education and race – explained only 38% of the variation in functioning among Americans at age 54.

Health behaviors such as avoiding obesity and smoking and participating in vigorous exercise had only very small effects on functioning by the time people reached their mid-50s.

In addition, the factors studied explained only 5.6% of the variation in how quickly cognitive functioning declined in people between age 54 and 85.