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Cell Biology

New Research On Brain Structure Highlights Cells Linked To Alzheimer’s And Autism – BioSpace

New insights into the architecture of the brain have been revealed by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and their collaborators. The researchers discovered that cells in the cerebral cortex of mice, called astrocytes, are more diverse than previously thought, with distinct layers of astrocytes across the cerebral cortex that provide the strongest evidence to date of their specialization across the brain.

Published today (16 March) in Nature Neuroscience, the most in-depth study of its kind is set to change the way we think about the brain and the role of cells such as astrocytes. This knowledge will have with implications for the study of neurological disorders, such as Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis and autism.

In the past 20 years, research has shown glial cells to be key players in brain development and function, as well as promising targets for better understanding neurological disorders. Alzheimers causes around two thirds of dementia cases in the UK, which affects around 850,000 individuals at present*. MS is a neurological disorder that affects the central nervous system and impacts around 100,000 people in the UK**. Autism affects around one in every hundred people in the UK***.

Glial comes from the Greek word for glue or putty. At one time, glial cells were thought of as 'brain putty' functionally similar, passive cells whose only function was to fill the space around the all important neurons. However, new studies are showing their critical importance in regulating neuron functions^. Astrocytes are a type of glial cell, so called because of their star-shaped structure^^.

Despite the wealth of knowledge on neuronal function and the organisation of neurons into layers, prior to this study there had been little investigation into whether glial cells across different layers showed different cellular properties. To answer this question, the researchers developed a new methodological approach to provide a more detailed view of the organisation of astrocytes than ever before.

Nucleic acid imaging was carried out on mouse and human brain samples at the University of Cambridge to map how new genes are expressed within tissue. These maps were combined with single cell genomic data at the Wellcome Sanger Institute to extend the molecular description of astrocytes. These data sets were then combined to create a three-dimensional, high-resolution picture of astrocytes in the cerebral cortex.

The team discovered that astrocytes are not uniform as previously thought, but take distinct molecular forms depending on their location in the cerebral cortex. They found that astrocytes are also organised into multiple layers, but that the boundaries of astrocyte layers are not identical to the neuronal layers. Instead, astrocyte layers have less sharply defined edges and overlap the neuronal layers.

Dr Omer Bayraktar, Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: The discovery that astrocytes are organised into layers that are similar, but not identical to, neuronal layers redefines our view of the structure of the mammalian brain. The structure of the cerebral cortex can no longer simply be seen as the structure of neurons. If you want to properly understand how our brains work, you have to consider how astrocytes are organised and what role they play.

As well as increasing our understanding of brain biology, the findings will have implications for the study and treatment of human neurological disorders. Over the past decade glial cells, rather than neurons, have been heavily implicated in diseases such as Alzheimers and multiple sclerosis.

Professor David Rowitch, senior author of the study and Head of Paediatrics at the University of Cambridge, said: This study shows that the cortical architecture is more complex than previously thought. It provides a basis to begin to understand the precise roles played by astrocytes, and how they are involved in human neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.

ENDS

Contact details:Dr Matthew MidgleyPress OfficeWellcome Sanger InstituteCambridge, CB10 1SAPhone: 01223 494856Email: press.office@sanger.ac.uk

Notes to Editors:

In the cerebral cortex of the mammalian brain, neurons are the cells responsible for transmitting information throughout the body. It has long been recognised that the 10-14 billion neurons of the human cerebral cortex are organised into six layers, with distinct populations of neurons in each layer that correspond to their function https://www.dartmouth.edu/~rswenson/NeuroSci/chapter_11.html

* More information on Alzheimers disease can be found here: https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/about-dementia/types-of-dementia/alzheimers-disease/about/

**More information about MS can be found here: https://www.mssociety.org.uk/about-ms/what-is-ms

*** More Information on autism is available from the National Autistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/asd.aspx

^ An overview of the changing status of glial cells is available at: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/brainwaves/know-your-neurons-meet-the-glia/

^^ Only half of the cells in the human cerebral cortex are neurons, the other half are glial cells, of which astrocytes are a type. The molecular signals that astrocytes provide are essential for forming synapses between neurons. They regulate synapse formation in the developing brain, as well as refining synapses in the maturing brain 'pruning' extra synapses to sculpt neuronal networks.

Publication:

Omer Ali Bayraktar, Theresa Bartels and Staffan Holmqvist et al. (2020). Astrocyte layers in the mammalian cerebral cortex revealed by a single-cell in situ transcriptomic map. Nature Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-020-0602-1

Funding:

The study was supported by the Dr Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation, National Institute of Health (1R01 MH109912; P01NS08351), NINDS Informatics Center for Neurogenetics and Neurogenomics (P30 NS062691), Wellcome and the European Research Council (281961).

Selected websites:

Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell InstituteThe Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute is a world-leading centre for stem cell research with a mission to transform human health through a deep understanding of normal and pathological stem cell behaviour. Bringing together biological, clinical and physical scientists operating across a range of tissue types and at multiple scales, we explore the commonalities and differences in stem cell biology in a cohesive and inter-disciplinary manner. In 2019, we relocated to a new purpose-built home on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Housing over 350 researchers, including a critical mass of clinician scientists, the Institute integrates with neighbouring disease-focused research institutes and also serves as a hub for the wider stem cell community in Cambridge. https://www.stemcells.cam.ac.uk/

About the University of Cambridge

The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. To date, 107 affiliates of the University have won the Nobel Prize.

Founded in 1209, the University comprises 31 autonomous Colleges, which admit undergraduates and provide small-group tuition, and 150 departments, faculties and institutions. Cambridge is a global university. Its 19,000 student body includes 3,700 international students from 120 countries. Cambridge researchers collaborate with colleagues worldwide, and the University has established larger-scale partnerships in Asia, Africa and America.

The University sits at the heart of the Cambridge cluster, which employs 60,000 people and has in excess of 12 billion in turnover generated annually by the 4,700 knowledge-intensive firms in and around the city. The city publishes 341 patents per 100,000 residents. http://www.cam.ac.uk

The Wellcome Sanger InstituteThe Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leading genomics research centre. We undertake large-scale research that forms the foundations of knowledge in biology and medicine. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools and technologies are shared across the globe to advance science. Our ambition is vast we take on projects that are not possible anywhere else. We use the power of genome sequencing to understand and harness the information in DNA. Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom and support to push the boundaries of genomics. Our findings are used to improve health and to understand life on Earth. Find out more at http://www.sanger.ac.uk or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on our Blog.

About WellcomeWellcome exists to improve health by helping great ideas to thrive. We support researchers, we take on big health challenges, we campaign for better science, and we help everyone get involved with science and health research. We are a politically and financially independent foundation. https://wellcome.ac.uk

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New Research On Brain Structure Highlights Cells Linked To Alzheimer's And Autism - BioSpace

Cell Biology

Stem cells to help the heart – Science Magazine

Shinya Yamanaka's 2006 discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) ignited a revolution in the field of stem cell biology (1). For the first time, nearly all human somatic tissues could be produced from iPSCs reprogrammed from blood or skin cells, in a process that took only weeks. This advance was particularly crucial for obtaining surrogate tissues from cell types that are otherwise difficult to procure and do not readily expand in vitro, such as cardiac or neural cells. Additionally, many ethical concerns are avoided, because this technology uses a patient's own genetic material to create iPSCs rather than relying on embryonic stem cells. In the aftermath of Yamanaka's discovery, entire biomedical industries have developed around the promise of using human iPSCs (hiPSCs) and their derivatives for in vitro disease modeling, drug screening, and cell therapy (2).

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Stem cells to help the heart - Science Magazine

Cell Biology

China reports new progress in drug, therapies against Covid-19 – The Star Online

BEIJING: China has completed the clinical research of Favipiravir, an antiviral drug that has shown good clinical efficacy against the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, according to an official on Tuesday (March 17).

Favipiravir, the influenza drug which was approved for clinical use in Japan in 2014, has shown no obvious adverse reactions in the clinical trial, said Zhang Xinmin, director of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development under the Ministry of Science and Technology, at a press conference.

More than 80 patients have participated in the clinical trial in The Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, including 35 patients taking Favipiravir and 45 patients on a control group.

Results showed that patients receiving Favipiravir treatment turned negative for the virus in a shorter time compared with patients in the control group.

A multi-centred randomised clinical study led by the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University also suggested that the therapeutic effect of Favipiravir is much better than that of the control group.

Favipiravir has been recommended to medical treatment teams and should be included in the diagnosis and treatment plan for Covid-19 as soon as possible, Zhang said.

A Chinese pharmaceutical company has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration to mass-produce the drug and ensure stable supply, Zhang added.

China is also pushing forward the utilization of some advanced technologies such as stem cell and artificial liver and blood purification in the treatment of severe cases.

Zhang said stem cell therapy proves effective in reducing severe inflammatory reactions caused by Covid-19, as well as reducing lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis in patients.

China has initiated several clinical research programs on stem cell therapy against Covid-19, including a stem cell drug that has been approved for clinical trial and a mesenchymal stem cell therapy.

Stem cell therapy has been used to treat 64 patients in severe and critical condition. Those patients' breathing difficulties were gradually relieved and they were generally cured in eight to 10 days.

The therapy also showed advantages in preventing pulmonary fibrosis and improving the long-term prognosis for patients.

The Chinese Society for Cell Biology and the Chinese Medical Association have jointly issued a guideline to standardize the clinical research and application of stem cell therapy against Covid-19.

Zhang said China is trying to use artificial liver and blood purification technology to treat critically ill patients. Patients receiving this treatment have seen reduced levels of inflammatory factors and improvement in chest imaging.

Their time on ventilator support has been decreased by an average of 7.7 days and the required ICU monitoring time has been shortened. - Xinhua/Asian News Network

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China reports new progress in drug, therapies against Covid-19 - The Star Online

Cell Biology

Singapore formulates novel molecular therapy to treat leukaemia – BSA bureau

Researchers in Singapore find a common therapeutic vulnerability for a genetically diverse and deadly blast crisis chronic myeloid leukaemia

Scientists and clinicians from Duke-NUS Medical School, the Agency for Science, Technology and Researchs (A*STARs) Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), and the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), have devised a novel drug combination that could treat a particularly deadly form of leukaemia, known as blast crisis (BC) chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML).

The team has also developed strategies that may identify patients with early-stage or chronic phase (CP) CML who are at increased risk of developing BC, and potentially preventing disease progression.

CML is a blood cancer that can be controlled by continuously taking an expensive type of medicine called a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). In almost all patients, stopping TKI treatment results in recurrence of CML.

While most CML patients respond well to life-long TKI usage, about 10 per cent of patients become resistant to TKIs, and progress to late-stage or blast crisis (BC) CML. Patients with BC almost always die from their disease. While many genetic mutations are known to be associated with BC progression, the mechanisms by which they and other factors cause BC remain largely unknown. This knowledge gap prevents clinicians from identifying which CML patients are at risk of BC progression, and treating BC when it occurs.

To fill these critical gaps, we employed the latest molecular approaches to establish that the so-called polycomb repressive complex, or PRC, alters the regulation of a set of genes which drive BC progression, said Dr Tun Kiat Ko, Research Fellow at Duke-NUS Cancer and Stem Cell Biology (CSCB) programme. He also added, We found that the consequences of altered PRC activity were common to the majority of BC cases, regardless of the different leukaemia-causing mutations we also found in them.

Using this increased understanding, the team devised novel drug combinations, which reverse the downstream effects of the PRC in BC. At the same time, they also developed methods to identify CML patients who were at increased risk of developing TKI-resistance and progressing to BC.

The team is currently working on approaches to identify CML patients who are at risk of BC transformation, and also to determine why the key PRC-related events occur in the first place.

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Singapore formulates novel molecular therapy to treat leukaemia - BSA bureau

Cell Biology

Viewpoint: Science expertise is back at the fore, but we must be honest about what we don’t know – Science Business

With COVID-19 spreading fast, people in power are having a hard time keeping up. Best to send for the experts.

If theres anything to be taken from the COVID-19 emergency, it might be that the world has re-discovered its faith in expertise, says Anne Glover president of Scotlands national academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and a former chief scientific adviser at the European Commission. Its a great thing that people are turning to science; I would say there was always a very high level of trust in scientists, she told Science|Business.

Populism works by manipulating the emotions of a disaffected group of people. But this is not a great time to be blaming people. Instead, youre seeing individuals stepping up, she said.

Glover doesnt quite characterise events as the return of expertise. By and large, theres a lot of evidence that flows into policymaking all the time. But she says, there is at least a return of authoritative figures to the public eye.

In the UK, chief science adviser Patrick Vallance, chief medical officer Chris Whitty and deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries have all done regular broadcast rounds for the past few weeks, earning praise for their calm and sober assessments.

The crisis cries out for a cooperative response, and youre largely seeing that among the four UK nations, Glover said. In Scotland, we have been seeing a lot of the chief medical officer and Jason Leitch [national clinical director for Scotlands National Health Service]. Both have clear voices and are honest about where the uncertainty lies this is comforting.

We dont want to hear our advisers adopting something like a line to take from policymakers, I would be very nervous if this was the case. Their value is providing evidence and being as straight as possible, said Glover who, from 2006 to 2011, was the chief scientific adviser for Scotland.

French president Emmanuel Macron has called coronavirus a war, but Its actually completely different to war time. Theres something out there we cant see and thats scary, Glover said.

But as long as we put science advice first and foremost and allow citizens full access to the thinking behind decisions, we will get through this. You have to tell people what youre doing but also why youre doing it, she said.

Infodemic

Yet despite the best efforts of science advisers, the feeling is that the UK governments recent handling of the crisis has created an overall confusing picture.

With information and disinformation flowing freely on social media, people are panic buying. Its astonishing I can hardly believe it, said Glover. This phenomenon points to a vacuum of credible information and this includes from scientists, politicians and the media. Without it, were seeing citizens take matters into their own hands.

Theres a huge amount of fake news on Twitter. Governments should be taking advantage of social media they do it during elections and guiding people towards good information sources, she said.

The UKs response to coronavirus has come in for widespread criticism recently after health secretary Matt Hancock distanced the government from the so-called herd immunity strategy that was discussed by chief scientific adviser Vallance last week. Hancock appeared to contradict Vallance, insisting, Herd immunity is not our goal or policy.

The herd immunity theory for COVID-19, which says that if a large number of people develop immunity to the virus, it will eventually stop spreading, has been widely contested. We probably dont know enough about coronavirus yet to talk about herd immunity. We dont know enough about re-infection rates. So herd immunity was a bit of a red herring, Glover said.

Following criticism of the UK government's communications, prime minister Boris Johnson, has begun to hold a daily press briefing. On Monday, Johnson said people in the UK should now stop "nonessential contact" and avoid pubs, clubs and cinemas to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Vallance said school closures could be introduced in the coming weeks (this policy has already been introduced in countries including Ireland and Belgium).

You need the highest level of discipline to have extremely tight communication coming out. Weve been lacking that a bit recently. Its a failure of the translation of advice, Glover said.

She backs calls by scientists to open up the models on which the government is relying to greater scrutiny.

All of us would welcome as much transparency as possible, she said. Opening up the models and their assumptions is a good step because we have a global community of scientists who work without animosity to get the best possible outcome for citizens, she said.

What would an EU science adviser do?

COVID-19 has demonstrated that expertise and institutions matter, but Glover is unsure what role an EU chief science adviser would play in the emergency.

In 2012, Glover became the first and so far only chief scientific adviser to the European Commission. She stepped down from the role in 2014 after incurring the wrath of green groups with her defence of the science behind genetically modified crops.

Many scientists were deeply unhappy when the previous European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, scrapped the position, replacing it with seven scientists in a Scientific Advice Mechanism. The body has not spoken on COVID-19.

Had I been there, I would have been trying to work across all our networks. I would also have been communicating with the president as much as possible, Glover said.

Convening the worlds science advisers over videoconference is another step Glover would have considered. There is an existing network and I think its very powerful. Im very proud of setting it up, she said.

But overall, Glover says shes not sure the role would have been highly valued right now.

If I was there during this time, I dont know if there would be huge value in my announcements. Individual member states are dealing with things themselves and are not looking at Brussels; I wouldnt understand the local conditions in the member states either, she said.

So in some ways it could have been seen as grandstanding and not helpful; you dont want to add to the noise if it doesnt feel valuable, she said.

Glovers background is in molecular and cell biology, with her research exploring at a molecular level the way diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's physically affect our bodies.

Shes optimistic well see a COVID-19 vaccine, but is less certain about when. You dont want to forgo trials. Youd need to also think about a strategy for delivering the vaccine the scale is so massive, she said.

In the meantime, she says well all have to get creative to stretch out our new, limited lifestyles.

I do believe were irrepressibly imaginative. Well have drinks with friends over Skype or via Facetime. My garden is going to get more attention than ever before too, said Glover.

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Viewpoint: Science expertise is back at the fore, but we must be honest about what we don't know - Science Business

Cell Biology

Severe coronavirus infection risk may increase with smoking or vaping, experts claim – Fox News

You may want to put down that cigarette or vape, now more than ever. According to some experts, smoking or vaping could make a person more vulnerable to a severe infection with the novel coronavirus.

There haven't been many studies that investigate the link between smoking or vaping and the pandemic sweeping the world. But, it's already established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that smoking harms the immune system and can hinder your body's ability to fight off infections. Smoking also increases inflammation in the body, studies have shown.

All these things make me believe that we are going to have more severe casesespecially [in] people who are [long-term] smokers or vapers, Melodi Pirzada, chief of pediatric pulmonology at NYU Winthrop Hospital on Long Island, told Scientific American.

INSTAGRAM CRACKS DOWN ON CORONAVIRUS-RELATED FILTERS

Although she has not treated COVID-19 patients, she noted that it is definitely common sense to think that once you have a history of smoking or vaping, the whole airways, the defense mechanism of your lungseverything changes."

NUCLEAR CONFLICT ANYWHERE ON EARTH WOULD CAUSE GLOBAL CROP CRISIS

There's not much data, yet, to determine for sure what the impact of smoking may be on COVID-19 patients. One study involved 78 patients with COVID-19 and found that those with a history of smoking had a 14 percent higher risk of developing pneumonia. That research was published online in the Chinese Medical Journal.

For regular smoking, we know it inhibits the ciliary clearance of the airways, Pirzada explained to Scientific American. We have these little [hairlike] structures known as cilia, and they are responsible for taking the toxins and the mucus out of our airways and clearing the lungs when we cough. We know that that is affected when you smoke and when you vape.

Robert Tarran, a professor of cell biology and physiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,told the science publication that while smoking is a known risk factor for the flu, vapers' risk of getting viral infections has not been studied as much. He did note, however, that some studies suggest vapers are more likely to get respiratory infections.

More study is needed to concretely link smoking or vaping to COVID-19, but experts say it's still a safe bet to quit the habit -- as there are numerous other health benefits to doing so.

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Severe coronavirus infection risk may increase with smoking or vaping, experts claim - Fox News

Cell Biology

Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment – Technology Networks

The tumor microenvironment (TME) that surrounds solid cancers has long held fascination for researchers. Yet it is only relatively recently that weve understood how important the TME is for influencing progression of the disease and response to treatment. In this article we learn why its not just the tumor itself that needs to be targeted and hear about research that aims to exploit the TME, too.

Some cancers, such as prostate cancer tend to be immunologically cold, i.e. not much is happening, the immune system is not fighting the cancer, whereas melanoma is a hot tumor where immune responses are very important and these patients respond well to immunotherapy. Tabi is investigating whether these hot or cold immune phenotypes hold true in other cancers. She is particularly interested in mesothelioma, an aggressive form of lung cancer with poor survival rates.An inflammatory environment is advantageous while an immunosuppressive environment allows the tumor to progress, she explained. Mesothelioma is interesting because there are two types of mesothelioma: one is hot and the other is cold and there is nearly nothing in between. However, because there are not many immunotherapy trials in mesothelioma, we dont really know the meaning of this yet. she says.Then it gets even more complex because there are some multifocal tumors where each lump is different so within one patient, one tumor could be immunologically cold and another hot. In this scenario, it has been observed that some of the lumps can be removed with successful immunotherapy but the others cant.To test whether an anti-tumor immune response could be achieved in mesothelioma, Tabi initiated a clinical trial in mesothelioma where the patients were vaccinated with an attenuated virus that carried cancer antigens. The patients received it together with chemotherapy and they monitored the immune changes in the blood. Of the 23 patients taking part, 22 had a marked increase in their anti-tumor response1. This kind of treatment is now being tested in a combination with other, more targeted interventions. Our trial was an important step in that direction because mesothelioma is such an aggressive disease and its nearly impossible to have a complete remission and the survival rate is very low.For the future, in addition to changing the immune profile to improve the effectiveness and general outcome of immunotherapy, Tabi also highlights another important player in the TME cellular exosomes. These tiny particles are released by cells in order to communicate with each other.Exosomes are getting a lot of attention recently, as tumor cell-derived exosomes are important in changing the normal microenvironment to make it more receptive for the tumor to spread, says Tabi. Several years ago, there was an attempt to use exosomes as a cancer vaccine. We always thought that was a bad idea. Now we have the evidence to show that, yes, they carry tumor antigens, but its not possible to use them as a cancer vaccine because they have dominant immunosuppressive effects.

All About Organoids

Organoids are 3D cell clusters with the structural and functional features of an organ, and can be generated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) or adult stem cells acquired from a specific patient. Consequently, organoids make it possible to study the impact of a drug on a specific disease, even a persons own disease they are changing the face of research and medicine as we know it. Download this eBook to discover more about organoids including their analysis and how they are effecting personalized medicine.

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Rather than look at the epithelium of these tumors and sequence them, the Grand Challenge team plans to focus on the cells that normally maintain these epithelial cells, to understand how these become distorted during inflammation and how signaling pathways between stromal cells, the extracellular matrix and the epithelium drive tumorigenesis. The team view inflammation-associated cancers as a disease process rather than individual cancer types.First, we need to characterize the stroma because its really not been done, so were probably missing lots of targets that we just dont know about, says McDonald. Then we want to use that information to try and predict which patients are going to develop cancer and which ones arent.To achieve this goal, the international Grand Challenge team will combine a broad range of technologies. First, in a discovery phase, they plan to develop maps of these chronic inflammation cancers from understanding RNA and protein expression, immune environment and creating databases to help predict or determine targets. Theyll also exploit CODEX technology (provided by Professor Garry Nolan, Stanford) which allows you to measure the expression of 60100 targets on a cell section to investigate cell-cell neighborhoods, and understand, if one cell is present how does it talk to the other cells around it?

In a subsequent development phase they will look at the targets identified from the -omics and CODEX analysis and build these into an in vitro model using organ-on-a-chip technology a model that is far more tissue-like because you can model effects such as the peristaltic motion of the bowel and blood flow on a 3D chip (Professor Don Ingber, Harvard). This will be combined with in vivo models that allow them to interrogate the effects of targeting stromal factors on stem cell biology and tumorigenesis.

McDonalds role is to take these data and apply it to patients. Well use samples from patients weve collected over time, who have progressed to cancer, and try to identify which factors predict progression and which ones dont, he explains.

One of challenges from a clinical perspective with chronic inflammation cancers is that very few people with the inflammatory condition go on to develop cancer. In Barretts esophagus, the progression rate per year is about 0.10.3% of all BO patients, says McDonald, yet every single person will go through a two- to five-year endoscopic surveillance program that is invasive, expensive and does not predict if they will develop cancer.

By looking at changes to the stroma over time, were trying to predict: how do these cell populations evolve? How do they talk to each other? Is the risk there when the patient develops the condition, and is it just a matter of time? Or is it something that changes at some point in the patients life? This would be an important advance in these types of cancers, because it helps with not only preventing cancers but also detecting the early-stage cancers that we sometimes miss.Reference1.Lester J, Casbard AC, Al-Taei S et al. (2018). A single centre phase II trial to assess the immunological activity of TroVax plus pemetrexed/cisplatin in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma - the SKOPOS trial. Oncoimmunology, 7 (12): e1457597. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2162402X.2018.1457597

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Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment - Technology Networks

Biochemistry

Scientists have discovered the origins of the building blocks of life – Space Daily

Rutgers researchers have discovered the origins of the protein structures responsible for metabolism: simple molecules that powered early life on Earth and serve as chemical signals that NASA could use to search for life on other planets.

Their study, which predicts what the earliest proteins looked like 3.5 billion to 2.5 billion years ago, is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The scientists retraced, like a many thousand piece puzzle, the evolution of enzymes (proteins) from the present to the deep past. The solution to the puzzle required two missing pieces, and life on Earth could not exist without them. By constructing a network connected by their roles in metabolism, this team discovered the missing pieces.

"We know very little about how life started on our planet. This work allowed us to glimpse deep in time and propose the earliest metabolic proteins," said co-author Vikas Nanda, a professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a resident faculty member at the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine.

"Our predictions will be tested in the laboratory to better understand the origins of life on Earth and to inform how life may originate elsewhere. We are building models of proteins in the lab and testing whether they can trigger reactions critical for early metabolism."

A Rutgers-led team of scientists called ENIGMA (Evolution of Nanomachines in Geospheres and Microbial Ancestors) is conducting the research with a NASA grant and via membership in the NASA Astrobiology Program. The ENIGMA project seeks to reveal the role of the simplest proteins that catalyzed the earliest stages of life.

"We think life was built from very small building blocks and emerged like a Lego set to make cells and more complex organisms like us," said senior author Paul G. Falkowski, ENIGMA principal investigator and a distinguished professor at Rutgers University-New Brunswick who leads the Environmental Biophysics and Molecular Ecology Laboratory. "We think we have found the building blocks of life - the Lego set that led, ultimately, to the evolution of cells, animals and plants."

The Rutgers team focused on two protein "folds" that are likely the first structures in early metabolism. They are a ferredoxin fold that binds iron-sulfur compounds, and a "Rossmann" fold, which binds nucleotides (the building blocks of DNA and RNA). These are two pieces of the puzzle that must fit in the evolution of life.

Proteins are chains of amino acids and a chain's 3D path in space is called a fold. Ferredoxins are metals found in modern proteins and shuttle electrons around cells to promote metabolism. Electrons flow through solids, liquids and gases and power living systems, and the same electrical force must be present in any other planetary system with a chance to support life.

There is evidence the two folds may have shared a common ancestor and, if true, the ancestor may have been the first metabolic enzyme of life.

Research paper

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Scientists have discovered the origins of the building blocks of life - Space Daily

Biochemistry

ATHLETICS | Mount Union has 20 named Academic All-OAC – The-review

Mount Union had 20 winter sports student-athletes recognized as Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference.To be Academic All-OAC a student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and maintain varsity status.

The Mount Union honorees were:

Mens basketball: John Carroll, senior, Massillon Tuslaw, Civil Engineering, 3.61 grade point average;Daniel Laut, junior, Salem, Sport Business, 3.50

Wrestling: David Massey, sophomore, Cuyahoga Falls Woodridge, Exercise Science, 3.90;Grant Martin, senior, Hartville Lake, Marketing and Management, 3.72

Womens basketball: Sarah Hessel, senior, Avon Lake, Biochemistry, 3.88;Corenna Maynard, sophomore, Chagrin Falls Kenston, Biomedical Engineering, 3.71;Hannah Schaefer, senior, Dublin Coffman, Early Childhood Education, 3.66

Mens swimming/diving: Brett Scheib, sophomore, Gibsonia, Pa., Hampton, Biochemistry, 4.00;Derek Currey, junior, McDonald, Pa., West Allegheny, Physical Education, 3.90;Ronald Milam, sophomore, Uniontown Lake, Criminal Justice, 3.80,Nick Dye, sophomore, Massillon Jackson, Pre-Physical Therapy, 3.67;Robert Ranallo, Willoughby Gilmour Academy, Computer Science, 3.74;Joseph Palmquist, senior, North Huntingdon, Pa., Norwin, Political Science, 3.59;Mark Silver, junior, Painesville Riverside, Marketing and Management, 3.51

Womens swimming/diving: Aurelia Incristi, sophomore, Rockwall, Texas, Biochemistry, 4.00;Lindsay Collins, sophomore, Massillon Jackson, English, 3.81;Kaitlyn DeWitt, sophomore, Hudson, Biology, 3.81;Harlie Murphy, sophomore, Louisville, Nursing, 3.73;Lauren Stajcar, junior, Strongsville, Psychology, 3.72;Stacy Witschey, sophomore, Wadsworth, Human Resource Management, 3.54

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ATHLETICS | Mount Union has 20 named Academic All-OAC - The-review

Biochemistry

Finding the Presence – Thrive Global

When were consciously present here and now, were larger than our separate self, were the one universal self in all of us.

This one self is consciousness in the Universe, the conscious intelligence in all space. Its transforming itself into the biochemistry of our human body so we can experience being alive.

This inexpressible conscious space in all of us brings experiencing into our lives.

Were not our thoughts about ourself, were the one conscious space in all of us thats giving rise to thoughts.

Were consciousness in the Universe appearing as human beings.

When we pay attention to this conscious space, it dissolves us into itself and brings insight and intuitions emerging from it into our awareness.

Consciously realizing the inner space helps us enter into the stillness and silence of this cosmic presence and bring its clarity and wisdom into our life.

As we tune in to the field and evolve our awareness, we can begin to see ourselves as active participants in the evolution of conscious awareness in all of us.

Active participants in this evolution because were joined into the intelligence of the living and conscious Universe, the cosmic intelligence thats transforming itself into all life everywhere.

Tuning into the presence of cosmic intelligence helps us intuitively realize that its continuously transforming the energy fabric of itself, making itself visible, touchable and knowable as all of us and everything around us.

The visible Universe is coming into being in a flow of continuous emergence, as cosmic intelligence vibrationally transforms itself into the clusters of energy fluctuations which appear to us as the flowers, trees and human beings of our world.

Cosmic consciousness is becoming more awake to itself, experiencing life within trillions of living beings throughout the Universe.

In a streaming flow of emergence, from the non-visible to the visible, cosmic energy and intelligence are being transformed into the interwoven orchestration of living-cell biochemistry, becoming observable as our own human hand.

When we inwardly focus our attention, we can begin to soften the boundaries around our separate sense of self, dissolve our ego slightly and realize the intelligent awareness of the one conscious space in all of us everywhere.

A conscious, cosmic awareness is continuously transforming itself into everything and everyone, and we get in sync with it by inwardly focusing our attention.

We can then more clearly hear the intuitions and insights emerging from this universal consciousness and access its transformative power.

Each one of us is an unlimited cosmic intelligence transforming itself into the living form of a human being for the duration of a human life.

Paul Mulliner is a writer and digital artist

This article was first published here on Medium.com

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