Genetics

Genetics May Explain the Symptoms of Coronavirus – Science Market News

A dry cough. Loss of smell. Diarrhea. Fever. All of those have been thought-about attainable signs related to SARS-CoV-2 an infection, together with the whole absence of signs in any respect. Within the absence of an adequate testing capability, many areas in the US are being compelled to allocate their restricted assessments to solely those that appear to have COVID-19 signs. However, given the problem of figuring out which signs truly point out a probable infection, these are troublesome choices to make.

The bewildering array of signs additionally raises questions on why folks reply so otherwise to the identical virus. Determining what is going on within the midst of a pandemic is an unimaginable problem. Were going to try some preliminary studies about a method of doing sonot as a result of the outcomes are more likely to maintain up as extra analysis is available in, however, as a result of it reveals among the ways in which researchers are utilizing to attempt to perceive the viruss an infection.

At the moment, the CDC web site lists a variety of symptoms related to COVID-19. A few of these are what youd anticipate for a viral infection of the lungs: fever and chills, cough, shortness of breath, and a sore throat. However, there are additionally some much less apparent ones, like complications, muscle aches, and lack of a sense of scent.

Lists like these are sometimes ready by aggregating medical studies, as medical doctors take and replace an individuals signs as theyre admitted and handled. However, the lack of testing poses important issues for this effort. For one, were struggling to understand how many individuals have been contaminated without requiring medical care. The arrival of the pandemic was additionally coincident with flu season and the onset of seasonal allergy symptoms, which might produce an overlapping set of signs.

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Genetics May Explain the Symptoms of Coronavirus - Science Market News

Genetics

Here’s Why Seattle Genetics (SGEN) is a Great Momentum Stock to Buy – Yahoo Finance

Momentum investing revolves around the idea of following a stock's recent trend in either direction. In the 'long' context, investors will be essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." With this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving that way. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.

While many investors like to look for momentum in stocks, this can be very tough to define. There is a lot of debate surrounding which metrics are the best to focus on and which are poor quality indicators of future performance. The Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores, helps address this issue for us.

Below, we take a look at Seattle Genetics (SGEN), a company that currently holds a Momentum Style Score of B. We also talk about price change and earnings estimate revisions, two of the main aspects of the Momentum Style Score.

It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. Seattle Genetics currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B outperform the market over the following one-month period.

You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>>

Set to Beat the Market?

In order to see if SGEN is a promising momentum pick, let's examine some Momentum Style elements to see if this biotechnology company holds up.

A good momentum benchmark for a stock is to look at its short-term price activity, as this can reflect both current interest and if buyers or sellers currently have the upper hand. It is also useful to compare a security to its industry, as this can help investors pinpoint the top companies in a particular area.

For SGEN, shares are up 6.7% over the past week while the Zacks Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry is up 2.32% over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 24.26% compares favorably with the industry's 16.35% performance as well.

Considering longer term price metrics, like performance over the last three months or year, can be advantageous as well. Over the past quarter, shares of Seattle Genetics have risen 28.57%, and are up 111.52% in the last year. In comparison, the S&P 500 has only moved -12.23% and -0.53%, respectively.

Investors should also pay attention to SGEN's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. SGEN is currently averaging 902,460 shares for the last 20 days.

Earnings Outlook

The Zacks Momentum Style Score also takes into account trends in estimate revisions, in addition to price changes. Please note that estimate revision trends remain at the core of Zacks Rank as well. A nice path here can help show promise, and we have recently been seeing that with SGEN.

Over the past two months, 8 earnings estimates moved higher compared to none lower for the full year. These revisions helped boost SGEN's consensus estimate, increasing from -$2.95 to -$2.87 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 6 estimates have moved upwards while there have been 1 downward revision in the same time period.

Bottom Line

Taking into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that SGEN is a #2 (Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of B. If you've been searching for a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near-term, make sure to keep Seattle Genetics on your short list.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free reportSeattle Genetics, Inc. (SGEN) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research

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Here's Why Seattle Genetics (SGEN) is a Great Momentum Stock to Buy - Yahoo Finance

Biochemistry

Florida’s Tori Bindi One Of Two McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year Nominees – SwimSwam

Courtesy: UF Athletics

GAINESVILLE, Fla. University of Florida womens senior swimmerTori Bindiand senior baseball infielderKirby McMullenwere named Floridas student-athlete nominees for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as announced by the Southeastern Conference Friday.

The H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year is an annual academic award for the top scholar-athlete in the SEC. Each respective conference institution nominates a male and female student-athlete, with the ultimate selection of the two winners being made by the Faculty Athletics Representative Selection Committee.

The final announcement of the McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year winners will be announced on May 26. Additionally, the remaining 26 nominees will receive a $10,000 SEC Postgraduate Scholarship Award.

The nomination adds to a long list of academic and athletic achievements for Bindi, a Gulf Breeze, Fla., native.

Bindi, a biochemistry major, boasts a 3.94 grade point average and wasrecently namedan Outstanding Leader of UFs Spring 2020 graduating class, becoming the first student-athlete since 2015 to earn the honor. This year, she served as the President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), met monthly with Athletic DirectorScott Stricklinas members of the Gators Leadership Experience and represented Florida at the SEC Leadership Conference this past June.

Additionally, she achieved SEC Academic Honor Roll Status each year as a Gator, as well as earning CSCAA All-American and UFs Anderson Scholar Award with Highest Distinction honors in 2018.

She has placed an extreme importance on career development away from campus, gaining experiences under Dr. David Fuller at the UF Brain Institute (research assistant), UF Shands Hospital (surgical services intern and physician shadowing) and the Andrews Institute (orthopedic surgery intern) in her hometown.

Bindi finished her swimming career at the 2020 SEC Championships, setting personal bests in the 100, 200 and 500 free. Additionally, she was a member of the sixth-place 800 free relay. As a junior in 2019, Bindi traveled to the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas as a member of the Gator 800 free relay.

Her next steps include receiving her undergrad degree with Cum Laude honors this spring and passing the MCAT in the near future. Bindi will continue to study with Dr. Fuller as his lab is aiming to create a gene therapy treatment for kids who are diagnosed with Pompe disease.

She will also begin to apply for schools across the nation to begin studies in the fall of 2021 with aspirations of becoming anorthopedic or pediatric plastic surgeon.

McMullen is set to graduate this weekend, and will earn his degree in food and resource economics with a 3.59 GPA. In his four years at Florida, McMullen made the Deans List twice, he SEC Academic Honor Roll three times, and in the fall of 2018 made the Presidents Roll which is awarded to students who achieve a 4.0 GPA with a course load of at least 15 credits.

This past December, the Ocala, Fla., native was one of Floridas two participants for the 2019 SEC Career Tour, a three-day event which provided exposure for SEC student-athletes seeking career opportunities in a variety of fields. McMullen and the group visited the headquarters and executives of several corporations in the Atlanta area, including Cox Communications, NCR Corporation, Winning Edge Leadership Academy, The Home Depot, and UPS.

In the summer of 2018, McMullen completed an internship with Dinkins Construction, where he assisted with the management and clean up at job sites.

McMullen, a contributing member of Floridas 2017 NCAA Championship-winning team and two SEC title-winning teams in 2017 and 2018, carved out a starting role as a senior this past season. He hit .278 with 10 runs batted in, along with four doubles and a team-high 14 walks. McMullens .458 on-base percentage ranked second on the team.

McMullen intends to return to Florida for the 2021 season via the NCAAs eligibility relief waiver for spring student-athletes.

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Florida's Tori Bindi One Of Two McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year Nominees - SwimSwam

Biochemistry

Testing expansion – Scottish Government News

Target reached as capacity increases.

A further expansion of coronavirus (COVID-19) testing in Scotland has been announced as it was confirmed that the target to reach capacity for 3,500 tests a day across NHS labs has been exceeded.

The normal daily capacity for analysing tests in Scotland has now reached 8,350. This figure is made up of 4,350 NHS tests and 4,000 from the Glasgow Lighthouse Laboratory.

The First Minister confirmed the numbers as she announced testing in Scotland will be expanded to include:

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

At the start of this outbreak, only two laboratories in Scotland carried out tests. Now there are labs at all 14 health boards, we have exceeded our target to test 3,500 samples a day in the NHS and, working with the Lighthouse Lab at Glasgow University, capacity for testing in Scotland has now reached 8,323 and is on track to expand further this month.

Given that our capacity has now expanded significantly, that means we can further extend eligibility for testing.

We now intend to undertake enhanced outbreak investigation in all care homes where there are cases of COVID-19 - this will involve testing, subject to individuals consent, all residents and staff, whether or not they have symptoms. In addition, we are testing symptomatic over 65s as well as those who need to leave their homes to work.

We are also expanding the surveillance testing programme to include antibody testing. This is another tool which will allow us to monitor the proportion of people exposed to COVID-19 and help tackle its spread across the population.

Background

Testing at Regional Testing Centres and mobile units

In addition to key workers currently eligible, all symptomatic over 65s and household and those of any age who are symptomatic who need to leave their homes to work and household will have access to tests. Tests will be booked through the UK Governments on-line system athttps://self-referral.test-for-coronavirus.service.gov.uk/and will be conducted at five regional drive-through test sites in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness and Perth and at mobile test sites being initially located at a number of locations including Motherwell, Dunoon, Prestwick, Stranraer, Galashiels, Peterhead and Elgin.At times a queuing system may have to be put into operation on the website for those locations where demand is highest. This is monitored regularly.

Serology stream of the enhanced surveillance programme (antibody testing)

The serology stream of Health Protection Scotlands enhanced surveillance programme will run for at least 16 weeks and will initially involve six NHS boards; expansion into other boards is also planned. Approximately 500 residual blood samples from biochemistry laboratories (submitted from primary care)will be tested per week at the Scottish Microbiology Reference Laboratory in Inverness. To ensure comparability with other UK data, HPS will be using similar methodology originally developed by Public Health England. To achieve a fair representation of the Scottish population, the initial samples will be distributed across the six participating boards, and by age-group and sex.

Laboratory capacity to process tests in Scotland on 30 April 2020

NHS Scotland Labs: 4,350 tests

Glasgow University Lighthouse Laboratory: 4,000 tests

Total current capacity in Scotland: 8,350 tests.

Target was 3,500 by end April.

Note:

Since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, NHS lab capacity has been increased from two NHS labs (Glasgow and Edinburgh) with total capacity to do 350 tests a day, to a point today where there is lab testing capacity in all 14 health board areas.

NHS Scotland labs this figure represents maximum capacity. Capacity may fluctuate and exceed testing demand on a daily basis for a number of reasons. We work closely with health boards to improve the efficiency of the testing system and the National Labs Programme (led by NSS) is leading work to optimise the capacity utilisation of the system.

The capacity of NHS Scotland labs is projected to increase to at least 8,000 by the middle of May.

Tests carried out in Scotland on 30 April 2020

Tests done by NHS in hospitals/community/care homes: 2,537 tests *Tests done by drive-throughs/mobile/homes testing: 2,124 tests **Total number of tests done in Scotland on 30 April: 4,661

Note:

The drive through/mobile/homes testing number has not previously been included in daily figures. It will be from now on.

Sources: * Health Protection Scotland and ** Deloitte

Coronavirus (COVID-19): how to get tested

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Testing expansion - Scottish Government News

Cell Biology

Discovery of new type of immune cell in breast ducts – News-Medical.Net

Australian researchers from Walter and Eliza Hall Institute have discovered a new form of immune cells within the ducts of the breast that keeps the breasts healthy. The study was published this week in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

The researchers explain that they found immune cells called macrophages. The term macrophage from Ancient Greek means "big" (macro) and (phage) "eaters." These macrophages are essential for the normal formation and functioning of the mammary glands, they wrote. The immune cells regulate one of the vital processes of the mammary ducts. The team explains that mammary ducts of breast ducts are thin tubules where milk is produced and then is transported to the nipples for lactation. These ducts are also one of the major sites where cancers appear.

Macrophages are important cells of the immune system that are formed in response to an infection or accumulating damaged or dead cells. Macrophages are large, specialized cells that recognize, engulf, and destroy target cells.

Image Credit: Alpha Tauri 3D Graphics/Shutterstock.com

To find out the immune cell machinery within the breasts, the team of researchers used three-dimensional (3D) imaging techniques in real-time. The team looked at the movement of the immune cells when infective organisms threaten the ducts. These immune cells, they saw, were "gobbling up" the dead and dying cells that originally produce milk. Once lactation or breast milk production stops, these milk-producing cells need to be cleared up, say the researchers. The researchers believe that if more insights could be obtained about these cells, it could help breast cancer research.

The preclinical study was led by researchers Dr. Caleb Dawson, Professor Geoff Lindeman, and Professor Jane Visvader, along with Dr. Anne Rios.

Researchers explain that breast ducts have milk-producing cells that produce milk during lactation. Throughout the life of a woman, these cells and the whole of the breast undergoes several changes during puberty, pregnancy, lactation and after menopause. The ducts branch out and develop when milk needs to be produced during lactation. After lactation is over, these cells need to stop. Researchers believe that while the milk-producing cells are essential, these duct cells are often the sites of origin of breast cancers.

The mammary gland is a dynamic organ that undergoes dramatic remodeling throughout life. The branching ducts bloom to form milk-producing 'factories' in lactation, which must be eliminated once lactation stops as part of a process called involution. Image Credit: Dr Caleb Dawson, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute

Dr. Dawson explained that they were looking at these important cells using high-resolution imaging techniques and found these immune cells that play a role in maintaining the health of the breast tissues. He said, "We discovered an entirely new population of specialized immune cells, which we named ductal macrophages, squeezed in between two layers of the mammary duct wall." He added, "We were excited to find that these cells play an essential role at a pivotal point in mammary gland function called involution when lactation stops, milk-producing cells die, and breast tissue needs to remodel back to its original state. We watched incredulously as the star-shaped ductal macrophages probed with their arms and ate away at dying cells. The clearing action performed by ductal macrophages helps redundant milk-producing structures to collapse, allowing them to return to a resting state successfully."

As a next step, they removed these newly found ductal macrophages from the mammary ducts and found that other mammary immune cells could not carry out these essential processes within the breasts and the ducts.

Professor Visvader explained that understanding these mammary duct-specific macrophages was a step towards explaining the interactions between ductal cells and the immune system and would also explain the development of the mammary glands. She said, "As breast cancer researchers, there is a need to understand which cells are doing what, so that we can identify how these intricate cellular processes become dysregulated, such as in the case of breast cancers."

Dr. Dawson and his team believe that this finding could help understand not only breast development but also how the breasts change during puberty, pregnancy, lactation, and breast cancer. He said, "We also want to investigate the role that these duct-specific immune cells play in helping cancer to grow and spread. Ductal macrophages are spread throughout the mammary ducts. As cancer grows, these macrophages also increase in number. We suspect that there's the potential for ductal macrophages to inadvertently dampen the body's immune response, which would have dangerous implications for the growth and spread of cancer in these already prone sites."

Professor Visvader also explained that they aimed to understand the functions of these cells. She said, "Given that tumor macrophages likely promote the growth of the tumor, blocking their activity could serve as a treatment strategy for breast cancer."

This study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the Australian Cancer Research Foundation, The Qualtrough Cancer Research Fund, Cure Cancer Australia, and the Victorian Government.

Journal reference:

Dawson, C.A., Pal, B., Vaillant, F. et al. Tissue-resident ductal macrophages survey the mammary epithelium and facilitate tissue remodelling. Nat Cell Biol (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-020-0505-0, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41556-020-0505-0

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Cell Biology

UVa researchers hope better understanding of spinal cord cells will aid treatment – The Daily Progress

University of Virginia scientists are exploring why nerve cells die after spinal cord injuries research that they hope could improve treatments.

Jonathan Kipnis, and Kodi Ravichandran, professors at the UVa School of Medicine, have received $350,00 from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in support of their research, the university announced.

Using a probe developed by Ravichandran, the two researchers are planning to track nerve cells after they die and are swallowed up by immune cells, or phagocytes, that remove them from the body. They want to see what type of cells are involved in the bodys response to a spinal cord injury and how they work.

Knowing what cell type is the phagocyte at the site of damage would allow us to specifically target that cell type or subtype of cells to eat more of the cellular debris after the brain or spinal cord injury, said Ravichandran, chairman of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, in a news release.

The pairs funding is part of a $14 million effort from the institute for 29 interdisciplinary teams to explore the role of inflammation in various diseases.

Kipnis said in a news release Ravichandrans expertise in phagocytes complements his work as director of UVas Brain Immunology and Glia Center.

Merging complementary expertise and focusing on one common goal could lead to a real scientific breakthrough, said Kipnis, chairman of the Department of Neuroscience and director of UVAs Brain Immunology and Glia Center.

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UVa researchers hope better understanding of spinal cord cells will aid treatment - The Daily Progress

Cell Biology

CZI announces grants for researchers studying the role of inflammation in disease – News-Medical.Net

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Apr 29 2020

Today, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) announced $14 million in funding to support 29 interdisciplinary teams and build a network of researchers that will explore emerging ideas regarding the role of inflammation in disease. While inflammation is a natural defense that helps our bodies maintain a healthy state, chronic inflammation results in harmful diseases such as asthma, arthritis, and heart disease.

In this cohort, we welcome 80 researchers working on the projects, 75 percent of which are led by early-career scientists within six years of starting their independent position. Grantee teams are made up of two to three investigators with distinct areas of expertise, including physicians, experimental biologists, technology developers, and computational scientists. The awarded project teams represent 11 countries. View the full list of grantees.

Knowing more about inflammation at the level of affected cells and tissues will increase our understanding of many diseases and improve our ability to cure, prevent, or manage them. We look forward to collaborating with these interdisciplinary teams of researchers studying inflammation."

Cori Bargmann, CZI Head of Science

CZI will support these small teams to carry out two-year pilot projects focused on tissue-level inflammatory processes in diverse tissues and disease states. Several researchers are studying coronaviruses like SARS and MERS. Pilot awards are intended to help new collaborations form, establish technologies and experimental methods, and frame key questions for further investigation.

"Work on inflammation has been distributed among many fields and lacks dedicated support as a coherent discipline," said CZI Science Program Officer, Jonah Cool. "As these research teams study the cells involved in inflammation -- and the molecular mechanisms that link them -- we hope to support community growth and connect advances in inflammation that will have far-reaching impact."

Inflammation plays a role in organ failure, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, and severe infectious diseases like COVID-19. Diseases associated with inflammation disproportionately affect underserved communities and vulnerable populations, highlighting the importance of making progress in this area of biology. Several funded projects will directly explore important differences depending on genetic ancestry and lifestyle.

These grants build on CZI's work in single-cell biology supporting the Human Cell Atlas, a fundamental reference for health and disease. Inflammation grantees are encouraged to think broadly about how collaboration and new technologies can be used to bring clarity to a question that touches so many diseases.

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CZI announces grants for researchers studying the role of inflammation in disease - News-Medical.Net

Cell Biology

Karolinska Institutet publishes study on repurposing cancer care to COVID-19 – Science Business

Comprehensively adapting cancer care and clinical cancer research to the COVID-19 pandemic is a necessity, researchers and doctors at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital write in a paper published in the journal Nature Medicine. In it, seven top European cancer centres propose adaptations to protect patients.

Cancer patients are particularly vulnerable to complications if they get infected by the new coronavirus, saysJonas Bergh, chair ofCancer Research KI, professor at theDepartment of Oncology-Pathologyat Karolinska Institutet and consultant at Karolinska University Hospital. We must therefore protect them from the virus without compromising continuity of care.

The article has been written by representatives of the seven centres that make upCancer Core Europe, which together conduct extensive clinical research and treat 70,000 new cancer patients a year. The centres in Milan, Barcelona, Cambridge, Paris, Amsterdam and Heidelberg are, like Karolinska Institutet, facing very difficult challenges imposed by the pandemic.

Several changes made

Our aim is to quickly communicate our experiences from the first months of the pandemic and give general advice and guidelines to other cancer clinics, saysIngemar Ernberg, chair of Karolinska InstitutetsPersonalised Cancer Medicine (PCM) programmeand professor at theDepartment of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet. Were in an earlier essentially unknown medical and ethical reality, which means that caregivers have to muster all their knowhow and experience to make vital clinical decisions.

Treatments have had to be postponed or modified to protect the patients immune systems and many more patient follow-ups are performed remotely. Some clinical research studies have been rescheduled or even put on hold if they are judged to expose patients to extra risk.

We and other cancer centres around the world will continue to compile and report new data on the impact that the pandemic is having on cancer care to provide a solid foundation for future choices and decisions, saysLuigi De Petris, oncologist at the Cancer Theme, Karolinska University Hospital and researcher at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet. This will be a dynamic and swift process in which we hope that our combined experiences will come to benefit others.

Suggested adaptions

The article gives examples of what needs to be considered and possibly changed in order to create continuity in cancer care during the pandemic:

The research was part-financed with a grant from the Cancer Research Funds of Radiumhemmet.

Publication

Caring for patients with cancer in the COVID-19 era. Joris van de Haar, Louisa R. Hoes, Charlotte E. Coles, Kenneth Seamon, Stefan Frhling, Dirk Jger, Franco Valenza, Filippo de Braud, Luigi De Petris, Jonas Bergh, Ingemar Ernberg, Benjamin Besse, Fabrice Barlesi, Elena Garralda, Alejandro Piris-Gimnez, Michael Baumann, Giovanni Apolone, Jean Charles Soria, Josep Tabernero, Carlos Caldas, Emile E. Voest.Nature Medicine,online 16 April 2020, doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0874-8.

This article was first published on 29 April by Karolinska Institutet.

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Karolinska Institutet publishes study on repurposing cancer care to COVID-19 - Science Business

Cell Biology

Molecules identified that reverse cellular aging process – New Atlas

Central to a lot of scientific research into aging are tiny caps on the ends of our chromosomes called telomeres. These protective sequences of DNA grow a little shorter each time a cell divides, but by intervening in this process, researchers hope to one day regulate the process of aging and the ill health effects it can bring. A Harvard team is now offering an exciting pathway forward, discovering a set of small molecules capable of restoring telomere length in mice.

Telomeres can be thought of like the plastic tips on the end of our shoelaces, preventing the fraying of the DNA code of the genome and playing an important part in a healthy aging process. But each time a cell divides, they grow a little shorter. This sequence repeats over and over until the cell can no longer divide and dies.

This process is linked to aging and disease, including a rare genetic disease called dyskeratosis congenita (DC). This is caused by the premature aging of cells and is where the team focused its attention, hoping to offer alternatives to the current treatment that involves high-risk bone marrow transplants and which offers limited benefits.

One of the ways dyskeratosis congenita comes about is through genetic mutations that disrupt an enzyme called telomerase, which is key to maintaining the structural integrity of the telomere caps. For this reason, researchers have been working to target telomerase for decades, in hopes of finding ways to slow or even reverse the effects of aging and diseases like dyskeratosis congenita.

Once human telomerase was identified, there were lots of biotech startups, lots of investment, says Boston Childrens Hospital's Suneet Agarwal, senior investigator on the new study. But it didnt pan out. There are no drugs on the market, and companies have come and gone.

Agarwal has been studying the biology of telomerase for the past decade, and back in 2015 he and his team discovered a gene called PARN that plays a role in the action of the telomerase enzyme. This gene normally processes and stabilizes an important component of telomerase called TERC, but when it mutates, it results in less of the enzyme being produced and, in turn, the telomeres becoming shortened prematurely.

For the new study, researchers screened more than 100,000 known chemicals in search of compounds that could preserve healthy function of PARN. This led them to a small handful that seemed capable of doing so by inhibiting an enzyme called PAPD5, which serves to unravel PARN and destabilize TERC.

We thought if we targeted PAPD5, we could protect TERC and restore the proper balance of telomerase, says Harvard Medical Schools Neha Nagpal, first author on the new paper.

These chemicals were tested on stem cells in the lab, made from the cells of patients with dyskeratosis congenita. These compounds boosted TERC levels in those stem cells and restored telomeres to their normal length. However, rather than a scattergun approach, the team really wanted to test for safety and see if the treatment could precisely target stem cells carrying the right ingredients for telomerase formation.

More specifically, the team wanted to see if this could be achieved by having the PAPD5-inhibiting drugs recognize and respond to another important component of telomerase, a molecule called TERT. To do so, in the next round of experiments the team used human blood stem cells and triggered mutations in the PARN gene that give rise to dyskeratosis congenita. These were then implanted into mice that were treated with the compounds, with the team finding the treatment boosted TERC, restored telomere length in the stem cells and had no ill effects on the rodents.

This provided the hope that this could become a clinical treatment, says Nagpal.

The team will now continue its work in an effort to prove these small molecules are a safe and effective way to apply the brakes to dyskeratosis congenita, other diseases, and possibly aging more broadly.

We envision these to be a new class of oral medicines that target stem cells throughout the body, Agarwal says. We expect restoring telomeres in stem cells will increase tissue regenerative capacity in the blood, lungs, and other organs affected in DC and other diseases.

The research was published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

Source: Boston Childrens Hospital via Harvard University

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Molecules identified that reverse cellular aging process - New Atlas

Human Behavior

Editorial: Like it or not, we helped the virus find us – The Columbus Dispatch

This editorial represents the opinion of the Dispatch editorial board, which includes the publisher, editor, editorial page editor and editorial writers. Editorials, like opinion columns, represent a particular viewpoint and are not to be confused with news stories.

Thinking about how interconnected the natural world is how our every action can have consequences we never dreamed of can be uncomfortable.

Environment and biology researchers around the world are separately confirming a doozy of an example: Our fondness for a nice cut of beef helped unleash the viral pandemic that is ravaging the globe and its likely to cause more.

The chain involves several links, but it isnt mysterious: Production of beef cattle and the grains to feed them uses up way more land and water and produces way more carbon than just about anything else we could eat. That hastens climate change, which is rendering more of the world too hot or wet to support crops.

That forces people in developing nations to move farther into forests and jungles, destroying habitat for various animals and plants.

Once you have a rainforest chopped up into fragments, you get encounters between people and animals that would not otherwise bump into each other. Sometimes the people are in search of the same foods the animals like to eat. Sometimes the animals venture onto the humans fields in pursuit of those tasty crops.

Heres the critical link: Disturbed, changing habitats are especially good for weedy species such as bats and rats, which happen to be really good at hosting viruses. Often theyve infected other wildlife with those viruses. So when those human/animal encounters lead to a bite or a scratch or making a meal of the animal, a virus that has never before been in humans can jump to a human host, kicking off an outbreak against which humans have no immunity, vaccine or even experience.

Hence the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that has sickened 3.1 million people and killed 218,000 across the globe since December. Scientists still are studying its exact origin, but believe it found its first human at a wet market in Wuhan, China, possibly via a pangolin that was bitten by a bat.

The newest study to address this came from Stanford University last month. Researcher Laura Bloomfield studied people carving out farms at the edge of Ugandas Kibale National Park and found that those searching the fragmented forest edges for building materials were most likely to have contact with wild primates, known carriers of disease.

Scientists believe a primate was the source from which HIV, the virus that causes AIDs, found its first human. The Ebola virus is transmitted by various bat species and might have originated with one. In all cases, humans were venturing farther into wilderness areas.

It doesnt take a science denier to shrink from hearing this. Most Americans are used to eating plenty of meat, driving every day, turning up the A/C when its hot and other perks of our prosperity. We dont feel were immoral for enjoying these things.

But that doesnt change the effect that these behaviors, so familiar and innocuous to us, have on the larger world.

Some environmental activists lament the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has distracted public attention from the urgent need to counter climate change, but the two arent entirely separate problems.

Human behavior consuming resources and producing waste has an impact that cannot be denied. Changing our behavior, particularly as the richest-living society on earth, is hard. Perhaps the frightening power of the coronavirus pandemic can make more people consider that change is necessary.

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Editorial: Like it or not, we helped the virus find us - The Columbus Dispatch