Bio-technology

Currently, the pharmaceutical industry makes billions of dollars from the compounds it produces in factories specially designed for the various chemical processes involved in doing so. These manufacturing processes are expensive, time-consuming and can be a source of pollution. However, lately, many drug types (particularly those based on or derived from natural antibodies) can be ‘grown’ in bacteria or bacteriophages engineered to express these proteins from their own DNA.

Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that affects the plasma cells located in the bone marrow of the body. During an infection, when B cells or B lymphocytes mature, they become plasma cells, which, in turn, are responsible for the production of antibodies or immunoglobulins. Therefore, multiple myeloma is a condition when these plasma cells grow uncontrollably and become cancerous, also producing abnormal proteins like monoclonal immunoglobulin.

It has been estimated that infertility, or the inability of a person to conceive by natural means or stay pregnant, affects as many as 15% of couples in the US at reproductive age. Also, 1 in 500 women has uterine infertility, which could be caused by reasons such as defects at birth, injury or infection.

Royal jelly is of potential interest to researchers in the areas of regenerative medicine and science. This compound is secreted by honey bees (Apis mellifera) and functions to transform ordinary bee larvae into queen bees. This process is most likely done by certain molecules in the jelly, which is known to act in an epigenetic manner.

He Jiankui, a geneticist affiliated with China’s Southern University of Science and Technology, rocked the scientific world with an outlandish claim of having edited the genes of IVF (in vitro fertilization)- generated embryos, last week. However, his story has not had the reception he may have hoped.

The process of human aging is believed to begin, in some form or the other, around the age of 25. Some of the earliest signs include fine lines on the skin, graying, loss of hair, and wrinkles. While aging is inevitable and cannot be stopped, several products and research have claimed otherwise. But until now, nothing has really come to fruition.

The species of simple animal known as Planaria has acted as a model organism in the disciplines of tissue regeneration science for quite a while now. This is because planarians – also known as flatworms – have exhibited an almost magical ability to grow back various parts of their body, in response to injury or irradiation. This phenomenon even extends to a flatworm replacing its own head (or head-analog, really), if necessary.

Strokes can cause debility and sometimes affect the quality of life of patients. This condition can destroy brain tissues through oxygen deprivation or exposure to toxic molecules such as reactive oxygen species (ROS). This could be because the brain cells concerned often fail to regenerate in stroke-affected areas.

Many bioengineers would describe their career goals as being able to design and produce materials as well as nature does. A prime example of this is the enamel, or the hard, outer layer, found on teeth. The enamel is a uniform, white, often shiny, coating that is much loved by toothpaste commercials! However, delve into the microscopic structure of the enamel, and you will find that it is a relatively complex array of molecules like apatite.

How do defects that affect the upper lip and palate occur at birth? This is a question that researchers from Yale University and the University of Connecticut set out to answer, using advanced methods and databases. The results, as reported in a May 2018 issue of the journal, Cell Reports, has indicated that the answer is a little more complicated than one involving a handful of genes controlling bodily structure formation.

The manner in which tumors spread from points of origin into different locations is an important factor in how patients respond to complete programs of anti-cancer treatments. Tumors can invade tissues removed from their ‘original’ site in the body, a process known as metastasis.

Research has found that women are more likely to be at a higher risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) than men are. Scientists have suggested the condition is associated with the deletion of the UTX gene. This gene is located on the X chromosome, and the loss of even one of its copies can result in the development of AML.