Natural virus-killing RNA mechanism found in mammals

Posted by Liz Devitt | Categories:

Natural virus-killing RNA mechanism found in mammals

It’s Nobel week. And while all eyes are on this year’s winners of the medicine/physiology prize for their work on cell transport mechanisms, it’s worth looking back at another award granted seven years ago to the discoverers of RNA interference (RNAi), the biological process by which small RNA molecules inhibit gene expression. In recent years, various RNAi therapies have entered clinical trials, including one that researchers reported earlier this month can drastically reduce cholesterol levels. But although scientists know that the biological machinery for RNAi is conserved in humans and can be exploited for therapeutic purposes it has been unclear whether the system is ever put into play under natural circumstances like it is in plants and invertebrates.  Read more

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Whole-exome sequencing rises to top in largest clinical application for undiagnosed disease

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Numerous studies have demonstrated the promise of whole-exome sequencing, which focuses on the protein-coding regions of DNA, but the clinical use of this technology has remained limited. Now, the largest report of results from this technology in a population of patients with undiagnosed disease of suspected hereditary origin highlights that the value of this testing is considerable, and that it can even uncover recessive mutations not previously linked to a given disease.  Read more

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Cytomegalovirus—a ‘stealth’ pathogen—gains attention in the drug development realm

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Cytomegalovirus—a ‘stealth’ pathogen—gains attention in the drug development realm

Cytomegalovirus is sometimes called ‘the stealth virus’ because many people, including more than 50% of adults in the US, harbor the infection. But few individuals ever feel the effects of CMV unless something else squelches their immune system first—such as the immunosuppressing drugs given before a bone marrow transplant. Wherever the virus gains a foothold, it can create serious problems such as pneumonia, unrelenting diarrhea or inflammation in the eye. It’s also the most common viral infection in newborns and 1 out of every 750 infants born with CMV in the US will suffer permanent harm—hearing loss, brain damage, or even death—from this virus.  Read more

Surprising epigenetic switch for ‘natural killer’ cells eyed for cancer therapy

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Surprising epigenetic switch for ‘natural killer’ cells eyed for cancer therapy

Natural killer cells are the instant assassins of the immune system with the ability to destroy foreign invaders and cancer cells at first sight. Although scientists have been studying how to harness the lethal abilities of these cells for more than three decades, little has been known about how these ‘NK’ cells develop from unspecialized immune cells. Now, researchers have discovered an enzyme that uses an epigenetic pathway—a process that modifies the way a cell’s DNA is read without actually changing the genetic blueprint itself—to boost the growth and function of NK cells.  Read more

Experimental leishmaniasis vaccine could overcome challenge of multiple species

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Experimental leishmaniasis vaccine could overcome challenge of multiple species

Most of the 12 million people currently infected with leishmaniasis worldwide are also afflicted with poverty. The ‘black fever’ is caused by a single-cell parasite that gets passed from one person to another by the bite of a tiny sand fly and produces disfiguring skin lesions, severe mouth and throat ulcers, or swollen internal organs. In 2005, the ministers of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal committed to a ten-year plan to eliminate infections of Leishmania in their region. Two years later, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted a resolution to take control of the disease.  Read more

Researchers less willing to share study details, according to journal’s survey

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Researchers are increasingly reluctant to share the background details of their studies with other scientists according to new results from a survey of authors who published papers in the Annals of Internal Medicine in the last five years. This downward trend in researchers’ willingness to disclose such information is, unfortunately, at odds with the current surge in efforts to facilitate access to the types of study specifics that are vital to reproducing results.  Read more

A comprehensive virus survey now could save billions in avoided health care costs later, experts say

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A comprehensive virus survey now could save billions in avoided health care costs later, experts say

Imagine if pandemics could be forecast by infectious disease scientists the way that bad weather can be tracked by meteorologists. New viruses would still infect people, but the cost of monitoring the emergence of those novel pathogens would be far less than the expense of dealing with a worldwide outbreak. At least that’s the reasoning behind a new study, published today in mBio, in which researchers propose launching a billion-dollar-plus global surveillance plan to find all the viruses lurking in mammalian wildlife before those same viruses find us.  Read more

Mouse study illustrates how foreign herpes DNA triggers immune response

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Mouse study illustrates how foreign herpes DNA triggers immune response

For the immune system to do its job in fighting off disease, it first has to be able to detect foreign intruders. Scientists have known for some time that when bacteria, viruses and other pathogens set off alarms in the immune system, this leads to the production of molecules such as interferon that rev up the body’s defenses. But until now, researchers lacked evidence from animal experiments to back up the theory of how the DNA from these pathogens first triggers this immune-activating cascade in the immediate, ‘innate’ immune response.  Read more

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Discovery of gene variant lends muscle to understanding of statins’ side-effects

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Discovery of gene variant lends muscle to understanding of statins’ side-effects

The global market for statins has reached heart-stopping proportions, registering at almost $20 billion in 2012. In the US, one out of every four adults over the age of 45 is on statins, making these medications one of the leading types prescribed. The drugs work by lowering the liver’s production of low-density lipoproteins, also known as ‘bad’ cholesterol, which form the artery-clogging plaques that can lead to heart attack. But statins can cause significant side effects, ranging from sleeplessness to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and potential liver damage.  Read more

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Intravenous vaccine for malaria offers robust protection in small clinical trial

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Intravenous vaccine for malaria offers robust protection in small clinical trial

Almost half the world’s population lives in areas where malaria infection is a risk, yet no licensed vaccines exist to prevent this red blood cell parasite from causing almost half a million deaths each year. However, in a study published online today in Science, researchers report on a new vaccine that provided remarkable protection against Plasmodium falciparum, considered the deadliest of the four malaria strains.  Read more

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