Researchers have developed a gene-editing treatment for prion disease that extends lifespan by about 50 percent in a mouse model of the fatal neurodegenerative condition. The treatment, which uses base editing to make a single-letter change in DNA, reduced levels of the disease-causing prion protein in the brain by as much as 60 percent. The work demonstrates that lowering levels of the prion protein improves lifespan in animals that have been infected with a human version of the protein.
Read more …Gene editing extends lifespan in mouse model of prion disease
Scientists describe their construction of complementary, internal, ion-gated, organic electrochemical transistors that are more amenable chemically, biologically and electronically to living tissues than rigid, silicon-based technologies. The medical device based on these transistors can function in sensitive parts of the body and conform to organ structures even as they grow. The result is a biocompatible sensor that can monitor brain functions in pediatric patients as they develop and grow.
Read more …Researchers invent soft, bioelectronic sensor implant