A new analysis shows that a donor stem cell transplant following treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor is generally safe and produces good outcomes for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, easing concerns that these patients are at heightened risk for severe immune-related complications. The study, to be presented today at the 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting by Reid Merryman, MD, attending physician…
Enhancer elements in the human genome control how genes are expressed in specific cell types and harbor thousands of genetic variants that influence risk for common diseases. Yet, we still do not know how enhancers regulate specific genes, and we lack general rules to predict enhancer–gene connections across cell types. We developed an experimental approach, CRISPRi-FlowFISH, to perturb enhancers in…
Human iPSC-derived kidney organoids have the potential to revolutionize discovery, but assessing their consistency and reproducibility across iPSC lines, and reducing the generation of off-target cells remain an open challenge. Here, we profile four human iPSC lines for a total of 450,118 single cells to show how organoid composition and development are comparable to human fetal and adult kidneys. Although…
Active amplification of organized synaptic inputs in dendrites can endow individual neurons with the ability to perform complex computations. However, whether dendrites in behaving animals perform independent local computations is not known. Such activity may be particularly important for complex behavior, where neurons integrate multiple streams of information. Head-restrained imaging has yielded important insights into cellular and circuit function, but…
A study by researchers in the United States and India has shown that probiotic yeasts derived from food are able to reduce the virulence of, and even prevent infections by, several types of fungi that are responsible for life-threatening infections in hospitalized and immune-compromised individuals, including the multi-drug resistant Candida auris, which was recently listed as an urgent threat by the…
Our lives have been transformed by the information age. But what’s coming next is likely to be more profound, call it the genetic information age. We have mapped the human genome and in just the last few years we have learned to read and write DNA like software. And you’re about to see a few breakthroughs-in-waiting that would transform human…
A proposed rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that allegedly aims to strengthen transparency in regulatory science suggests that science is broken. It isn’t. We know it works because we can see the life-saving transplant technologies, hurricane forecasts, new medications, pest-resistant crops, and countless other breakthroughs that exist because of science. This discipline isn’t perfect, but it is the best…
Paris-based Sanofi announced it is acquiring San Diego-based Synthorx for $68 per share in cash, a value of $2.5 billion. The deal has been unanimously approved by both companies’ boards. Synthorx focuses on immuno-oncology. Its lead product candidate is THOR-707, a form of interleukin-2 (IL-2) that is being developed in multiple solid tumors types as a monotherapy and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors. The companies…
Seattle-based Cyrus Biotechnology has partnered with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to find safer CRISPR drugs using technology developed at the University of Washington. Cyrus, which spun out of UW’s Institute of Protein Design in 2015, began working with the group led by principal investigator Feng Zhang this summer. Many biotech and pharmaceutical companies are working on new…
The Center for Gender Surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital offers a full suite of surgical options for eligible patients ready to take this step in their gender journey. A pair of recent studies by the center’s staff promise to further increase our understanding of transgender health. New system helps identify transmasculine patients’ surgical priorities Transmasculine patients who are considering gender affirmation surgery…
