September 2021- Volume 17, Issue 9
In this Issue
Editors Insight
Resiliency in science
Resiliency in science
Through research experience, scientists develop a strong sense of resiliency. The COVID-19 pandemic put that resiliency to the test, and now as vaccination rates increase and communities begin to open up, it’s time to take a breath.
Editor's Focus
The complex relationship between asthma and COVID-19
The complex relationship between asthma and COVID-19
Respiratory viruses are the most common cause of asthma attacks, but COVID-19 does not send asthma patients to the hospital more often than others. Some researchers suspect that having asthma may actually protect patients from severe COVID-19.
Prescribing art therapy for Parkinson's disease
Prescribing art therapy for Parkinson's disease
Art therapy improved brain connectivity in patients with Parkinson’s disease, suggesting that creating art may help treat it and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Infectious Disease
Using CRISPR for disease eradication
Using CRISPR for disease eradication
Researchers employ CRISPR technology in a variety of creative ways to control the spread of vector-borne illnesses.
A nasal spray for COVID-19
A nasal spray for COVID-19
Experiments in ferrets show that a prophylactic spray cuts SARS-CoV-2 replication by more than 90 percent by priming the innate immune system.
Stem Cells
A mind for medicine
A mind for medicine
Researchers are tapping into the regenerative power of stem cells to treat central nervous system disorders.
Stem cells jump-start the brain after a stroke
Stem cells jump-start the brain after a stroke
Transplanted astrocyte precursor cells promote healing in mouse brains after strokes.
Aging
Telomerase: the Protector of Chromosomes
Telomerase: the Protector of Chromosomes
Scientists found evidence of telomeres in the 1930s, but did not identify them until the 1970s. Since then, researchers’ understanding of telomeres and their role in DNA repair, aging, and disease has expanded exponentially.
Traveling to new frontiers: Antibody therapy for neurodegenerative diseases
Traveling to new frontiers: Antibody therapy for neurodegenerative diseases
Scientists leverage the natural ability of antibodies to cross the blood-brain barrier and target proteins implicated in neurodegenerative disease.
Hematology
Genetically-engineered red blood cells help train T cells to fight tumors
Genetically-engineered red blood cells help train T cells to fight tumors
New technology turns red blood cells into artificial antigen-presenting cells. These cells activate T cells to attack HPV-driven cancers.
CAR T cell therapy gives glioblastoma patients hope
CAR T cell therapy gives glioblastoma patients hope
Christine Brown develops CAR T cell therapies that may one day provide a long-sought-after cure for malignant brain cancers.
A new initiative for developing autologous stem cell therapies
A new initiative for developing autologous stem cell therapies
A biopharmaceutical company established a new method for isolating and editing hematopoietic stem cells from patients to provide stem cell therapies for diseases such as sickle cell disease.
