'Unassuming' enzyme opens way for new medical treatments

It sounds like a plot for a Cold War thriller—training a gene to infiltrate a cell and reside there, unnoticed, until an external self-destruct signal induces it to destroy its new home.

Landing therapeutic genes safely in the human genome

Many future gene and cell therapies to treat diseases like cancer, rare genetic and other conditions could be enhanced in their efficacy, persistence, and predictability by so-called "genomic safe harbors (GSHs)." These are ...

Synthetic gene circuits that improve stem cell quality

Because iPS cells can be made into just about any cell type in the body, they have great promise for cell therapies. One major problem, however, is that not all reprogramming cells successfully become iPS cells, resulting ...

High-resolution mapping method for G4 DNA structures developed

While investigating the unusual G quadruplex DNA structure (G4), the Simon Elsässer group has developed a more accurate method for mapping these structures in the genome. G4 CUT&Tag revealed numerous G4s in the human and ...

Adult stem cells transform faster with two lasers

Stem cell therapy requires a lot of human cells of a specific type. Shining a near-infrared laser on adult stem cells derived from human body fat makes the stem cells replicate 54% faster. Following that up with a green laser ...

Viruses are both the villains and heroes of life as we know it

Viruses have a bad reputation. They are responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic and a long list of maladies that have plagued humanity since time immemorial. Is there anything to celebrate about them?

page 12 from 40