Monday, February 17, 2025

Trauma May Play a Role in Endometriosis Pathogenesis

 Childhood and Adult trauma May Play a Role in Endometriosis Pathogenesis

    The article right away dives into the many possibilities that childhood and adult trauma is linked to endometriosis. The University of Barcelona has participated in the study and found very important information that there is linkage between trauma and this condition. Endometriosis is defined as a "chronic systemic inflammatory disease characterized by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus." More so, the type of trauma most women have been seen with the linkage of endometriosis is physical abuse or sexual assault. 17% of women in the study found to have witnessed a sudden death, 16% experienced sexual assault, and lastly 36% have received news on having a life threatening diagnosis. Early endometriosis screening programs are becoming more known in order to try and get ahead of this condition. 




    
    After coming across and reading this article, I would have never even have imagine trauma could be related to endometriosis. I find it kind of fascinating in a sense and wonder what else other than early screening could be done to help women. I haven't even really heard of endometriosis until reading this article, and I hope no woman has to go through this. 

Sources:









Saturday, February 15, 2025

Gout is in Your Genetics

    A February 13th article from Science Alert claims gout has less to do with lifestyle choices and more with genetics. The Mayo Clinic describes gout as a painful and complex form of arthritis that arises from high levels of uric acid in the bloodstream. Often, the symptoms arise overnight and suddenly. Intense joint pain, inflammation and redness, and limited range of motion are all symptoms of gout, and often something as light as a bedsheet on the affected area is unbearable. The Mayo Clinic lists one of the main causes of gout as diet especially increased intake of purine-rich seafoods, alcoholic beverages, and drinks sweetened with fruit sugar. However, the Science Alert article argues against the hypothesis that lifestyle choices are the main cause of gout. Instead, they present research that shows 120,295 people with gout had the same variations at 377 specific DNA regions which are now thought to have a large impact on developing gout. The 377 specific DNA regions identified in the new study include 149 regions that had not previously been linked to gout. The researchers maintain that there are still undiscovered genetic links to the disease that have yet to be discovered. The connection of genes to gout formation allows new research to be done regarding how gout can be treated with genetics as the basis for treatment. 

    Personally, I can’t wait to tell my dad about this research because he stopped eating shrimp about a decade ago after he developed gout “from the shrimp.” However, this new study demonstrates that he might have had an underlying condition that made him more susceptible to gout and his consumption of shrimp might not have been the reason for his gout flareup. I think this new explanation will hopefully allow more people to get treatment for their chronic gout. The article mentions that some people do not seek out medical help when they experience gout because they are ashamed of their lifestyle choices, but having a genetic explanation for the formation of gout would be out of the patient’s control, so they may be more willing to seek out a doctor’s help. As I mentioned earlier, my dad had a few cases of gout, so knowing that there is a genetic link, now I am curious if I have some of the alleles that increase the risk for gout development. 

Links
https://www.sciencealert.com/huge-study-shows-where-gout-comes-from-its-not-what-we-thought
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gout/symptoms-causes/syc-20372897

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

A Healthy Lifestyle Will Only Get You So Far

A January 8th post from the New York Times indicates that typically genes only influence about 25% of our longevity, but once a certain age is reached genetics become much more important. Recent studies have shown that veterans strictly following eight beneficial behaviors could only expect to live to 87 years. Although that is almost a decade longer than the average lifespan, it is still not 100 years old. The research proposes that the longest-living individuals do not lead exceptionally healthy lives but rather have some of the same habits most average Americans do. In some of the families studied, the longer-living individuals had negative habits like smoking, but beneficial genes that reduced their risk of age-related disease. For example, the APOE2 gene which predicts a decreased chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease is more prominent in longer-living families than the general population which has a higher frequency of the APOE gene that indicates an increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s. The research concludes that only a small percentage of the population has the genetics to keep them alive for a century, aligning with the small number of individuals who celebrate their 100th birthday. So, the researchers warn not to take health advice from the oldest people alive because their habits are probably not the reason they have lived as long as they have. 


The idea that genes control how long we live is something that makes sense when you consider some of the crazy habits the world’s oldest people attribute their long lives to. Some of the foods that contribute to longevity according to these people are salmon, chocolate, and ice cream. Arguably, one bowl of ice cream will not kill you, but everything is better in moderation, so having a bowl of ice cream every day for 100 years is probably not the healthiest choice. Without knowing whether we as individuals carry genes that will decrease our risk of disease and help us live longer lives, I think it would be beneficial to live a healthy lifestyle that will help us live to the age when genes become more important to survival. After reading this article, I am intrigued to learn more about this topic as the research progresses.


Links

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/08/well/longevity-influences-genetics-lifestyle.html?searchResultPosition=1 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/bizarre-secrets-worlds-oldest-people-32500327

Monday, February 10, 2025

What mutations in genes cause autism?

     Scientists did research using 42,607 individuals with autism to dientify gene mutations that increase risks for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They used this data from other studies such as SPARK autism research to compare the genomes to identify higher risk genes. This data not only shows genes that cause ASD but also identify severity as one of the new genes found more moderate impact on ASD. They in total found 60 new genes that can cause moderate sysmptoms of ASD. This research could help scientists understand the effects of ASD and brain chemistry as they map the causes and effects of these mutations.

Atlanta SPARK for Autism - SPECTRUM

Using this data not only could we understand the causes of autism but also study the effects more carefully in conjuction to someones genes. Being able to understand behind ASD could be a gateway to better treatment and solutions for those with ASD. It is good to see this as a research topic as I feel many with ASD are not understood leads individuals to social isolation. I hope in the future similar research can help improve the education and oppurtunities for those with ASD as genes show the ways the brain is effected by different muations.


https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/60-new-autism-genes-identified


https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-022-01148-2#Ack1

Friday, February 7, 2025

AI Can Now Predict DNA Sequence Structures

         AMongst the many other uses of Ai they are now using it top calculate the structure of chromatin in the nucleus of a cell. MIT chemists were able to use the data of chramitn structure that would take hours to calculate manually and used AI technology to auto map in seconds. The AI analyzes the DNA sequences with an ability to know how these sequences corespond to the chromatin stucture. This is facinating as we see aI being used in not only every day situations but also in science. This experimenting on gene's could take months though with the AI takes 20 minutes to make thousands of predictions. Not only would this alow genetiuc reseachers to further understand chromatin structure but it could help reading genomes.

A picture of a chromatin strcuture based of Dip-C study

    The researchers had spent a long time using the Dip-C study to carefully break apart DNA and analyze each sequence. These DNA sequences would then lead to possible chroamtin structures which there could be hundreds of possible conformations. Previous research lead to this AI, it does these two things in order to properly calculate the chromatin structure. It reads DNA sequences which contain thousand of base pairs and then uses this sequencing in relation to known data charts to predict hudnreds of possible structures quickly. This could leaad to major develpment in the understanding of DNA as researches can study these chromatin much faster. Being able to do this so quickly could mean studying mutations in DNA, and how chroamtin structure effects cell function. With AI we are learning that information can be accessed much faster in all cases leading to unlimited benefit in this research.


https://news.mit.edu/2025/with-generative-ai-mit-chemists-quickly-calculate-3d-genomic-structures-0131

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adr8265

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Is There DNA Present in Other Parts of Our Solar System?

 On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, The New York Times posted an article titled “Lurking Inside an Asteroid: Life’s Ingredients,” which outlined new discoveries from an asteroid collected by a NASA spacecraft. Researchers studying the debris from an asteroid named Bennu found it contained many important building blocks of life. The collection of this debris was a seven-year process using the Osiris-Rex spacecraft, which launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, in 2016 and returned to Earth in 2023. The spacecraft planned to orbit the asteroid before scientists decided where to scoop the sample from. After examination, 16 of the 20 amino acids used in our cells were found in Bennu’s debris. Additionally, the article shares that the debris contained the five nucleobases involved in protein synthesis through RNA and DNA. Although there is no confirmation of other life, the team of researchers believes that the presence of nucleobases and amino acids could have been an early ancestor of our present-day genes. The researchers do not believe there were any cells on the asteroid but do believe that the atmosphere of Bennu allowed some path toward life before it became too icy. The New York Times article ends with a quote from one of the researchers saying there is a slight chance that life started on the Bennu asteroid. 


Although the article did not directly talk about the genetics of any individual organisms, I think it was interesting to learn about where our genes may have arisen from millions of years ago. Learning that there are amino acids and nucleobases in other parts of our solar system was interesting because it begs the question of whether life exists in places other than Earth. Additionally, I think this article was a good bridge between the biodiversity & evolution and genetics courses because it demonstrates that there is still a lack of answers to some questions in biology, especially regarding the beginning of life and how our genes have evolved into the organisms we encounter today. 



Links:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/science/nasa-bennu-asteroid-molecules.html 

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/09/science/nasa-launches-osiris-rex-spacecraft-to-retrieve-asteroid-pieces.html 


Wednesday, January 29, 2025

A New Approach in Medicine

New Gene Delivery Method Paves the Way for Advanced Brain Therapies:


On August 15, 2024 a new article was published speaking out about a new study where genetic material is being transported in the brain and for it to effectively reach cellular targets. The genes will essentially go across the blood-brain barrier and in order to do this it has to latch onto human protein and hopefully it will then distribute the genetic cargo as its called to the many, many cells in the brain. Adeno-Associated viruses are found to be the main delivering system for these therapies. These viruses are key in a sense because they start treating the disorder at their "root genetic cause." This article also goes into great detail about how this method is very effective but the blood-brain barrier can be a tricky place to be in. It's main job is to be a filter in the brain and when the gene therapies are in action, they can get filtered out too making it very difficult for it to do it's job. In one of the newer Adeno-Associated viruses, I do not believe this has been used on humans yet, but they are using mice that express the human form of one of the receptors and it looks very promising that it can be a big success in people. 


I've learned about the blood-brain barrier before in the brain, but after reading this article and finding out it can play a big role in making life saving discoveries it's very cool in my opinion. I don't know too much about these small viruses that can be used in the process, but if they start seeing success in humans then this can be huge in research and how we can treat individuals in the future. 


Sources:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2024/new-gene-delivery-method-paves-the-way-for-advanced-brain-therapies

https://www.broadinstitute.org/news/new-gene-delivery-vehicle-shows-promise-human-brain-gene-therapy








Thursday, December 19, 2024

Shedding Light on Cancer Treatment

 Lightspeed to a Cancer-Free Era



Cancer treatments have been improving year after year leaps and bounds for the last few decades, and another milestone was hit today. A lab in Ohio State found a way to break up the structures of mitochondria by inducing light-activated electrical currents inside the cell. They dubbed the technique mLumiOpto. According to the results of the research this causes "programmed cell death followed by DNA damage." To do this they implant the genetic information of a light-sensitive protein known as CoChR, which carries a positive charge, and a bioluminescent enzyme. They follow that injection with the injection of an unnamed chemical that induces the bioluminescence, and thus activates CoChR, inducing mitochondrial collapse. To ensure that the virus doesn't target host cells, they use "well-characterized adeno-associated virus (AAV)" which has a low infectious characteristic. As the team is well versed in dealing with cancer cells, they decided to refine the process and add a promoter protein to increase the growth of CoChR in the cells. They innovatively use a monoclonal antibody that is geared to detect the specific receptors found in cancer cells. 


This research is phenomenal. I can't wait to see what cancers they are capable of treating in the future, it is unfortunate they patented the technology, and I can only hope that they are doing that so nobody else can price gouge it and that they will release the procedure for a low cost to help save lives. Building off of this could be used for non cancerous tumors possibly, depending on the cell surface receptors found in those cells, leading to a revolution in our cell-specific targeting for diseases and other maladies. Big congratulations to Ohio State for this one, as well as the researchers involved in the project: Lufang Zhou, Margaret Liu, Kai Chen of Liu's lab and Patrick Ernst of Zhou's lab, Anusua Sarkar, Seulhee Kim, Yingnan Si, Tanvi Varadkar and Matthew Ringel. All involved were from Ohio State.


Links

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/12/241213125202.htm
https://www.biotechniques.com/cancer-research/let-there-be-light-gene-therapy-targets-cancer-cells-mitochondria/