Reversed Autism Symptoms Seen in Mice by Using Century Old Drug

 

An old therapy for African Sleeping Sickness has been found to reverse symptoms of Autism in mice.  

Studies show 20% of these factors in Autism are genetic, whereas 80% are not.  

A cells "danger response" is present in Autism individuals as there is less communication between cells.  This can cause permanent damage and includes a delayed neurodevelopment in children.

The drug is called Suramin and has been used since 1916.  This drug halted the danger response in Autistic mice.  This drug blocks the ATP signaling pathway.  The cells and metabolism and the Autism-like behaviors were corrected.  

Although the results are not permanent and typically lasted for 5 weeks in the mice.  It is also not recommended to be considered for long-term use as anemia and adrenal gland dysfunction may occur.  

Despite these factors, doctors will be running a trial on its effects on children with ASD. 

Artificial Cells Are Now Able to Mimic Natural Cell Movement

Synthetic cells are used in laboratory settings but don't have all the characteristics of living cells, limiting research. Cell motility was hard to research due to surface enzyme activity, but a new method was discovered that allowed the synthetic cell to actively move. They investigated how ATPase can propel the protocells. ATPase is an enzyme that converts ATP into ADP. In this experiment, the protocells had artificial membranes composed of phosphatidylcholine and the ATPase enzymes were incorporated directly into the membrane. This discovery allows for the first step to be made for other researchers to make artificial cells with enzymatic activity. Research showed that movement for the cells was low for low amounts of ATP but movement also dropped for too much ATP, which was surprising. The researchers concluded that a high ATP concentration would bind to the ATPase and suppress ATP activity and lowering motility. This research allows for new opportunities to understand more about the mechanisms of movements for cells. This will have a huge role on new medical research.

I feel like we always think that science as come so far and that there isn't much else to discover, but this just shows how much we still don't understand. Just trying to replicate a living cell is so complicated and we're finally one step closer to making them act more like natural cells. It's amazing how new discoveries like this are able to open up even more doors. Hopefully this research will help with new medical breakthroughs in the future.

Link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191205155318.htm

Related Link: https://news.psu.edu/story/600705/2019/12/05/research/artificial-cells-act-more-real-thing

Organic Life Used to Make A Computer Chip

All living cells use a molecule called ATP to power their systems. ATP is considered the energy currency of the cell due to the fact that it is transformed constantly to provide useful energy to the cell. Researchers used ATPases, molecules able to harness the energy in ATP, to power an electronic chip. This is the first example of a circuit that functions from both and organic and inorganic power source. 

This new research has many functions that can be used in the future. Living systems can be harnessed to power more than just a chip. One day, the same energy storage system that powers every cell in our body could function as a mega energy generator that can power whole cities and possibly the planet. This is very exciting and will have many new and exciting applications in the future. 

The logistics of how the chip works