A new study led by Prof. Li-Huei Tsai reveals more information about the possible link between Alzheimer’s disease and the gene variant APOE4, writes Martin Finucane for The Boston Globe. The researchers discovered that by editing the gene into the more common APOE3 variant, “they could eliminate the signs of Alzheimer’s in brain cells,” said Finucane.
Using specially engineered E. coli bacteria and electronics that fit into an ingestible pill, MIT researchers have created a device that can detect internal diseases and send wireless alerts, reports Karen Kaplan for The Los Angeles Times. The device could eliminate the need for colonoscopies, which alter “the physiology inside the intestines, potentially masking signs of disease,” explains Kaplan.
USA Today reporter Sean Rossman writes about how MIT researchers have created an ingestible sensor that can monitor the digestive tract and send information to a smartphone or tablet about a person’s health. Rossman explains that the device, “can detect blood in the stomach, something that would otherwise require an endoscopy and sedation.”
MIT researchers have developed an ingestible capsule that uses genetically engineered bacteria to detect potential health problems, reports Carla Johnson for the Associated Press. The researchers hope the capsule could eventually be used to, “find signs of ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease or even colon cancer.”
Wired reporter Megan Molteni writes that a team of MIT researchers has developed an ingestible sensor that could spot gastrointestinal issues. The sensor contains, “millions of genetically engineered glowing bacteria inside a AAA-battery-sized capsule,” Molteni explains.
Writing for the Boston Herald, Lindsay Kalter reports that MIT scientists have built an ingestible capsule that could allow doctors to diagnose gastrointestinal diseases without invasive procedures. Graduate student Mark Mimee explains that the device, “sets the stage for having a pill that can give you a big biochemical profile of the gut related to various diseases.”
Popular Mechanics reporter David Grossman writes that a new ingestible medical device developed by MIT researchers could monitor the health of the human gut. Calling the project “a true team effort,” Grossman explains that it required expertise in biological engineering techniques, electronic circuit design, materials, and gastroenterology.
60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker sits down with Prof. Feng Zhang, “a scientist at the center of the CRISPR craze,” to help explain how the gene-editing tool works and its potential. “There are about 6,000 or more diseases that are caused by faulty genes,” says Zhang. “The hope is that we will be able to address most if not all of them.”
Synlogic, founded by Prof. Jim Collins and Associate Prof. Tim Lu, is programming probiotic bacteria to treat certain genetic or acquired metabolic disease, reports Robin Seaton Jefferson for Forbes. One product is used for people whose bodies can’t maintain a healthy level of ammonia and “has been specifically engineered to convert the excess ammonia to a harmless metabolite,” explains Seaton Jefferson.
Heidi Ledford of Nature highlights the modification of an enzyme that will allow for enhanced CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, led by Broad Institute researcher David Liu. Ledford explains that while Liu believes the enzyme could be a staple in the lab, he also adds that “it will need more testing before its full potential becomes clear.”
Researchers have found a way to reactivate the gene that causes fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited form of intellectual impairment. “The team used an emerging technique called “epigene-editing”,” writes Alice Klein for New Scientist, which is reversible. “That means any off-target effects could be fixed and wouldn’t be passed to future generations.”
Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have programmed CRISPR to “in essence, make edits when significant cellular events occur,” writes Kristin Brown for Gizmodo. “All this adds up to the potential of CRISPR as not just a gene-editing powerhouse, but a multifunctional tool that also works as a biosensor, a medical detective, and an invaluable instrument for basic research.”
Originally created by the Zhang Lab in 2017, CRISPR tool SHERLOCK has been improved upon to be three times more sensitive for detecting viruses and infections using an inexpensive test strip. Sharon Begley writes for STAT News, “A paper strip, like in a pregnancy test, is dipped into a sample, and if a line appears, the target molecule was detected — no instruments required.”
A gene-editing tool called SHERLOCK, developed in Prof. Feng Zhang’s lab, allows for faster detection of infections and viruses, such as Zika and Dengue fever. “It does this by combining different types of CRISPR enzymes, which are unleashed together to target distinct bits of DNA and RNA, another of the major biological molecules found in all forms of life,” writes Alessandra Potenza for The Verge.
Using nanotechnology and CRISPR, Prof. Daniel Anderson has turned off a cholesterol-related gene in mouse liver cells, reports Julie Steenhuysen for Reuters. This new development “could lead to new ways to correct genes that cause high cholesterol and other liver diseases,” Steenhuysen writes.