09 - 15 January 2017
A Nevada woman dies of a superbug resistant to every available antibiotic in the US
Public health officials from Nevada are reporting on a case of a woman who died in Reno in September from an incurable infection. Testing showed the superbug that had spread throughout her system could fend off 26 different antibiotics. Find source
Scientists are genetically engineering Salmonella to destroy brain tumours
Salmonella is commonly linked to fevers and food poisoning, and generally speaking, it isn't good news at all for your body. But scientists have come up with an exception: a genetically engineered form of Salmonella bacteria that can eat away at cancer tumours. Find source
This spray can silence genes in plants without changing their DNA
Australian researchers have developed a gene-silencing spray that can modify plants without actually changing their DNA. That means you could make a crop more resistant to viruses or drought, without having to genetically modify them. Find source
CRISPR gene editing takes on rare immunodeficiency disorder
Researchers have harnessed the CRISPR-Cas9 technology to correct mutations in the blood stem cells of patients with a rare immunodeficiency disorder; the engineered cells successfully engrafted in mice for up to five months. Find source
Master regulator of cellular aging discovered
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered a protein that fine-tunes the cellular clock involved in aging. This novel protein, named TZAP, binds the ends of chromosomes and determines how long telomeres, the segments of DNA that protect chromosome ends. Find source
