“A new study has investigated the anti-obesity effects of a specific strain of gut bacteria. From preclinical animal studies to a placebo-controlled human trial, the research suggests a novel bacterial strain may confer several metabolic benefits.” | learn more
Wow! “Their device, which they’ve dubbed the “Real-time ELISA,” is able to perform many blood tests very quickly and then stitch the individual results together to enable continuous, real-time monitoring of a patient’s blood chemistry. Instead of a snapshot, the […]
“Despite early failures in the clinic, the idea of anti-aging therapies that purge the body of dying cells is gaining traction with a raft of startups now focused on senescence.” I was surprised to learn there’s a senolytic for skincare currently on […]
“Work with hand transplant recipients challenges fundamental notions about the limits of neuroplasticity in mature adults.” | learn more
“This weekend brought some really significant news in the long-running effort to use gene editing to treat human disease. As most readers will have heard, Boston Children’s Hospital and a Vertex/CRISPR effort both published papers in the NEJM addressing sickle-cell […]
I only recently learned about Flagship Pioneering and I have a small crush on them. They’ve founded over 100 companies, including Moderna (a name you’re hearing often in vaccine context), with 22 IPOs since 2013. Here’s them on plants: “Plants […]
“Fertilizers typically contain phosphorous, as it’s essential to growing plants. Unfortunately, though, it can become “locked” in the soil, and thus not available to crops. That said, it turns out that the addition of a microbe could unlock it.“ | learn more
In 2005 a Berkeley team discovered old mice reverse aging with the help of young mouse blood. “But a new study by the same team shows that similar age-reversing effects can be achieved by simply diluting the blood plasma of […]
A 154-patient study published in Nature had some stark outcomes. The authors conclude by recommending, “mass administration of vitamin D supplements to population at risk for COVID-19.” | learn more
“Only 30%-40% of cancer patients respond to immune checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) therapies.” This article features several groups who, “are betting that microbiome-based therapies can help more patients respond to immunotherapies and become one of the biggest breakthroughs in cancer treatment […]