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Jawless fish take a bite out of the blood-brain barrier
Posted on 5/15/19 at 4:32 pm
Posted on 5/15/19 at 4:32 pm
To me, this was an amazing article :
ScienceDaily
One major challenge in treating cancers and other disorders of the brain is ensuring that medicines reach their targets. A team of biomedical engineers and clinician-scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Texas at Austin borrowed molecules from the immune system of the parasitic sea lamprey to deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to brain tumors.
They published their results today (May 15, 2019) in the journal Science Advances.
Unlike most currently used medicines, which target specific features on or inside individual cells in our body's organs and tissues, the lamprey-derived molecules take aim at a different target -- the extracellular matrix, a tangled mesh of proteins and sugars that supports and surrounds all cells in the brain.
The researchers believe the molecules could be adapted and combined with a wide array of other therapies, offering hope to treat numerous brain ailments beyond tumors, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease or even traumatic injuries.
Much more in the link.
Lamprey mouth
ScienceDaily
One major challenge in treating cancers and other disorders of the brain is ensuring that medicines reach their targets. A team of biomedical engineers and clinician-scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Texas at Austin borrowed molecules from the immune system of the parasitic sea lamprey to deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to brain tumors.
They published their results today (May 15, 2019) in the journal Science Advances.
Unlike most currently used medicines, which target specific features on or inside individual cells in our body's organs and tissues, the lamprey-derived molecules take aim at a different target -- the extracellular matrix, a tangled mesh of proteins and sugars that supports and surrounds all cells in the brain.
The researchers believe the molecules could be adapted and combined with a wide array of other therapies, offering hope to treat numerous brain ailments beyond tumors, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease or even traumatic injuries.
Much more in the link.
Lamprey mouth
2
Posted on 5/15/19 at 5:04 pm to Trumansfangs
This demonstrates why bio-diversity is so important. Some little thing you find from an animal species you would think has zero benefit for humanity can be vitally important in improving human health and well being.
Funding science is never going to be popular with most folks. They love the benefits of science but actually having to pay to find and develop those benefits will get them all up in arms.
Which is short sighted in many ways. Yes, we won't get those benefits if we don't fund research into them... but history has repeatable shown that the country with the best science is usually the country that winds up on top of the heap.
As I get off my soap box... its worth noting that leeches, of all things, have made a limited come back in medicine for certain medical procedures where their particular biology gives us something modern medicine can't duplicate. Its an amazing world out there folks.
Funding science is never going to be popular with most folks. They love the benefits of science but actually having to pay to find and develop those benefits will get them all up in arms.
Which is short sighted in many ways. Yes, we won't get those benefits if we don't fund research into them... but history has repeatable shown that the country with the best science is usually the country that winds up on top of the heap.
As I get off my soap box... its worth noting that leeches, of all things, have made a limited come back in medicine for certain medical procedures where their particular biology gives us something modern medicine can't duplicate. Its an amazing world out there folks.
Posted on 5/15/19 at 5:41 pm to Trumansfangs
That’s very interesting.
I do think that fish should be called the LSU fish- both it’s colors look like them and mouth (?) kinda sorta looks like a fleur-de-lis.
I do think that fish should be called the LSU fish- both it’s colors look like them and mouth (?) kinda sorta looks like a fleur-de-lis.
Posted on 5/16/19 at 7:28 am to Arksulli
Definitely agreed about Biodiversity. Not just for these possible medical breakthroughs, but because without it we are literally fricked as a species. We are still a 100+ years out from anything close to resembling ST tech... if we get there.
The Amazon Rainforest is still pumping out possibilities for medical cures and most of it is still unknown.
Humans gonna human though and frick everything up.
Anyway. I’m more curious about the applications for PD and Alzheimer’s. Particularly PD since Ldopa has a limited effect window because it can’t cross the BBB. Be a game-changer to finally get an effective treatment.
The Amazon Rainforest is still pumping out possibilities for medical cures and most of it is still unknown.
Humans gonna human though and frick everything up.
Anyway. I’m more curious about the applications for PD and Alzheimer’s. Particularly PD since Ldopa has a limited effect window because it can’t cross the BBB. Be a game-changer to finally get an effective treatment.
Posted on 5/16/19 at 10:41 am to Athos
quote:
Anyway. I’m more curious about the applications for PD and Alzheimer’s. Particularly PD since Ldopa has a limited effect window because it can’t cross the BBB. Be a game-changer to finally get an effective treatment.
We are, I hope, on the verge of a new frontier when it comes to medicine. A time when children will be astounded at the people killed by cancer, dementia, and Alzheimer's as we are astounded by the people killed by smallpox and cholera back in the day.
While I think he has an amazingly annoying nasal way of singing... Bob Dylan was right on one thing. The times they are a changing. Our grandchildren, if we continue to fund science, will live in a world free from the scourges that we know now.
That or the douchebags will kill us all because they read somewhere on twitter that vaccines cause people to read.
Posted on 5/16/19 at 4:18 pm to Arksulli
There’ll be some new scourges.
Posted on 5/16/19 at 5:25 pm to LSUA 75
quote:
There’ll be some new scourges.
We have developed Reality TV. I can't argue with you that there are hidden horrors lurking for humanity.
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