Health News related to New Antibiotics, RNA Modification, New Treatments for Multiple Sclerosis, SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.617, AI Anti-Ageing, Immune Responses to Malaria
Note: I do not write/own any of the health news bits (and cover picture) given here. The links on each of the news bits will redirect to the news source. The content given under each headline is a basic gist and not the full story.
1. Novel Approach for Developing New Antibiotics
Source: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
19 Jul 2021
Researchers have developed a novel method for producing new antibiotics to combat resistant bacteria through an approach that would target bacteria with an antibiotic that is masked by a prodrug. The approach, which the bacteria would themselves remove, the researchers identified a method that would allow for development of new, effective antibiotics that could overcome issues of resistance.
2. RNA Modification May Protect Against Liver Disease
Source: University of California – Los Angeles Health Sciences
19 Jul 2021
A chemical modification that occurs in some RNA molecules as they carry genetic instructions from DNA to cells’ protein-making machinery may offer protection against non-alcoholic fatty liver, a condition that results from a build-up of fat in the liver and can lead to advanced liver disease, according to a new study.
Original written by: Alana Prisco
3. Unleashing Certain T Cells May Lead to New Treatments for Multiple Sclerosis
Source: University of California – Irvine
20 Jul 2021
In a new study, researchers found that a certain protein prevented regulatory T cells (Tregs) from effectively doing their job in controlling the damaging effects of inflammation in a model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a devastating autoimmune disease of the nervous system. The new study illuminates the important role of Piezo1, a specialized protein called an ion channel, in immunity and T cell function related to autoimmune neuroinflammatory disorders.
4. SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.617 Gives the Immune System a Hard Time
Source: Deutsches Primatenzentrum (DPZ)/German Primate Center
21 Jul 2021
Infection researchers have investigated the B.1.617 variant in detail. In cell culture studies, they found that this variant can infect certain lung and intestinal cell lines more efficiently than the original virus. The researchers also demonstrated that B.1.617 is less sensitive to inhibition by antibodies present in the blood of convalescent or vaccinated individuals and resistant to a therapeutic antibody used for COVID-19 treatment.
5. AI To Find Anti-Ageing Chemical Compounds
Source: University of Surrey
22 Jul 2021
A research team has built an artificial intelligence (AI) model that identifies chemical compounds that promote healthy ageing – paving the way towards pharmaceutical innovations that extend a person’s lifespan.
6. New Insights into Immune Responses to Malaria
Source: Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
23 Jul 2021
Advanced technologies have revealed ‘immune signatures’ that differentiate immune responses that drive symptomatic or asymptomatic Plasmodium vivax malaria infections. The findings could guide to the development of better vaccines against malaria, a disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people around the world each year.
That’s all the health news for this week! Maybe you can help me provide news better. Leave a comment below if you have any suggestions or send me a message via the contact form! Have fun!
