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Spatial proteomics maps early molecular changes in subchondral bone, offering potential biomarkers and reframing osteoarthritis as a whole-joint disease. We have typically defined osteoarthritis by its end-stage symptoms – the telltale narrowing of joint gaps on an X-ray or the structural collapse of cartilage seen on an MRI – rather than the molecular shifts that precede them. Now a new study led by researchers at the Buck Institute suggests the biology may have been active long before those images turn ominous. By applying spatial proteomics to samples from knee replacements, the team built a molecular atlas that caught the disease…

Credit: nopparit / iStock / Getty Images Plus The largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) to date looking at links between human genetics and microbial species found in the gut has identified and replicated 11 genetic variants shaping the composition of the gut microbiome, nine of which have been reported for the first time. Two back-to-back studies, published today in Nature Genetics, highlight the role genes involved in gut physiology can play in shaping the gut microbiome, which in turn plays an essential role in human health.  “We have learnt a lot about the role played by genetics in the gut…

Credit: Extreme Media/Getty Images Nucleus Biologics launched the Krakatoa® K500, which the company says is the first bioreactor-scale, pod-based media and buffer manufacturing system designed to deliver sterile solutions on demand and at point-of-use. The system enables the co-location of cell culture media and buffer manufacturing and bioproduction. The Krakatoa K500 supports biologics manufacturers to produce sterile, validated media or buffers in a single automated run, according to a company spokesperson, who added that this eliminates reliance on centralized media preparation, extensive validation processes, complex supply chains with expensive consumables, and cold-chain transport that yields limited shelf-life liquids. By combining preformulated powder-filled…

Credit: Black_Kira / iStock / Getty Images Plus For decades, neuroscience textbooks have described the brain as protected by a series of tightly controlled interfaces, most notably the blood–brain barrier. But a new study published in Nature Neuroscience suggests that this map of the brain’s defenses has been incomplete. Researchers at the VIB–UGent Center for Inflammation Research and Ghent University have identified and characterized a previously unknown cellular barrier in the brain’s choroid plexus, a structure that produces cerebrospinal fluid and serves as a key interface between the bloodstream and the central nervous system. The discovery not only reshapes our understanding of…

Women in Science Day (February 11) was the top of the list for discussion for GEN editors in this week’s podcast. They shared an anecdote on the history of the term “scientist”—hint: it was coined for a woman. A modern scientist, Medra CEO Michelle Lee, PhD, discussed with GEN how the company is integrating robotics with AI for use in biological research. GEN attended SLAS this week and we got an update on the automation updates along with endeavors to increase the presence of women in biotech leadership. Finally, we  got a look at Eli Lilly’s recent major deals followed…

Credit: Ridofranz/Getty Images Maintaining muscular strength could be vital for older women to age healthily, protecting them from death even when their fitness levels are below par. The findings, in JAMA Network Open, support guidelines that encourage muscle strengthening activities to age well and live longer. Two common measures of muscular strength, that can easily be assessed in a clinical setting, were linked with a decreased risk of death among women aged 63 to 99 years in the study. The associations remained even after accounting for physical activity, sedentary time, walking speed, and inflammation. “Notably, muscular strength was associated with…

Credit: Tek Image / Science Photo Library / Getty Images For years, blood-based tests for Alzheimer’s disease have promised to transform dementia diagnosis—simple, scalable tools capable of reaching far beyond specialty memory clinics. However, North American and European cohorts have largely shaped the science behind these peripheral biomarkers. A new multinational study published in Nature Aging broadens that foundation, showing that plasma biomarkers can reliably distinguish Alzheimer’s disease (AD) from frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) across Latin America, one of the world’s most genetically and culturally diverse regions. Distinct biological signatures in Alzheimer’s and FTLD Dementia prevalence in Latin America is…

Advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) will help make mRNA vaccines and therapeutics better by allowing biopharma engineers to fine-tune the enzymes used to manufacture such products. Researchers at Australia’s Adelaide University put forward the case for process improvement in a new study, citing the in vitro transcription (IVT) step used to convert DNA templates into mRNA molecules as an example of an area in need of work. Lukas Gerstweiler, PhD, told GEN, “It is well known that T7 RNA polymerase–based in vitro transcription is particularly prone to impurity formation. “The enzyme can generate aberrant initiation and termination products, engage…

Credit: DR P. MARAZZI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images University of Virginia (UVA) Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have developed a small-molecule compound that targets advillin, or AVIL, an oncogene that drives the growth and survival of glioblastoma (GBM) cells. In a report published in Science Translational Medicine, the UVA team showed that inhibiting AVIL curbed tumor growth in cell models and in mouse models by blocking the gene’s activity without evidence of harmful side effects, providing a new avenue to potentially treat a form of cancer that has limited treatment options. “Glioblastoma is a devastating disease. Essentially no effective therapy exists,” said…

Credit: DR P. MARAZZI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images University of Virginia (UVA) Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have developed a small-molecule compound that targets advillin, or AVIL, an oncogene that drives the growth and survival of glioblastoma (GBM) cells. In a report published in Science Translational Medicine, the UVA team showed that inhibiting AVIL curbed tumor growth in cell models and in mouse models by blocking the gene’s activity without evidence of harmful side effects, providing a new avenue to potentially treat a form of cancer that has limited treatment options. “Glioblastoma is a devastating disease. Essentially no effective therapy exists,” said…