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Cell Biology

Synthetic Biology Market Research Revealing the Growth Rate and Business Opportunities to 2027 – Science Examiner

Synthetic Biology Market: Introduction

Transparency Market Research has published a new report titled, Synthetic Biology Market. According to the report, the globalsynthetic biology marketwas valued atUS$ 4.96 Bnin2018and is projected to expand at a CAGR of26.3%from2019to2027.

In terms of product, the core product segment accounted for major share of the global synthetic biology market in2018. The segment is anticipated to witness strong growth from2019to2027. The core product segment is further sub-segmented into synthetic DNA, synthetic genes, synthetic cells, XNA (xeno nucleic acid), and chassis organisms. The synthetic DNA sub-segment accounted for major share of the global synthetic biology market due to the increasing research & developmental activities associated to this sub-segment and increased penetration in the market.

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Based on technology, the genome engineering segment held a major share in2018in synthetic biology market, due to its ability to make alterations to the genome of the living cell, and thereby gaining attention of the scientists and key players.

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Based on application, the health care segment held a prominent share in2018in synthetic biology market due to increase in prevalence of various diseases, rise in key players, and expanding infrastructure as well as increasing focus of government in treatments and facilities in health care

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Global Synthetic biology Market: Prominent Regions

North America held the largest share of the global synthetic biology market in 2018. North America accounted for significant share of the global synthetic biology market in2018.The market in the region is likely to grow at a rapid pace during the forecast period.

The U.S. is projected to dominate the synthetic biology market in the region during the forecast period, owing to early adoption of technologies. The country is anticipated to be the most attractive market for synthetic biology, with high attractiveness index.

Global Synthetic Biology Market: Key Players

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Synthetic Biology Market Research Revealing the Growth Rate and Business Opportunities to 2027 - Science Examiner

Cell Biology

Researchers look to the eye for insights about the brain – Newswise

Newswise Researchers seeking to unravel the mysteries of how our amazingly complex brains do what they do, often start with the eye. An extension of neural tissue connecting the eye and brain, the retina, the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye has long been a model for scientists to explore how the brain works.

Much of what we know about the brain comes from studies of the retina because it is far more accessible for investigation, said Santa Tumminia, Ph.D., acting director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Decades of NEI-supported research on retinal cells has led to fundamental discoveries about how one nerve cell communicates with another, how different cell types process different kinds of sensory information, and how neural tissue develops and organizes itself into circuits, she said.

Studies of the retina, optic nerve and primary visual cortex therefore are a part of the Federally led moonshot project called the BRAIN Initiative, which aims to elucidate how the brain functions in health and disease. The hope is that such knowledge will help accelerate progress in treating and preventing brain disorders such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease, depression and traumatic brain injury.

Since launching six years ago, the BRAIN initiative, short for Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies, has funded dozens of vision-related projects. About 40% of BRAIN projects involve vision-related research or involve investigators currently or formerly funded by the NEI.

The NIH leads the public-private initiative in coordination with partners from industry, academia and other federal research agencies, including the NEI. BRAIN launched in 2014 as part of the 21st Century Cures Act. Signed into law by Congress in December 2016, the Act was designed to accelerate the development of medical innovations and therapeutic advances.

Taking inventory

The brain is a complex tissue comprising a diverse range of uncharacterized cell types. Many initial BRAIN projects are therefore aimed at figuring out how to discriminate cell types in such a complex tissue. These cell census projects aspire to create a whole-brain atlas that systematically characterizes cell diversity. Classifying cell types by their morphology, molecular and functional properties, and connectivity is seen as a starting point for understanding how the brain works.

Researchers looking to validate tools for sorting cell types in the brain start with the retina since much is already known about its various cell types, according to BRAIN Investigator, Joshua Sanes, Ph.D., professor of molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University.

Such is the case with Drop-seq, a technique that analyzes different cell types within a complex tissue. Though its development was not funded by BRAIN, Drop-seq was first deployed on a slice of mouse retina in a BRAIN-funded project as a way of validating whether the technique would be up to the task of sorting through cell types in the brain.

Sanes and a team led by Steve McCarroll, Ph.D., professor of biomedical science and genetics at Harvard Medical School, identified 44,808 single-cell profiles in their sample of retina, from which they teased out 39 distinct cell populations according to genetic information stored in each cells RNA. Reassuringly, Drop-seq was able to confirm the identities of many mouse retinal cell types that had previously been identified. The investigators went on to generate a complete cell atlas of the mouse retina, and then used this as a foundation to generate atlases of human and other retinas.2

Most importantly, the findings confirmed Drop-seqs potential usefulness as a tool to sort through and catalogue the various cell types in the brain.3

Drop seq is a great way to quickly go through a tissue and tell what sorts of genes are expressed in the tissue by different cell types, said Thomas Greenwell, Ph.D., program director for retinal neuroscience at the NEI.

Developed in McCarrolls lab, Drop-seq quickly, inexpensively, and simultaneously profiles the gene expression of many different cell types in a complex tissue, and it does so cell by cell. The technique uses microfluidics to encapsulate single cells in droplets and microbeads covered with barcoded primers. The system allows researchers to capture and barcode a useful fraction of RNA, which labels gene expression from each cell. Future studies can then start to look how each cell type functions over time, and in health and disease.

From cells to circuits

Similarly, another project, EyeWire, began by classifying cell types in the retina as a step toward understanding how neurons form circuits. Led by Sebastian Seung, Ph.D., professor of computer science at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, EyeWire is a citizen science project that has amassed a 3D interactive online museum of retinal cell types as well as their connections with other neurons.

The project began with 3D electron microscopy scanning of a section of mouse retina. The result was millions of 2D grayscale, cross-sectional images that lack depth information. Seung and his team turned to public crowdsourcing for help translating the greyscale images into colorful 3D representations of the neurons. The online game EyeWire assigns each player a cube of microscopy images -- each cube is only a fraction of the width of a single hair. Gamers earn points by selecting and coloring the pathway of a neurons branches through their cube in collaboration with an artificial intelligence algorithm.

Since 2012, EyeWire gamers have mapped thousands of retinal neurons, including nearly 400 retinal ganglion cells, the types of cells that form the optic nerve that connects the eye and the brain.4 In addition, the project identified six new types of neurons in the retina and reconstructed previously unknown circuits.

Similarly, a recently launched BRAIN-funded project is underway to reconstruct some 100,000 neurons and their synapses in brain tissue. The Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks (MICrONS Explorer) program, is developing a visualization tool that features excitatory cortical neurons from mouse primary visual cortex. The dataset includes electron microscopy-based reconstructions of circuitry, along with corresponding connectivity and functional imaging data collected by a consortium of laboratories and led by NEI-funded investigators, Seung at Princeton; R Clay Reid, M.D., Ph.D., the Allen Institute for Brain Science; and Andreas Tolias, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine.

All together now: Visual processing as a model for studying brain circuitry

Vision researchers have used behaving-animal models and other techniques to develop detailed maps of how the many visual areas throughout the brain are functionally organized and interconnected. This information allows interesting questions to be addressed such as how circuits function to control eye movement, to guide the motion of our bodies and vehicles through space, to recognize complex objects such as faces, and in cognitive processes such as selective attention and visual memory.

BRAIN researcher, R Clay Reid, M.D., Ph.D., senior investigator at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, studies brain circuitry by building on the knowledge of how neurons in the visual system respond to visual stimuli. He hopes to not only map circuits within the visual system, but capture the physiology of those circuits, how each cell functions and contributes to the circuit working properly.

Reid is using a modified virus to label ensembles of visual cortex neurons, all of which connect with a single 'target' neuron in each experiment. Once the neurons are labeled, they are using an advanced form of scanning-laser imaging to make movies of each neuron's activity in response to carefully chosen visual stimuli.

Together, these tools will allow them to probe the functional logic of wiring within three visual cortical areas. They will then examine the functional logic of connections between these areas.

The data we collect will serve as a foundation for understanding connections among cortical circuits and provide new, data-driven models of cortical function, Reid said.

Engineering vision -- without the eye

Other BRAIN investigators are attempting to artificially produce vision with a strategy that bypasses the eyes. The concept that our brains are capable of visual perception without the eyes has a long history including an observation in 1918. During brain surgery to remove bone fragments from a bullet wound, the patients brain was stimulated with a small electrical current, and he reported seeing small flashes of light in his visual field despite the absence of such light.

Numerous studies since have sought to leverage the ability to stimulate the visual cortex to produce percepts of light, called phosphenes. Biomedical engineering advances have yielded technologies to wirelessly power and control electrodes in the brain to stimulate light percepts.

Building on those advances, NEI-supported researcher Daniel Yoshor, M.D., formerly chair and professor of neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine, clinically tested a visual prosthesis system to help people with ocular causes of blindness regain at least some functional vision.

The device, called Orion, generates visual perception via an array of stimulating electrodes implanted on the surface of the visual cortex to deliver patterned electrical stimuli. A camera mounted on the patients glasses captures video images and then a computer translates those images into a series of small electrical pulses transmitted wirelessly to the electrodes implanted on the visual cortex.

Imagine that for every spot in a persons visual field, theres a corresponding set of visual cortical neurons that represents that area. The idea is to precisely stimulate someones visual cortical neurons such that we produce the perception of a spot of light corresponding to the visual world to reproduce vision, said Yoshor, who is now chair and professor of neurosurgery at the the University of Pennsylvania.

Yoshor collaborated with BRAIN investigators, Nader Pouratian M.D., Ph.D., University of California Los Angeles; Robert Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Alfred E. Mann Foundation; and Jessy Dorn, Ph.D., Second Sight Medical Products, which developed the device.

The team has had remarkable early success tuning the stimuli and training wearers of the device to achieve some moderately useful vision, said Martha Flanders, Ph.D., director of the Central Visual Processing Program at the NEI.

In a recent study, the team successfully calibrated the prosthesis system so that stimulation of the visual cortex conveyed the act of drawing of letters. Device wearers were able to reproduce letters on a touchscreen, with a striking correspondence between the predicted shape of the letters and the perceived shape of the letters.1

NEI and BRAIN funding for the projects include grants: 1U01MH105960-01 to Sanes; U19NS104648 to Seung; R01NS104949, RF1MH117820 to Reid; R01EY023336 to Yoshor; and 1UH3NS103442 to Pouratian.

1 Beauchamp, M. S. et al. Dynamic Stimulation of Visual Cortex Produces Form Vision in Sighted and Blind Humans. Cell 181, 774-783.e775, doi:10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.033 (2020).

2 Peng, Y.-R. et al. Molecular Classification and Comparative Taxonomics of Foveal and Peripheral Cells in Primate Retina. Cell 176, 1222-1237.e1222, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2019.01.004 (2019).

3 Macosko, EvanZ. et al. Highly Parallel Genome-wide Expression Profiling of Individual Cells Using Nanoliter Droplets. Cell 161, 1202-1214, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2015.05.002 (2015).

4 Bae, J. A. et al. Digital Museum of Retinal Ganglion Cells with Dense Anatomy and Physiology. Cell 173, 1293-1306.e1219, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.04.040 (2018).

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Researchers look to the eye for insights about the brain - Newswise

Cell Biology

Brilliant teen who grew up on P.E.I. eyes fast-tracking PhD – The Guardian

University sensation Vivian Xie is pursuing a PhD in biology a lofty academic goal she hopes to attain by the age of 20.

That would see her nab the highest university degree that is conferred after a course of study in Canada roughly 15 years earlier than is the average according to data from Statistics Canada.

The typical path to a PhD is a bachelors degree, followed by two-year masters, followed by four to five years for a PhD.

Xie is exploring the possibility of direct entry for a PhD after she gets her bachelor degree in biology, which is expected after her upcoming year of studying cell biology at the University of Toronto.

That fast-track to a doctor of philosophy is rare, but so is Xie.

The brilliant 15-year-old phenom from China, who grew up on Prince Edward Island, has made education look more like a sprint than a marathon.

Xie has been demonstrating mind-boggling academic superiority, but never in a boastful manner, from the moment she stepped into Grade 1 at Prince Street School after her family moved to Charlottetown.

She skipped Grade 3 and after breezing through Grade 4, she wanted to jump all the way up to Grade 7. Her elementary school principal felt there would be too much of an age gap socially.

A private school in Halifax felt otherwise after testing the young scholastic wonder. Xie was placed into Grade 8.

After completing Grade 8 and 9 at the private school, a 10-year-old Xie jumped into Grade 11 at Colonel Gray High School in Charlottetown in the International Baccalaureate program for academically gifted students.

Almost two months shy of becoming a teenager, Xie started her studies at the University of Prince Edward Island as the youngest student by far to ever attend UPEI.

In September 2018, she transferred to the University of Toronto on academic merit and will be heading into her fourth year of biology in a few months with her 16th birthday coming later on Oct. 30.

Charlie Keil, principal of Innis College at U of T, says two years ago the then 13-year-old Xie was the youngest student he is aware of to enroll at the university.

Keil says Xie has a level of maturity and degree of self-confidence well beyond her years.

Its rather astounding,"he says.

The term I tend to use is self-possessed just very aware of her capacity and (her ability) to navigate the world."

Keil says he would not be surprised if Xie earned her PhD by the age of 20. He notes the star student has developed the skills to master a demandingly heavy six-course load.

Xie dismisses any suggestion that she has foregone her childhood to focus on nothing other than education.

Not at all,"she insists.

She does concede that in high school she went through a bit of a loner phase"but got over it quickly.

At U of T, she fits in with the crowd.

She did not want to be coddled because of her age, so for the most part she kept it a secret.

Sarah Grubb, a 20-year-old business student at U of T, connected with Xie right away.

She never gave thought to the fact Xie is five years younger usually a cavernous social gap between such ages.

If she never told me (her age) I would have thought she was my age or older, says Grubb.

She has a certain way of speaking and writing which is really mature for her age you could probably talk about 'Viv' all day she has so many layers of personality and creativity."

Grubb adds Xie is a down-to-earth person who is enjoying her social life as well as her academic experience.

I genuinely think that she is like all of us at university,"says Grubb.

It is just that she understands things a lot easier than the rest of us do."

Xie lives in an apartment near the campus with her mother, her grandmother and her miniature poodle named Goji.

At 15, she is not old enough to go out and drink with her friends but is quick to note she spends plenty of time socializing with her peers, notably spending a lot of time hanging out playing Minecraft a virtual open world video game where players can dig, mine, build, craft and enchant things.

In fact, Xie has collaborated with the University of Toronto to create an all-online summer Minecraft camp. She will be doing the artwork and also present as a guest speaker biologist.

Xie is also writing a book her first that she hopes to complete by summers end. She describes the work as a fun fantasy set in a P.E.I.-type setting that pits two neighbours, one a witch, against each other.

Her career goal, once she earns her PhD in dizzying fashion, is to do research in the field of genetic disorders, perhaps one day playing a role in finding a cure for cancer.

Keil is likely not alone in wanting to see what the future holds for this remarkable teenager.

Now that I met her, I am definitely keeping tabs on her,"he says.

Vivian Xie has plenty of interests outside of biology, including:

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Brilliant teen who grew up on P.E.I. eyes fast-tracking PhD - The Guardian

Cell Biology

Understanding the potential of COVID-19 convalescent plasma – Stripes Japan

The Department of Defense has set a goal to collect more than 8,000 donated units of plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 by Sept. 30, 2020. This blood will be used to treat critically ill patients and support the development of an effective treatment against the disease.

Like a missile locking on its target, antibodies attack invaders inside the body with a singularity of purpose: search and destroy. Typically, infection-fighting white blood cells produce antibodies as an appropriate response to an invading germ. In some people whose immune systems cant mount a sufficient attack against a virus, donated antibodies from another persons plasma may help. Researchers believe the power of antibodies lies in their ability to bind to a virus and neutralize it, or block it from entering cells, said Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Branch at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. Modjarrad leads the Armys COVID-19 vaccine development research.

But not all antibodies are created the same. Antibodies come in different flavors, some of them are neutralizing and some of them are non-neutralizing and we dont know exactly which individuals are developing what type of antibody, said Shelly Krebs, chief of B Cell Biology Core at WRAIR Military HIV Research program.

COVID-19 convalescent plasma, or CCP, from a recovered patient could be a mixture of both neutralizing and non-neutralizing antibodies. In fact, people infected with COVID-19 can have varying antibody responses. Some may not have enough antibodies in their plasma to benefit another patient, which is why CCP first needs to be tested for neutralizing antibody levels before transfusing, explained Modjarrad. His lab works to understand the mechanism of COVID-19 antibodies to predict the levels required to offer a person protection from the virus.

Transfusing antibodies provides short-term immunity as the donor antibodies last several weeks to months inside the body, said Navy Capt. (Dr.) Todd Gleeson of the Navy Bloodborne Infection Management Center, located at Naval Support Activity Bethesda, Maryland. It is likely that a person with COVID-19 who receives CCP will also still develop their own immune cells and produce antibodies to fight the virus if that person is re-exposed in the future, said Gleeson, who leads a convalescent plasma study of patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center also at NSAB in Bethesda. But scientists just cant confirm that yet. They hope to uncover the answer and many more as they study CCP and COVID-19 antibodies to better treat patients and develop future vaccines.

Military medical treatment facilities will soon take part in an observational study across the Department of Defense to help researchers track trends among patients with COVID-19. The data will help trace recovered patients to ask for CCP donations as the DoD seeks to build a storehouse of CCP for patients admitted to Military Health System facilities and those deployed outside the U.S., explained Army Col. (Dr.) Andrew Cap, director of research at the Army Institute of Surgical Research in San Antonio, Texas. The goal is to build a convalescent plasma capability within the DoD, both on the collection and on the treatment side, said Cap, who helped draft a CCP protocol for the DoD.

Future research may lead to the development of highly concentrated neutralizing antibodies extracted from large quantities of convalescent plasma as a potential therapy for prevention and treatment, added Cap.

Scientists believe monoclonal antibodiesderived from a single immune cellmay also hold potential as both a treatment and preventive measure against COVID-19. Krebs and her team have engineered monoclonal antibodies in the lab by isolating the best neutralizing antibodies from CCP samples to create an army of exact replicas that target the COVID-19 virus down to the atomic level, explained Modjarrad. We know where and how well its going to target, and we know the kinetics of how long it will last in the body and how long it will provide protection, he explained, noting convalescent plasma does not provide that level of effectiveness. CCP is not generally used for prevention but for treatment. Monoclonal antibodies could be used for both treatment and prevention of COVID-19 because the transfused neutralizing antibodies would provide immediate immunity, he added.

Monoclonal antibodies have been in use for decades and revolutionized cancer treatment. Krebs lab plans to expand the research into monoclonal antibodies against COVID-19 into animal studies this summer. Our primary goal is to come up with a treatment for people who have COVID-19, she said.

Anyone able to donate convalescent plasma should contact the Armed Services Blood Program or goonlineto find a complete list of available collection centers.

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Understanding the potential of COVID-19 convalescent plasma - Stripes Japan

Cell Biology

Researchers discover new and improved way to treat poor-prognosis blood cancer – News-Medical.Net

Researchers at Children's Cancer Institute have discovered what could prove a new and improved way to treat the poor-prognosis blood cancer, acute myeloid leukemia or AML.

Unlike acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer, AML is notoriously difficult to cure, often proving resistant to standard treatments. The researchers have been investigating what they believe to be the root cause of treatment resistance, leukemia stem cells, and have now hit upon a new therapeutic approach that works by targeting these cells.

Stem cells are special cells that are not only capable of giving rise to different types of cells, but also of copying themselves indefinitely in a process known as self-renewal. If stem cells in the blood becomes cancerous, they can multiply out of control, causing leukemia. And while ever leukemia stem cells remain in a child's body, that child remains at risk of relapse.

Leukemia stem cells have their own protective mechanisms that make them resistant to anticancer drugs. After chemotherapy, if even one leukemic stem cell is left alive, it can regenerate and the disease can come back."

Dr. Jenny Wang, lead researcher, head of the Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Group

The new treatment approach, published this month in one of the world's leading cancer research journals, Cancer Cell, works by disrupting the ability of leukemia stem cells to self-renew. Specifically, it uses an antibody treatment (anti-RSPO3) to interfere with the interaction between two key molecules thought to drive the self-renewal process.

Using highly specialized laboratory models ? mice growing cancer cells taken directly from patients with AML ? the researchers found that the treatment not only markedly reduced the amount of leukemia, but also prevented new leukemia cells from growing. Importantly, it did not harm healthy stem cells, which children treated for AML need to reconstitute their blood system after treatment.

Best of all, the new targeted therapy has the potential to replace intensive chemotherapy - the cause of serious long-term side effects. Following more preclinical studies, the researchers hope to see the therapy progress to clinical trial and prove effective in children with AML.

"This disease is very tough, and the survival rate is low," says Dr Wang. "We really need to find a cure."

Source:

Journal reference:

Salik, B., et al. (2020) Targeting RSPO3-LGR4 Signaling for Leukemia Stem Cell Eradication in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Cancer Cell. doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2020.05.014.

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Researchers discover new and improved way to treat poor-prognosis blood cancer - News-Medical.Net

Cell Biology

Scientists Uncover Immune Cells That May Help Those Suffering From Allergies and Asthma – SciTechDaily

These microscopic critters are hard to avoid, which means nearly everyone has been exposed.

Study opens up new path to research to fighting allergic diseases.

The world is full of house dust mites. Do some cleaning, and youll probably stir some up. While everyone has immune cells capable of reacting to common allergens like house dust mites, most of us have no allergic symptoms.

Still, many people do react with the typical allergic symptoms: sneezing, a runny nose, and itchy, swollen nasal passages. Others have a much more severe reaction: a life-threatening asthma attack.

To treat the root cause of allergies and asthma, researchers need to know exactly what sets these patients apart from healthy individuals.

In a new Science Immunology study, published on June 12, 2020, scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) offer a clue to why non-allergic people dont have a strong reaction to house dust mites. Theyve uncovered a previously unknown subset of T cells that may control allergic immune reactions and asthma from ever developing in response to house dust mites and other possible allergens.

We discovered new immune cell subsets and new therapeutic opportunities, says Grgory Seumois, Ph.D., instructor and director of LJIs Sequencing Core and co-leader of the new study. This new population of cells could be one, out of many unknown mechanisms, that explains why healthy people dont develop inflammation when they breathe in allergens.

The study highlights the power of unbiased single-cell genomics approaches to uncover novel biology, says LJI Professor Pandurangan Vijayanand, M.D. Ph.D., senior author of the new study.

The study builds on the Vijayanand labs expertise in linking gene expression to disease development. The team also took advantage of the Immune Epitope Database, an LJI-led resource that houses information on how the immune system interacts with allergens like house dust mites.

Why house dust mites? These microscopic critters are hard to avoid, which means nearly everyone has been exposed. Even in people without a house dust mite (HDM) allergy, the immune system is likely to react in some way as it learns to recognize HDM molecules. This makes HDM a useful model for studying what causes allergies and asthma attacks.

The LJI team used a technique part of the genomic revolution arsenal of tools, called single-cell RNA-seq (or single cell transcriptomics) to see exactly which genes and molecules specific T cells produce in response to HDM allergens. They tested cells from four groups of people: people with asthma and HDM allergy, people with asthma but no HDM allergy, people with only HDM allergy, and healthy subjects.

Their analysis suggests that a subset of helper T cells, called interleukin (IL)-9 Th2 expressing HDM-reactive cells, is more prevalent in the blood of people with HDM-allergic asthma compared with those who are only allergic to HDM. Further analysis suggested that those IL9-TH2 cells are enriched in a group of molecules/genes that increased the cytotoxic potential of those cells. In other words, those specific T cells could kill other cells and drive inflammation.

In contrast, another subset of T cells stood out in the non-allergic subjects. These T cells express an interferon response signature and were enriched for a gene that encodes a protein called TRAIL. The work done by Seumois and his colleagues suggest that TRAIL could be important because it could dampen the activation of helper T cells.

This finding may mean that people with this specific cell population could have less T-cell driven inflammation in response to HDM allergens. At last, this could provide a clue to why some people develop allergies and asthma while others do not.

Now if functional studies confirm this dampening effect, were curious if there is a way to boost the activation of these T cells or induce their proliferation in asthmatic or allergic populations, says Seumois. Can we act on those cells very early on, before asthma has developed?

For example, genomics studies like this one may someday help identify children at risk of developing asthma and allergies. Early detection could open the door to preemptively acting on immune cells before development of allergy and asthma.

While Seumois emphasizes that there is much more work to be done, he says the transcriptomic method used for this study could accelerate future asthma and allergy research. This is the first large-scale, single-cell, RNA-seq transcriptomic analysis for LJI, says Seumois. Now that we have developed the bench know-how and analysis pipeline, it could be applied to many diseases.

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Reference: Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of allergen-specific T cells in allergy and asthma by Grgory Seumois, Ciro Ramrez-Sustegui, Benjamin J. Schmiedel, Shu Liang, Bjoern Peters, Alessandro Sette and Pandurangan Vijayanand, 12 June 2020, Science Immunology.DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aba6087

The study, titled Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of allergen-specific T cells in allergy and asthma, was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants U19AI100275, U19AI135731, R01HL114093, S10RR027366 and S10 RR027366) and the William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation

Additional study authors included Ciro Ramrez-Sustegui, Benjamin J. Schmiedel, Shu Liang, Bjoern Peters and Alessandro Sette.

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Scientists Uncover Immune Cells That May Help Those Suffering From Allergies and Asthma - SciTechDaily

Cell Biology

Fantastic Muscle Proteins and Where To Find Them – Technology Networks

Setting out to identify all proteins that make up the sarcomere, the basic contractile unit of muscle cells, resulted in an unexpected revelation, providing experimental evidence that helps explain a fundamental mystery about how muscles work.Researchers at the Max Delbrck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) developed a mouse model that enables them to look inside a working muscle and identify the proteins that allow the sarcomere to contract, relax, communicate its energy needs, and adapt to exercise. Specifically, they were able to map proteins in defined subregions of the sarcomere, starting from the Z-disc, the boundary between neighboring sarcomeres. This in and of itself was a significant step forward in the study of striated muscle.

In the process, they made an unexpected discovery: myosin, one of the three main proteins that make up striated muscle fibers, appears to enter the Z-disc. Models of how myosin, actin and the elastic scaffold protein titin work together have largely ignored the possibility that myosin filaments penetrate the Z-disc structure. Only recently have German scientists theorized that they do, but no experimental evidence has validated the model, until now.

This is going to be unexpected even for myosin researchers, says Professor Michael Gotthardt, who heads MDCs Neuromuscular and Cardiovascular Cell Biology Lab and led the research. It gets to the very basics of how muscles generate force.

Sarcomeres are tiny molecular machines, packed with proteins that tightly interact. Until now it has been impossible to separate proteins specific to the different subregions, especially in live, functioning muscle. Titin-BioID probes specific regions of the sarcomere structure in vivo, says Dr. Philipp Mertins, who heads MDCs Proteomics Lab. This has not been possible before.

The team is the first to use BioID in live animals under physiological conditions and identified 450 proteins associated with the sarcomere, of which about half were already known. They found striking differences between heart and skeletal muscle, and adult versus neonatal mice, which relate to sarcomere structure, signaling and metabolism. These differences reflect the need of adult tissue to optimize performance and energy production versus growth and remodeling in neonatal tissue.

We wanted to know whos there, know who the players are, Gotthardt says. Most were expected, validating our approach.

This so-called sliding filament model of the sarcomere describes force production and helps explain how force and sarcomere length relate. However, current models have trouble predicting the behavior of fully contracted sarcomeres. Those models have assumed myosin does not enter the Z-disc on its walk along actin. There have been some hints that maybe it keeps going. But we didnt know if what we were seeing in stained tissue samples was an artefact or real life, Gotthardt says. With BioID we can sit at the Z-disc and watch myosin pass by.

Gotthardt agrees with the proposed theory that myosin entering the Z-disc can limit or dampen the contraction. This might help solve the ongoing issue scientists have had calculating how much force a muscle fiber can create in relation to its length and lead to a refined model of the sarcomere and possibly serve to protect muscle from excessive contraction.

Gotthardt and his team plan to next use BioID to study animals with different pathologies, to see what proteins are involved in muscle atrophy, for example. Maybe a protein that is not normally there goes into the sarcomere, and it is part of the pathology, Gotthardt says. We can find it with BioID.

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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Fantastic Muscle Proteins and Where To Find Them - Technology Networks

Cell Biology

Bioactive Coating Devices Market Break Down By Leading Companies, Countries, Applications, Challenges, Opportunities And Forecast 2020-2026 – Cole of…

Trusted Business Insights answers what are the scenarios for growth and recovery and whether there will be any lasting structural impact from the unfolding crisis for the Bioactive Coating Devices market.

Trusted Business Insights presents an updated and Latest Study on Bioactive Coating Devices Market 2019-2026. The report contains market predictions related to market size, revenue, production, CAGR, Consumption, gross margin, price, and other substantial factors. While emphasizing the key driving and restraining forces for this market, the report also offers a complete study of the future trends and developments of the market.The report further elaborates on the micro and macroeconomic aspects including the socio-political landscape that is anticipated to shape the demand of the Bioactive Coating Devices market during the forecast period (2019-2029).It also examines the role of the leading market players involved in the industry including their corporate overview, financial summary, and SWOT analysis.

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Global Bioactive Coating Devices Market Analysis Trends, Applications, Analysis, Growth, and Forecast to 2028 is a recent report generated by Trusted Business Insights. The global bioactive coating devices market report has been segmented on the basis of product type, application, material, end user, and region

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Global Bioactive Coating Devices Market: Overview

Blood clotting creates on obstruction for the implantable device to perform and can also result in devices failure which is a major concern among orthopedic and other doctors. Bioactive compounds allow direct bonding of living tissues and osteoconduction. Continuous research and development activities are being carried out in order for the development of new implantable devices that have a thin film of bioactive molecules or drugs. These devices aid in preventing device failure and inflammation and also enhances the integration of the device with the tissues

Global Bioactive Coating Devices Market: Dynamics

Increasing adoption of various implantable medical devices, such as stents, heart valves, etc. in order to improve patients lives, coupled with rising adoption of bioactive coating in order to control the failure of implantable devices is a major factor expected to drive growth of the global bioactive coating devices market

In addition, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as systemic joint, cardiovascular diseases, etc. across the globe, rising government spending on development of healthcare infrastructure, and shifting focus on cell biology and reduction of antimicrobial contamination in order to restrict usage of antibiotics are among other factors expected to further boost the market growth.

However, high cost of R&D activities and lack of infrastructural facilities are some major factors expected to hamper growth of the global bioactive coating market. In addition, stringent government regulations related to product approval is another factor expected to further challenge the growth of the global market.

Increasing investment by major players for technological advancements and R&D activities are expected to create new opportunities in terms of revenue for players operating in the global market over the forecast period. In addition, growing public-private partnership for R&D activities and innovative product offerings is expected to further support growth of the global market to a certain extent.

Global Bioactive Coating Devices Market: Segment

Among the product type segments, the drug-eluting coating segment is expected to dominate in the target market over the forecast period

Among the application segments, the hospital segment is expected to witness moderate growth in the target market over the forecast period

Global Bioactive Coating Devices Market: Region

The market in North American is expected to dominate the global bioactive coating market and is expected to continue its dominance over the forecast period. This dominance can be attributed to well-developed healthcare infrastructure for R&D activities, increasing adoption of implants, favorable reimbursement policies, and the presence of major players operating in the countries in this region. In addition, growing merger and acquisition activities between regional and international players is expected to further support the market growth in this region.

The market in Asia Pacific is expected to witness faster growth, owing to changing regulatory scenario, and the increasing presence of major manufacturers in emerging economies in this region. In addition, increasing government expenditure on the development of healthcare infrastructure is resulting in technological advancements in medical devices by regional players.

Global Bioactive Coating Devices Market Segmentation:

Segmentation by product type

Anti-microbial CoatingsHydrophilic CoatingsDrug Eluting CoatingOthers (including Anti-thrombogenic Coatings)

Segmentation by application

StentsCardiac assist devicesElectrosurgical toolsCochlear and ocular implantsMandrels and moldsCathetersOthers (Elastomeric seals, Needles and epidural probes, Medical electronics)

Segmentation by material

Biological MaterialsCarbon-Based MaterialsMetals and AlloysPolymers and Synthetic

Segmentation by end user

HospitalDiagnostics CentersAmbulatory Surgical CentersClinics

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Bioactive Coating Devices Market Break Down By Leading Companies, Countries, Applications, Challenges, Opportunities And Forecast 2020-2026 - Cole of...

Cell Biology

Covid-19 Lockdown Impact On Global Live Cell Imaging Market Growth and Demand, Projected MarketResearchStore – Cole of Duty

Live Cell Imaging Industry Overview Competitive Analysis, Regional and Global Analysis, Segment Analysis, Market Forecasts 2026

The globalLive Cell Imaging marketshave undergone huge change in the last few months. These changes were due to the outbreak of the pandemic which was first detected in the Wuhan city of China. COVID-19 which has occurred due to the coronavirus has taken many lives of people around the world. As the disease is spreading at a rapid rate many of the countries have ordered lockdown for maintaining social distancing. Due to the lockdown, many of the industries have halted their manufacturing units. There have been restrictions for cross border trading within the countries and also within the states. Owing to these conditions, trading conditions in various regions have been affected badly. The overall countries in the world are facing economic crisis thus affecting some of the major markets in the world.

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The research analysts from theMarket Research Storehave conducted a detailed study about the global Live Cell Imaging market. Owing to the above mentioned conditions, the global Live Cell Imaging market has undergone several changes on the global platform. All these updates are mentioned in the Live Cell Imaging market report study. The research analysts have conducted a thorough primary and secondary research for updating the market statistics as per the current market scenario. The detailed Live Cell Imaging market report is of over 150 pages including more than 30 tables and around 20 figures. The report includes pictorial representations of the market data in order to understand the Live Cell Imaging market in a simple and easy way.

The data that is included about the Live Cell Imaging market incorporates historical data from 2016 to 2019 and forecasts data from 2020 to 2026. The major players that are functioning in the Live Cell Imaging market areBecton, Dickinson and Company (U.S.), PerkinElmer, Inc. (U.S.), Olympus Corporation (Japan), Nikon Corporation (Japan), GE Healthcare (U.K.), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.(U.S.), Sigma Aldrich Corporation (U.S.), Leica Microsystems (Germany), Carl Zeiss. Details about all the market players, distributors, suppliers, and retailers are profiled in the Live Cell Imaging market report.

Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at::http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-live-cell-imaging-market-report-2018-industry-366843

The Live Cell Imaging market is segmented into{Equipment, Consumables}; {Cell Biology, Stem Cells, Developmental Biology, Drug Discovery}. Each of the market segments is described in detail within the report. Data about the segments are represented in both qualitative and quantitative format, thus enabling to understand the market in detail.

Major Advantages for Live Cell Imaging Market:

Well-organized description of the international Live Cell Imaging market along with the ongoing inclinations and future considerations to reveal the upcoming investment areas. The all-inclusive market feasibility is examined to figure out the profit-making trends to obtain the most powerful foothold in the Live Cell Imaging industry. The Live Cell Imaging market report covers data which reveal major drivers, constraints, and openings with extensive impact analysis. The current market is quantitatively reviewed from 2019 to 2028 to pinpoint the monetary competency of the global Live Cell Imaging market. Last but not least, PORTERS Five Forces Analysis shows the effectiveness of the customers and providers from a global perspective.

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Covid-19 Lockdown Impact On Global Live Cell Imaging Market Growth and Demand, Projected MarketResearchStore - Cole of Duty

Cell Biology

Massive proteomics investigation of COVID-19 infection – News-Medical.Net

Researchers from Germany and Switzerland revealed functional effects of individual severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins on cellular level after infection. They placed the findings into the context of host signaling pathways in order to identify vulnerable parts of the virus amenable to treatment. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

The sudden global emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of an ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, prompted the need for an in-depth apprehension of molecular functions of viral proteins and their respective interactions with the host proteome.

Several omics studies have broadened our knowledge of COVID-19 pathophysiology, including some that were focused on proteomic aspects. For example, a comprehensive SARS-CoV-2 human protein-protein interaction map (derived with affinity-purification mass spectrometry) was recently published in the leading scientific journal Nature.

But albeit multi-omics studies (together with structural biology methods) are anticipated to have a fundamental role in the efficient clinical management of this pandemic, systems-level molecular studies of SARS-CoV-2 are hampered by the tremendously contagious nature of the pathogen.

However, there are scientists ready to tackle such challenging research questions. In order to understand the exact way how SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses manipulate the host, a research group from Germany and Switzerland recently characterized proteome, interactome, and signaling processes in a systems-wide manner.

These researchers investigated closely related SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV viruses (the latter being the causative agent of the original SARS outbreak), as well as the influence of SARS-CoV-2 on the proteome, transcriptome, ubiquitinome, and phosphoproteome of a lung-derived human cell line.

More specifically, to acquire information on the concerted activity of viral proteins during the infection, they have infected A549 cells expressing ACE2 receptor with SARS-CoV-2 and characterized the impact of viral infection on RNA transcription, protein abundance, ubiquitination (i.e., bonding of a ubiquitin-protein to a substrate protein) and phosphorylation in a time-resolved manner

"For each viral protein, we mapped the collected data onto the global network of cellular interactions and applied a network diffusion approach," further explain study authors. "Such analysis identifies short links of known protein-protein interactions, signaling and regulation events that connect the interactors of the viral protein with the proteins affected by its expression," they add.

Such an analysis of proteome changes (induced by each viral protein) and consideration of subsequent protein interactions provided direct insights into their functions. Finally, the researchers tested a panel of 48 drugs modifying the pathways perturbed by the virus for their effects on SARS-CoV-2 replication.

The virus-host interaction network that stemmed from this comprehensive research endeavor revealed a myriad of cellular activities intercepted by both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. The systematic proteome and interactome profiling of individual viral proteins opened the door for a deeper understanding of their molecular mechanisms.

More specifically, when SARS-CoV-2 is concerned, this study found that it can interact with specific protein complexes, contributing in turn to a range of biological processes. Moreover, the virus can also target stress response components and DNA damage response mediators.

"Upon virus infection, we observed upregulation of TGF- and EGFR pathways, which modulate cell survival, motility, and innate immune responses," said study authors. "Besides promoting virus replication, activation of these pathways has been implicated in fibrosis, one of the hallmarks of COVID-19", they further emphasize.

According to the drug testing results, B-RAF, JAK1/2, and MAPK inhibitors led to a significant increase of viral growth in the laboratory infection setting; conversely, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, the mTOR inhibitor, or inducers of DNA damage led to the suppression of SARS-CoV-2.

In a nutshell, projecting the obtained data onto the global network of cellular interactions unveiled relationships between the perturbations that arise upon SARS-CoV-2 infection at different layers, but also identified unique and characteristic molecular mechanisms of SARS coronaviruses.

Taken together, the illustrated viral-host protein-protein interactions and pathway regulations that were observed at multiple levels recognize potential areas of SARS-CoV-2 that could be targeted by well-characterized selective antiviral drugs.

"The results highlight the functionality of individual proteins, as well as vulnerability hotspots of SARS-CoV-2, which we targeted with clinically approved drugs", explain study authors. "We exemplify this by identification of kinase inhibitors, as well as matrix metallopeptidase inhibitors with significant antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2", they add.

Furthermore, the drug screen that was pursued in this study demonstrated the value of this type of combined dataset, and further exploration of the interplay between different -omics levels may advance the knowledge of coronavirus biology and pathogenicity.

In conclusion, these results can serve as a base for the intelligent design of combination therapies that target the virus from multiple and synergistic angles, potentiating, in turn, the effect of individual treatments, and minimizing at the same time the side-effects on healthy tissues.

bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

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Massive proteomics investigation of COVID-19 infection - News-Medical.Net