Research on mouse models targets new ‘checkpoint’ that enables cancer stem cells to evade immune system
UCLA School of Dentistry
Head and neck cancer stem cells (red) expressing the CD276 gene (green) are found in high proportions at the periphery of tumor bodies; CD276 provides protection against cancer-fighting T cells to stem cells and interior tumor cells (blue). Brianna Aldrich |
May 3, 2021
Researchers from the UCLA School of Dentistry have discovered a key molecule that allows cancer stem cells to bypass the body’s natural immune defenses, spurring the growth and spread of head and neck squamous cell cancers. Their study, conducted in mice, also demonstrates that inhibiting this molecule derails cancer progression and helps eliminate these stem cells.
April 22, 2021
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Over the course of the pandemic, Los Angeles County has confirmed 1.18 million Covid-19 cases. But close to 40% of the population may have actually been infected already, said Shira Shafir, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. That isn’t high enough for herd immunity, but may have left a large chunk of population not susceptible to the virus. … “I think for right now, until we get more of the population vaccinated and approach more towards herd immunity, we always have a certain level of risk of outbreak and additional surges,” said Johnese Spisso, chief executive of the UCLA Hospital System.
Part human, part monkey: Scientists engineer hybrid embryo in effort to grow organs
By Chris Williams
A team of international scientists have created a part-human part-monkey embryo in China.
You may be wondering why scientists would create a part-human part-monkey embryo and you’re not alone.
An international team of scientists said they created hybrid embryos, or chimeras, to see if they could grow organs for people who need transplants. They published their findings in the medical journal, Cell.
The group assembled in China and injected 25 induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS, from humans into embryos from macaque monkeys. According to the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center, iPS are skin and blood cells that have been taken and reprogrammed to develop into any type of human cell needed for medical purposes. The cells can then be used to treat a variety of health issues including diabetes, leukemia or neurological disorders.
CRISPR gene therapy for sickle cell disease approved by the FDA
Appeared in BioNews 1090
A clinical trial for a new gene therapy approach to treat sickle cell disease has been approved to proceed by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Patients with sickle cell disease have a mutation in the beta-haemoglobin gene, causing them to produce misshapen red blood cells that can block blood vessels leading to severe pain, anaemia and potentially life-threatening complications, such as organ damage and strokes. Currently, the only cure is a stem cell transplant from a healthy donor, but in the newly-approved trial, scientists from the University of California will use CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to replace the faulty gene with a functional version.
March 31, 2021
UCLA In the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription to view. See more UCLA In the News.
Journalists tend to focus on the person who perpetuates an act of violence and to figure out motivation behind it, according to Grace Kyungwon Hong, the director of the UCLA Center for the Study of Women and a professor of gender studies and Asian American studies. “That contributes to giving the perpetrators a sense of interiority and a sense of them as complex people with motivations, whereas the people who suffer from that violence are rendered unknowable and invisible,” Hong said.