Medical Bulletin 9/March/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Study reveals limitations in evaluating gene editing technology in human embryos

A commonly used scientific method to analyze a tiny amount of DNA in early human embryos fails to accurately reflect gene edits. This is in accordance to a new research led by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University.

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, involved sequencing the genomes of early human embryos that had undergone genome editing using the gene-editing tool CRISPR. The work calls into question the accuracy of a DNA-reading procedure that relies on amplifying a small amount of DNA for purposes of genetic testing.

Reference:

Study reveals limitations in evaluating gene editing technology in human embryos, Nature Communications; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36820-6

New pain medications are still widely inaccessible to individuals living with sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease (SCD), a rare chronic, progressive, life-threatening, inherited blood disorder, often affects individuals with chronic pain that can be debilitating to their quality of life. Yet less than 4% of people living with SCD who experience chronic pain episodes have prescriptions for newer FDA-approved pain-relieving drugs, according to a new study published in Blood Advances. Further, researchers found that less than a third of patients with pain episodes have prescriptions for hydroxyurea, a drug commonly taken to reduce pain caused by sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease affects more than 100,000 Americans and an estimated 100 million persons worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Sickle cell disease affects one out of every 365 Black or African American births and one out of every 16,300 Hispanic American births.

Reference:

New pain medications are still widely inaccessible to individuals living with sickle cell disease, JOURNAL: Blood Advance

Discovery of T cells’ role in Alzheimer’s, related diseases, suggests new treatment strategy

Nearly two dozen experimental therapies targeting the immune system are in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease, a reflection of the growing recognition that immune processes play a key role in driving the brain damage that leads to confusion, memory loss and other debilitating symptoms.

Many of the immunity-focused Alzheimer’s drugs under development are aimed at microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, which can injure brain tissue if they’re activated at the wrong time or in the wrong way. A new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that microglia partner with another type of immune cell - T cells - to cause neurodegeneration.

Reference:

Discovery of T cells’ role in Alzheimer’s, related diseases, suggests new treatment strategy; Nature; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05788-0