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Some Parents don’t vaccinate their Children, and why they should stop behaving like a Clown.

“To edit or not?”- the dilemma around CRISPR

Inova Translational Medicine Institute Partners with Cloudera to Advance Genome-Based Machine Learning Initiatives and Save Lives.

INVOKANA™ (canagliflozin) Significantly Reduces the Combined Risk of Cardiovascular Death, Myocardial Infarction and Stroke in the CANVAS Program.

Future Health Index Commissioned by Philips Reveals Singaporeans Underestimate Adoption of Connected Care Technology, and Highlights Need for More Focus on Preventive Healthcare.

Singaporeans’ Pain Costs Economy USD 6.2 billion Each Year.

Vetter and Microdermics Enter into a Strategic Cooperation Agreement to Develop Innovative Microneedle Drug Delivery Systems.

Merck Awarded its First CRISPR Patent by Australian Patent Office.

Zebra Boosts Healthcare Portfolio with New Visibility Solutions and Partnership with GE Healthcare.

High-throughput brain imaging institute to be set up in Suzhou.

Breakthrough in pig-to-human organ transplant.

Scientists identify central neural circuit for itch sensation.

Silk-based wearable body sensors developed by Tsinghua researchers.

First AI-assisted treatment center in Hefei city.

China moves higher in Global Innovation Index.

Belt and Road Initiative: China helps Tajikistan tackle grassland degradation.

Gardasil 9 supply running short in Hong Kong.

New brain science center launched in Shanghai.

Haier Group invests in cell technology park in Chengyang, Qingdao.

Number of immuno-oncology trials in China surge by more than 50 per cent in 2016 and 2017.

Medical instrument developed in Guangzhou to culture stem cells automatically.

Tianjin University makes breakthrough in synthetic genome rearrangement.

New method Tild-CRISPR yield higher gene knock-in efficiency in mouse and human cells.

CRISPR gene-editing not as precise as thought, warns of safety risks

Insomnia spreads among young Chinese

African swine fever virus isolated in Northeast China

China launches new stem cell clinic programs

Protein in human body could inhibit progress of HIV

Chinese HEV vaccine begin clinical trial in U.S.

New screening method for early diagnosis of liver cancer in hepatitis B carriers

Merck collaborates with GenScript to accelerate cell and gene therapy industrialisation in China

Shineco expands to capture industrial cannabis market

Research from XJTLU advances RNA modification mapping

The following topics are under this section:

• ASIA-PACIFIC — Predisposition of age-related muscle loss among elderly with Type 2 Diabetes.
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Unravelling the Mystery of Ankylosing Spondylitis
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Improving Mental Health through Mindfulness Training
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Strengthening international collaboration to combat the next global health threat
• ASIA-PACIFIC — DNA repair in human cells by Class 1 CRISPR gene editing system
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Visualization of Dengue in Vietnam
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Elucidation of Thermal Bleaching of Coral Reefs by Internal Waves
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Understanding the genetic effects of disease manifestation by RNA editing
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Contributory effects of each brain cell type in development of Alzheimer’s Disease
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Mobile Health Programme for better Type 2 Diabetes patient outcomes
• REST OF THE WORLD — Successful delivery of Glioblastoma drug across Blood-Brain Barrier in mice models
• REST OF THE WORLD — Prescription drugs for children with chronic kidney disease may be toxic to kidneys
• REST OF THE WORLD — Recommendation for preventive drug-of-choice for post-menopausal women
• REST OF THE WORLD — Study shows students who are able to manage emotions perform better in school

Revolutionary in scope and application, the CRISPR Cas9 endonuclease system can be guided by 20-nt single guide RNA (sgRNA) to any complementary loci on the double-stranded DNA. Once the target site is located, Cas9 can then cleave the DNA and introduce mutations. Despite the power of this system, sgRNA is highly susceptible to off-target homologous attachment and can consequently cause Cas9 to cleave DNA at off-target sites. In order to better understand this flaw in the system, the human genome and Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) were used in a mathematical and computational study to analyze the probabilities of potential sgRNA off-target homologies. It has been concluded that off-target sites are nearly unavoidable for large-size genomes, such as the human genome. Backed by mathematical analysis, a viable solution is the double-nicking method which has the promise for genome editing specificity. Also applied in this study was a computational algorithm for off-target homology search that was implemented in Java to confirm the mathematical analysis.

CRISPR-Cas9 is a revolutionary genome-editing tool. Understanding how Cas9 recognizes DNA and how to control its function will be critical in improving the system. We used single-molecule FRET to elucidate a key validation step during DNA target recognition. We also used X-ray crystallography to show how a Cas9 inhibitor is able to permit DNA binding but prevent cleavage. Finally, CRISPR research is notable not just for the exciting applications, but also for its profound ethical implications.

Molecular biologists today make use of a number of technologies based on natural products or systems, essentially using the wonders of life to further discover wonderous things about life. This cycle is powered by the immense amount of natural diversity. Here I highlight how one natural system, CRISPR, has been engineered for a range of applications aimed at improving human health and discuss possible ways natural diversity may be leveraged in the future.

Human arylamine N-acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) is one of the two functional NATs in humans that acetylate primary arylamine and hydrazine xenobiotics. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests NAT1 may have an important physiological role in the cell in addition to its seemingly secondary role in xenobiotic metabolism. Specifically, roles in folate homeostasis, epigenetic regulation of gene expression, cell growth and survival, and cancer cell invasion and metastasis have been proposed. This chapter discusses the current evidence linking NAT1 to physiological processes and cancer cell biology, as well as its potential as a diagnostic/prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

CRISPR-Cas9 is a revolutionary genome-editing tool. Understanding how Cas9 recognizes DNA and how to control its function will be critical in improving the system. We used single-molecule FRET to elucidate a key validation step during DNA target recognition. We also used X-ray crystallography to show how a Cas9 inhibitor is able to permit DNA binding but prevent cleavage. Finally, CRISPR research is notable not just for the exciting applications, but also for its profound ethical implications.