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Pig to Human Transplants May Be Possible In Future
Categories Medical news

Pig to Human Transplants May Be Possible In Future

Author krishna kumar 0 Comments Posted on

Using the genetic cut and paste tool, CRISPR, scientists have moved a step closer to the possibility of pig organ transplants in human beings.

Currently, many people die waiting for the organ transplant due to the dramatic shortage in the availability of compatible organs. Though animals like pigs could act as an unlimited source of such organs, immune incompatibilities and viruses incorporated into the pig genome, called porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs), make this transplantation least likely.

However, scientists at eGenesis, a bioengineering company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have come up with a genetic tool, CRISPR-Cas 9, that cuts the genome at the target points to remove 62 PERVs in pig cells in culture. Injecting these cells into the pig egg cells generated baby pigs that didn’t show any trace of PERVs.
This doesn’t mean that pig organs have become compatible for transplantation in humans; scientists have to work further to change other elements in pig transplants and make them compatible with the human body. Still, the removal of DNA-based viruses in pig organs has raised the chances of their transplantation into human patients one day, a process known as xenotransplantation.

The researchers of the study hope to see the combination of CRISPR technology with anti-apoptosis treatment not only for xenoptransplantation, but for large-scale genome engineering in primary cells.

Vitamin B3 Supplementation During Pregnancy may Prevent Birth Defects in Newborn
Categories Medical news

Vitamin B3 Supplementation During Pregnancy may Prevent Birth Defects in Newborn

Author krishna kumar 0 Comments Posted on

According to a study in Australia, supplementing the diet with Vitamin B3 during pregnancy may treat molecular deficiencies in women and prevent birth defects in the newborn.

Developmental geneticist Sally Dunwoodie, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney, and her team have been studying the genes that influence fetal heart and bone development for over 12 years. They observed gene mutations that affect the production of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) in four families having babies with heart and bone defects. NAD is essential for energy storage and DNA synthesis in cells.

Further study on pregnant mice revealed the use of Vitamin B3 or niacin found in mouse chow for the production of NAD in their bodies. To observe the effects of Vitamin B3, researchers fed a niacin deficient diet to the pregnant mice and observed the pups that were born. Many pups died before birth and those that were born showed birth defects similar to that observed in the human babies.

Next, the researchers fed the pregnant mice with a diet of low-dose niacin and observed a decline in the birth defects of the pups. As the richness of niacin in the diet was increased, the health of the born pups showed improvement.

“Mark my words,” says Sally. “The ramifications of this research are huge. Though more human studies are needed to recommend B3 supplementation for pregnant women, the current research suggests it may help to prevent birth defects in the newborn and reduce the number of miscarriages around the world.”

FDA approves new drug to treat Hepatitis C
Categories Medical news

FDA approves new drug to treat Hepatitis C

Author krishna kumar 0 Comments Posted on

Nearly 2.7 to 3.9 million Americans are suffering from Hepatitis C, a disease that progresses slowly over decades without showing any symptoms unless it causes severe damage to the liver. Without treatment, it can either result in death or liver failure or cancer requiring a liver transplant.

Till now, Hepatitis C was treated with a combination of shots and pills without an effective cure and side-effect of flu-like symptoms. This was followed by pill-only medicines by Gilead in 2013 that brought cure in 12 weeks for more than 90 percent of the patients. However, the cost of treatment was huge (approx. $94,500) and strained the country’s insurance and health schemes.

Considering the scenario, AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, Illinois, has come up with the drug Mavyret, that combines two drugs in one pill and has been approved by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients not improved by prior treatment or in adults without significant liver cirrhosis.
Testing has shown to cure 97.5% patients and 98% patients with severe kidney damage after eight and twelve weeks of treatment respectively.

Mavyret has been priced well below the other approved drugs. “For marketing purpose, the company will initially focus on getting the coverage approved by Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration”, said AbbVie spokesman Morry Smulevitz.

Mavyret is the latest drug that cures all six types of Hepatitis C as compared to the other drugs that treat only one or few types of Hepatitis C in certain stages of the disease.

Stents in Future Heart Surgeries May be Coated With Erectile Dysfunction Drug
Categories Medical news

Stents in Future Heart Surgeries May be Coated With Erectile Dysfunction Drug

Author krishna kumar 0 Comments Posted on

Stents are metal or plastic tubes used in heart surgeries to open the narrowed coronary arteries and keep them so in future. However, bare metal stents cause restenosis or narrowing of the artery again after few years.

Second- and third-generation drug-eluting stents counteract this problem, but can lead to clumping of blood platelets and clot formation near the stent. To overcome this problem, a team of researchers led by Han-Mo Yang, Seoul National University Hospital conducted a study on animals where stents used for heart surgery were coated by the drug phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE 5) inhibitor. The drug was initially developed to treat high blood pressure and patient follow-ups revealed an additional benefit of improvement in erectile dysfunction.

The researchers observed a decline in platelet clotting by 30% and an increase in the activity of the enzyme protein kinase G (PKG). This enzyme is known to prevent thickening and narrowing of arteries after any injury such as stent placement. Placing a stent reduces PKG activity in the body but a stent coated with the drug can increase the activity of PKG enzyme and prevent thickening of the arteries after surgery.

“If these effects are reproduced in human clinical trials, it can be used to coat stents in future heart surgeries or given orally after a stent placement because the efficacy and safety of the drug have already been established for other purposes” explains Yang.

Can Your Heartburn Drugs Cost Your Life
Categories Medical news

Can Your Heartburn Drugs Cost Your Life?

Author krishna kumar 0 Comments Posted on

Millions of people around the globe are taking heartburn and indigestion medications known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). These drugs neutralize the acid in the stomach and are widely prescribed by the physicians, with low doses available even without prescription.

However, Ziyad Al-Aly, an epidemiologist from the University of Washington and co-author of a study said, “We saw a small excess risk of dying that could be attributed to the PPI drug, and the risk increased the longer anyone takes them. The risk is also higher in those who take the drug unnecessarily.”

The team of researchers followed 350,000 American participants of different age and sex for five years and compared those taking PPIs with those taking another acid suppressant like H2 blocker. The individual condition of the participant like high blood pressure or HIV was also taken into account.

The results revealed a 25% higher risk of death in those who took PPIs than those who took H2 blocker; 15% higher risk than those not taking PPIs and 23% higher risk than those not taking any acid suppressant.

Gareth Corbett, a gastroenterologist from Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge cautioned against the panic created by this study, as he believes in the effectiveness of PPIs in controlling bleeding in gastric ulcers.

However, Corbett and the researchers agreed on the use of PPIs only when necessary and advised patients to stop using them when not required, after consulting the physician.

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