Cell Guidance Systems Blog

Inflammation is critical for maintaining health, but, paradoxically, can also generate disease: Chronic inflammation is strongly associated with the development of cancer and is also a key driver of the ageing process. In addition, auto-immune diseases, of which there are very many, are debilitating and can lead to high rates of morbidity and mortality. Drugs that are able to specifically target the damaging aspects inflammatory responses whilst leaving critical functions intact can be hugely successful.

Why do some people fall seriously ill and die with Covid whilst others are asymptomatic? A remarkable characteristic of Covid-19 is the way it affects individuals so differently: Around 40% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are asymptomatic. A further 40% experience mild, upper respiratory tract symptoms. The remaining 20% develop pneumonia, of which 10% will become hypoxic, leading to critical illness in around 3%. In addition to age, sex and underlying health issues, the ability to deploy key immunomodulatory cytokines has emerged as an important risk factor for mortality.

The calorie-rich environment of the modern world is leading to poorer diets for many people. Excess calories contribute to inflammation throughout the body, early-onset of age-related diseases/mortality and a shorter life expectancy. Extreme calorie restriction, 50% below recommended daily limits, may increase lifespan beyond current levels. However, for many people, this is not a price worth paying. Can drugs allow us to achieve greater longevity without severe calorie restriction?

Diseases that primarily affect the brain, often resulting in dementia, are some of the most prevalent, devastating, and yet poorly treated of all diseases. Despite advances in our knowledge of basic neurosciences, the failure rate for new drugs targeting important central nervous system (CNS) diseases still exceeds most other areas of drug discovery. A significant barrier to drug development for these diseases is presented by the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

Ultracentrifugation is often described as the “gold standard” to isolate or purify extracellular vesicles (EVs) including exosomes. Now, a collaborative EV study led by researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina, has shown that for purification of EVs from urine samples, this gold standard can be improved with a simple modification.

In addition to substrate elasticity (durotaxis) and chemical gradients (chemotaxis), which we explored in previous blog articles, surface topography also impacts cell movement and behavior. Cells develop and function embedded within in a highly complex, and evolving, extracellular matrix (ECM) environment. Various biochemical and biophysical ECM cellular cues and their subsequent cell responses shape the development and homeostasis of tissues. An important component of this extracellular environment, governing cell function and behaviour, is the differing micro-/nanotopographical features.

In a previous article about durotaxis, we discussed how cell movements can be guided by elasticity cues at the cell-substrate interface. Here, we focus on the process of cell migration following biochemical cues and the clinical benefits promised by this developing area of research.

The distinction between peptides and proteins is not always apparent, but it is important to understand. Peptides and proteins are, indeed, fundamentally the same, each being composed of amino acids held together by peptide bonds. However, fundamental differences between proteins and peptides go beyond an arbitrary length threshold. Look closer and they differ in structure, function, and therapeutic use.

Since as early as the 1990s, a myriad of AI-driven healthcare technology has successfully reached the market. Perhaps one of most astounding—and maybe slightly unsettling—inventions of all involves the development of Xenobots, a new class of synthetic organisms that blur the lines between the physical, digital and biological worlds.

A recent paper exploring the use of optimized virus like particles (VLPs) to deliver base editing proteins has shown impressive levels of efficacy and, importantly, low levels of off-target activity in mouse models of therapy for brain, eye and liver disease.