CAL POLY HITS THE BIG-TIME

I'm back from Borrego, and never saw Split Mountain

I don’t exactly what to think of this development.   Apparently bio-scientists have been striving for years to devise a way to produce proteins without the use of cells.  They call this “cell free protein synthesis” (CFPS).  Apparently the old fashioned way – kidnap a bacterium (usually E. coli), jigger its DNA to produce the protein you want, feed it nutrient and put it to work, - is too slow and expensive.  Now people at Cal Poly, San Louis Obispo, have devised a means of creating the stuff in a test tube, quick and dirty.  The method is explained by the usual incomprehensible fancy, colored diagram.

Being able to access experimental and/or therapeutic proteins easily and inexpensively no doubt is a significant boon to medical science.  I am a bit worried by their claim that the method is so simple that it can be utilized in a high school chem lab, though.  It CFPS had been available in 1949, no doubt my friends and I would have made something to turn all the   girls’ hair green.  But I guess that kids nowadays are way too sophisticated for anything like that.   

I note with grinding jaws that this work was done by scientists at Cal Poly, SLO.  For ever since I can remember I have been aware that my university, WWU, rates near the top of “Western Regional Universities”.  In fact it usually comes in second – topped only by Cal Poly.  I’m afraid the gap remains huge.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-02/cpsu-smm022519.php#content 

IT BEGINS TO HIT THE FAN

ALASKA  PICNIC

Well, I told you this would be big news.  It turns out that the gene Dr. He deleted in the two Chinese girls, Lulu and Nana, not only enables humans to contract AIDS – removing it in mice make the little critters smarter!  They learn quicker, and they have better memories.

So get ready for President of the World Lulu, and head of all Organized Religion Nana.  “Tis a fascinating new world my descendants will live to see

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612997/the-crispr-twins-had-their-brains-altered/ 

I am packing away this computer and heading home – into another snow storm.

WELCOME PROGRESS

                          Finnegan and furry friend

Among the professions I most happily avoided, way up near the top of the list is pediatric oncology.  It appears that many childhood cancers are unlike those we adults are likely to get, and. moreover are unusually difficult to cure.  Thus it is that, with a broad smile and little whoop of joy, I can tell you about some significant progress:

https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2019/car-t-cell-childhood-cancers?cid=eb_govdel

The experimenters here, now at Stanford, have used CAR T to create a plug that stuffs up receptors of a certain kind (read the link – it’s short) that are displayed on the surface of cancer cells.  So far this method has worked only for leukemia and lymphoma (blood cancers), but now evidence (e.g., myriads of dead mice) suggests that it may work on solid tumors, including many found in children.  This particular therapy may also help with ovarian cancer and multiple myeloma.

As an aside: when cancer finally is eliminated and a grateful humanity erects a monument to that wonderful accomplishment – it better damned well contain a marble replica of a mouse!

WILL WONDERS NEVER CEASE?

MY VALENTINE

Will wonders never cease?

https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2019/01/19/adding-new-dna-letters-make-novel-proteins-possible

These people in white coats almost scare me sometimes.  Like now.

You know how we work, right?  Our  blueprint, called the DNA molecule, is nothing more than a long string of organic molecules of a sort called nucleic acids.  Although I guess lots of different configurations of nucleic acid is possible, nature uses only four, with unfamiliar names universally abbreviated a, c, g, and t.  These things are arranged like rungs on a twisted ladder – the famous double helix – with a paring with t, and of course g with c.  If the body needs some proteins for any purpose, a segment of DNA (a “gene”) is transcribed onto another molecule, much like DNA, called RNA.  This messenger RNA then is processed by an incredibly complicated organic molecule called a ribosome.  The ribosome “reads” the RNA in groups of three (a “codon”) and thus is directed to attach another complicated organic molecule (an amino acid) to a growing chain if amino acids (a polypeptide chain) which constitutes a protein.  Proteins do everything worth doing inside us, and even some things that are not worth doing.

But you knew all that.

With only four nucleic acids, and codons of three “letters”, 64 amino acids should be possible, but because of duplications and other matters only 20 actually are manufactured.  Now, however, some smart people at UC, La Jolla, have fabricated two new nucleic acids – they call them X and Y – and, moreover, succeeded in inserting them into the DNA of the bacterium E. coli.   This should give a total of 216 possible codon combinations, and Heaven knows how many new amino acids.  So, stick X and Y in the genetic code, and out must pop proteins never before seen slithering about!  Old fossil that I am, that sort of scares me.

To their credit, these La Jolla people have put their work to use in improving the usefulness of the famous immunotherapeutic drug Interleukin 2.  Good for them.  They have started a spin-off company to handle this aspect of their work.  May they make lots of money.

STEM CELLS TO THE RESCUE.......AGAIN?

SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO

More dead mice.  More raised hopes.  These guys have trained stem cells to glom onto cancer cells, and – if a cell-destroying molecule is attached – kill ‘em.  Works for breast and ovarian cancer, at least somewhat.  I guess I should be enthusiastic, but after six years of reading this stuff I appear to have become a just bit cynical.  But, anyway – be aware. 

https://ovariancancernewstoday.com/2019/01/23/researchers-use-stem-cells-to-produce-cancer-targeting-antibodies/?utm_source=Ovarian+Cancer+News+Today&utm_campaign=9359403835-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_36b36b35d2-9359403835-72371449 

TREATMENT OF EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER

Linda and Amanda

NCI keeps on revising their literature, no doubt to keep lots of liberal arts college graduates off welfare.  Here is the latest on the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer, the most prevalent OVCA and also the most deadly.  May you never need to know this stuff!

https://www.cancer.gov/types/ovarian/patient/ovarian-epithelial-treatment-pdq