#crispr

"A patient with type 1 diabetes has become the first in the world to produce his own insulin via transplanted cells edited with CRISPR.

The edits halted his own immune system from attacking the cells, leading to production of insulin in the pancreas as if he never had the disease in the first place.

Unlike the rampant type 2 diabetes, type 1 manifests as an autoimmune disorder whereby the patient’s immune system attacks and destroys a type of cell created in the pancreas to produce insulin, known as islet cells. 9.5 million people worldwide suffer from type 1 diabetes and there is no cure.

The standard of care beyond daily insulin injections involves using donated islet cells to allow a patient’s metabolism to function normally, followed by medications used to prevent the immune system from attacking those cells. These medications have harmful side effects.

A team of biomedical researchers primarily from Uppsala University, Sweden, in collaboration with UC San Francisco, successfully used the CRISPR gene-editing method to take a donor’s islet cells and modify them so as to evade prosecution by the patient’s immune system.

Three changes in total to the genetic code were needed to ensure the transplanted donor cells didn’t trigger an immune response, including changes to cell membrane signal proteins used as a sign of attack by white blood cells.

CRISPR TO THE RESCUE:

Infant With Incurable Disease is First to Successfully Receive Personalized Gene Therapy Treatment

Aggressive Leukemia Disappears in 13-Year-old Girl Who was First to Receive New CRISPR Treatment

First Patient to Receive Gene Therapy ‘Cure’ for Beta-Thalassemia Living Pain-Free

As a preliminary study, the man received only a small amount of the donated, modified cells, meaning he still requires daily insulin injections. However the results show that the cells produced their own insulin and remained unperturbed by the immune system.

After 12 weeks, the cells were still producing endogenous insulin, setting the stage for longer-term and more robust experiments in the future.

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine."

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735! (Or check out my new(ly repurposed) Patreon!)

1. Thai tiger numbers swell as prey populations stabilize in western forests

“The tiger population density in a series of protected areas in western Thailand has more than doubled over the past two decades, according to new survey data. […] The most recent year of surveys, which concluded in November 2023, photographed 94 individual tigers, up from 75 individuals in the previous year, and from fewer than 40 in 2007. […] A total of 291 individual tigers older than 1 year were recorded, as well as 67 cubs younger than 1 year.”

2. Work starts to rewild former cattle farm

“Ecologists have started work to turn a former livestock farm into a nature reserve [… which] will become a "mosaic of habitats" for insects, birds and mammals. [… R]ewilding farmland could benefit food security locally by encouraging pollinators, improving soil health and soaking up flood water. [… “N]ature restoration doesn't preclude food production. We want to address [food security] by using nature-based solutions."”

3. Harnessing ‘invisible forests in plain view’ to reforest the world

“[… T]he degraded land contained numerous such stumps with intact root systems capable of regenerating themselves, plus millions of tree seeds hidden in the soil, which farmers could simply encourage to grow and reforest the landscape[….] Today, the technique of letting trees resprout and protecting their growth from livestock and wildlife [… has] massive potential to help tackle biodiversity loss and food insecurity through resilient agroforestry systems. [… The UN’s] reported solution includes investing in land restoration, “nature-positive” food production, and rewilding, which could return between $7 and $30 for every dollar spent.”

4. California bars school districts from outing LGBTQ+ kids to their parents

“Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the SAFETY Act today – a bill that prohibits the forced outing of transgender and gay students, making California the first state to explicitly prohibit school districts from doing so. […] Matt Adams, a head of department at a West London state school, told PinkNews at the time: “Teachers and schools do not have all the information about every child’s home environment and instead of supporting a pupil to be themselves in school, we could be putting them at risk of harm.””

5. 85% of new electricity built in 2023 came from renewables

“Electricity supplied by renewables, like hydropower, solar, and wind, has increased gradually over the past few decades — but rapidly in recent years. [… C]lean energy now makes up around 43 percent of global electricity capacity. In terms of generation — the actual power produced by energy sources — renewables were responsible for 30 percent of electricity production last year. […] Along with the rise of renewable sources has come a slowdown in construction of non-renewable power plants as well as a move to decommission more fossil fuel facilities.”

6. Deadly cobra bites to "drastically reduce" as scientists discover new antivenom

“After successful human trials, the snake venom antidote could be rolled out relatively quickly to become a "cheap, safe and effective drug for treating cobra bites" and saving lives around the globe, say scientists. Scientists have found that a commonly used blood thinner known as heparin can be repurposed as an inexpensive antidote for cobra venom. […] Using CRISPR gene-editing technology […] they successfully repurposed heparin, proving that the common blood thinner can stop the necrosis caused by cobra bites.”

7. FruitFlow: a new citizen science initiative unlocks orchard secrets

“"FruitWatch" has significantly refined phenological models by integrating extensive citizen-sourced data, which spans a wider geographical area than traditional methods. These enhanced models offer growers precise, location-specific predictions, essential for optimizing agricultural planning and interventions. […] By improving the accuracy of phenological models, farmers can better align their operations with natural biological cycles, enhancing both yield and quality.”

8. July 4th Means Freedom for Humpback Whale Near Valdez, Alaska

“The NOAA Fisheries Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline received numerous reports late afternoon on July 3. A young humpback whale was entangled in the middle of the Port of Valdez[….] “The success of this mission was due to the support of the community, as they were the foundation of the effort,” said Moran. [… Members of the community] were able to fill the critical role of acting as first responders to a marine mammal emergency. “Calling in these reports is extremely valuable as it allows us to respond when safe and appropriate, and also helps us gain information on various threats affecting the animals,” said Lyman.”

9. Elephants Receive First of Its Kind Vaccine

“Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus is the leading cause of death for Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) born in facilities in North America and also causes calf deaths in the wild in Asia. A 40-year-old female received the new mRNA vaccine, which is expected to help the animal boost immunity[….]”

10. Conservation partners and Indigenous communities working together to restore forests in Guatemala

“The K’iche have successfully managed their natural resources for centuries using their traditional governing body and ancestral knowledge. As a result, Totonicapán is home to Guatemala’s largest remaining stand of conifer forest. […] EcoLogic has spearheaded a large-scale forest restoration project at Totonicapán, where 13 greenhouses now hold about 16,000 plants apiece, including native cypresses, pines, firs, and alders. […] The process begins each November when community members gather seeds. These seeds then go into planters that include upcycled coconut fibers and mycorrhizal fungi, which help kickstart fertilization. When the plantings reach about 12 inches, they’re ready for distribution.”

Discursão política e religiosa não pode passar por cima da lógica e da razão científica e metafísica que nos é apresentada pelos mecanismos invisíveis, então respeitem o código genético quando ele diz que um organismo não pertence a um gênero definitivo, a mutação é uma regra fundamental da existência e não há nada definitivo no universo, então a transexualidade é uma mutação na qual um gênero transfere suas características para outro gênero, se uma pessoa passa por um processo onde os cromossomos são alterados conferindo características genômicas do gênero oposto para o mesmo organismo, isso é uma mutação, talvez a ciência ainda não consigo fazer o processo completo, mas a mutação é possível sim, e sim um homem pode se tornar 100% mulher, tanto quanto aquele organismo que já nasceu com os cromossomos femininos dominantes, isso não é nada para a natureza, é apenas uma questão de tempo e evolução.

Link to the paper here.

Link to an audio version here.

Visualing Function

Here, imaging-based CRISPR screening of the genome (to mutate genes of interest), allows cell-regulating molecules and modifications to be revealed in live and fixed cells. Primary cilia – whiskery functional projections found on most cell types – are studied here as a proof of concept and several previously unknown ciliary regulators identified and characterised, such as microprotein TZMP1. Shown are tadpole skin cells with cilia – left, unmanipulated and right, after CRISPR-targeting the gene encoding TZMP1

Read the published research article here

Video from work by Jingbo Sun and colleagues

Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

Video contributed by the authors and originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Developmental Cell, November 2025

Scientists from Vilnius University's (VU) Life Sciences Center (LSC) have discovered a unique way for cells to silence specific genes without cutting DNA. This research, led by Prof. Patrick Pausch and published in the journal Nature Communications, reveals a new way to silence genes that is akin to pressing a "pause" button on certain genetic instructions within cells. The research team, including doctoral student Rimvydė Čepaitė, Dr. Aistė Skorupskaitė, undergraduate Gintarė Žvejyte and Prof. Pausch at Vilnius University, working alongside an international team, uncovered how cells use a specific system to locate and silence unwanted DNA. This system, which could eventually enable safer gene modifications, shows promise for repairing faulty genes that cause diseases.

So at one point we get to speaking of CRISpR where everyone was pretty much against it and I got dragged in the mud because someone said "and they want to make glow-in-the-dark rabbits. what is that for??"

And then my inner child took over me and I said "that'd be so cool!!!" and for the next 5 minutes it was a rain of arguments about why I don't respect animal autonomy and apparently I'm a libertarian.

But no-one in the group mentioned the upsides if this technology and mostly just argued it was another way to exert control over nature.

So I did bring up that CRISPR would allow for a cure to genetic illnesses. The response was that that "There wouldn't be those illnesses in the first place if it weren't for industrialization. And we'd only be creating more problems by using it as a treatment"

At the moment I didn't know how to respond but by know I'd reply that it's a narrow way to see the innovations brought about by the dumpster fire of modernity under capitalism.

First, I don't buy that degenerative conditions were brought about just by modernity. But most importantly, nothing gets fixed by eschewing solutions to problems we did create as a society.