Knowledge Update

Seoul, Feb 17 (IANS) Researchers have found that gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 can be delivered directly into the eye to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an advance that may pave way for a new therapy for non-hereditary degenerative diseases.

It is estimated that almost one in every ten persons over 65 has some signs of AMD -- a form of blindness which causes distorted vision and blind spots. 

In the study, scientists used CRISPR-Cas9 to perform "gene surgery" in the layer of tissue that supports the retina of living mice. 

"We believe that this is a new therapeutic modality for the treatment of non-hereditary degenerative diseases," said Kim Jeong-Hun, Professor at Seoul National University in South Korea.

The most common retinopathies causing blindness are 'retinopathy of prematurity' in children, 'diabetic retinopathy' and 'AMD' in older adults. 

In these diseases, abnormally high levels of a protein called Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) are secreted which leads to leakages of blood and fluid into the eye, damaging an area at the centre of the retina called macula.

Currently, injections of anti-VEGF drugs are the most common treatment against AMD. 

"The injections tackle the effects, but not the main cause of the problem. By editing the VEGF gene, we can achieve a longer-term cure," added Kim Jin-Soo, Director of the Center for Genome Engineering at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in South Korea.

The CRISPR-Cas9 system works by cutting DNA at a target site, inside the VEGF gene. 

For the study, published in the journal Genome Research, the team injected the pre-assembled CRISPR-Cas9 complex into the eyes of a mice model.

They found that the delivering CRISPR-Cas9 complex was more efficient, modified only the VEGF gene and did not affect other genes.

Washington, Feb 17 (IANS) In line with its shift in focus from low-Earth orbit to deep space missions, NASA has selected proposals for the creation of two multi-disciplinary, university-led research institutes that will focus on the development of technologies critical to extending human presence deeper into our solar system.

The new institutes will advance NASA's aim of developing technologies that will allow long-duration mission crews to manufacture the products they need, rather than relying on the current practice of resupply missions from Earth.

The new Space Technology Research Institutes (STRIs) created under these proposals will bring together researchers from various disciplines and organisations to collaborate on the advancement of cutting-edge technologies in bio-manufacturing and space infrastructure.

The goal is to create Earth-independent, self-sustaining exploration mission capabilities, NASA said in a statement.

"NASA is establishing STRIs to research and exploit cutting-edge advances in technology with the potential for revolutionary impact on future aerospace capabilities," said Steve Jurczyk, Associate Administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate in Washington.

"These university-led, multi-disciplinary research programs promote the synthesis of science, engineering and other disciplines to achieve specific research objectives with credible expected outcomes within five years," Jurczyk added.

Each STRI will receive up to $15 million over the five-year period of performance, said NASA .

​London, Feb 17 (IANS) Treating schizophrenia patients with high-dose B-vitamins -- including B6, B8 and B12 -- supplements may significantly reduce symptoms of the mental disorder that affects nearly one per cent of the population more than standard treatments alone, researchers suggest.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves.

The findings showed that B-vitamin interventions which used higher dosages or combined several vitamins were consistently effective for reducing psychiatric symptoms, whereas those which used lower doses were ineffective.

"Looking at all of the data from clinical trials of vitamin and mineral supplements for schizophrenia to date, we can see that B vitamins effectively improve outcomes for some patients," said lead author Joseph Firth from University of Manchester in Britain. 

Currently, treatments are based around the administration of antipsychotic drugs.

Although patients typically experience remission of symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions within the first few months of treatment, long-term outcomes are poor and 80 per cent of patients relapse within five years.

B-vitamin supplements were also found most beneficial when implemented early on, as B-vitamins were most likely to reduce symptoms when used in patients with shorter illness durations.

"High-dose B-vitamins may be useful for reducing residual symptoms in people with schizophrenia," Firth added. 

For the study, published in Psychological Medicine, the team carried out a meta-analysis that identified 18 clinical trials with a combined total of 832 patients receiving antipsychotic treatment for schizophrenia.

"The study builds on existing evidence of other food-derived supplements, such as certain amino-acids, been beneficial for people with schizophrenia," noted co-author Jerome Sarris, Professor at Western Sydney University in Australia.

Wellington, Feb 17 (IANS) Zealandia -- a lost continent submerged in the southwest Pacific -- is a step closer to being recognised, the authors of a new scientific paper have claimed.

A paper published in GSA Today, the journal of the Geological Society of America, contends that the vast, continuous expanse of continental crust, which centres on New Zealand, is distinct enough to constitute a separate continent, the Guardian reported.

The paper's authors argued that the incremental way in which it came to light goes to show that even "the large and the obvious in natural science can be overlooked".

Zealandia covers nearly 5 million sq. km, of which 94 per cent is under water, and encompasses not only New Zealand but also New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, the Lord Howe Island group and Elizabeth and Middleton reefs.

The area, about the same size as the Indian subcontinent, is believed to have broken away from Gondwana -- the immense landmass that once encompassed Australia -- and sank between 60 and 85 million years ago.

"This is a big piece of ground we're talking about, even if it is submerged," said Nick Mortimer, a New Zealand geologist who co-authored the paper.

Geologists have argued in favour of Zealandia being recognised as its own continent intermittently over the past 20 years.

Zealandia would be the world's seventh and smallest continent, after Eurasia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, and Australia. 

New York, Feb 16 (IANS) Have you ever thought of having a Tablet that can be stretched from small to a large size, or a wallpaper that turns a wall into an electronic display? This imagination may soon be a future reality.

Engineering researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) have developed the first stretchable integrated circuit that is made entirely using an inkjet printer, raising the possibility of inexpensive mass production of smart fabric.

"We can conceivably make the costs of producing flexible electronics comparable to the costs of printing newspapers. Our work could soon lead to printed displays that can easily be stretched to larger sizes, as well as wearable electronics and soft robotics applications," said Chuan Wang, Assistant Professor at MSU.

Since the material can be produced on a standard printer, it has a major potential cost-advantage over current technologies that are expensive to manufacture.

According to the researchers, the smart fabric is made up of several materials fabricated from nanomaterials and organic compounds. 

"These compounds are dissolved in solution to produce different electronic inks, which are run through the printer to make the devices," a paper published in the journal ACS Nano noted.

Researchers created an elastic material, the circuit and the organic light-emitting diode, or OLED from the ink. 

Researchers estimate that in a year or two, they will be able to combine the circuit and OLED into a single pixel, and once that is done, the smart fabric can be potentially commercialised.

"Conceivably, the stretchable electronic fabric can be folded and put in one's pocket without breaking. This is an advantage over current 'flexible' electronics material technology that cannot be folded," added Wang.

"We have taken it one big step beyond the flexible screens that are about to become commercially available," Wang added.

Dubai, Feb 16 (IANS) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will build the first city on the Red Planet as part of the 2117 Mars project in collaboration with specialised international organisations and scientific institutes.

The Mars 2117 Project was announced by Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Gulf News reported on Tuesday.

As part of a 100-year national programme, the UAE will set in operation a plan to prepare national cadres who can achieve scientific breakthroughs to facilitate the transport of people to the Red Planet over the next decades.

The 100-year plan will involve scientific research programmes to nurture national cadres specialised in space sciences at universities in the UAE. 

The announcement was made on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in the presence of representatives of 138 governments, six major international organisations, as well as leading international tech companies. 

The new project will be associated with research themes featuring the exploration of transportation means, energy and food on Mars. It will also try to find faster transportation methods for travelling to and from Mars.

"The landing of people on other planets has been a longtime dream for humans. Our aim is that the UAE will spearhead international efforts to make this dream a reality," said Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid.

Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed said the short-term goal is to develop the capacities and skills of Emiratis. 

"The 2117 Mars initiative is a long-term project, which will first help develop our education, universities and research centres that will empower young Emiratis to enter all disciplines of scientific research fields," he said.

In 2015, the UAE announced its Mars Probe mission, which will send the Arab world's first spacecraft to the Red Planet in a scientific exploration mission that will land on planet in 2021.

​London, Feb 15 (IANS) Researchers have identified more than 200 genetic markers that may help predict a man's chance of severe hair loss, in a study over 52,000 males.

Male pattern baldness can have substantial psychosocial effects and it has been phenotypically linked to adverse health outcomes such as prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease. 

Based on the presence or absence of certain genetic markers, the researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Britain, created a formula to try and predict the chance that a person will go bald. 

The findings, published in PLOS Genetics, pinpointed 287 genes, many of which are related to hair structure and development, and could provide possible targets for drug development to treat baldness or related conditions.

Further, the study showed-in line with a previous study, but with much greater precision that a substantial proportion of individual differences in hair loss patterns can be explained by common genetic variants on the autosomes as well as on the X chromosome -- the gene for the androgen receptor, which binds to the hormone testosterone. 

"We identified hundreds of new genetic signals. It was interesting to find that many of the genetics signals for male pattern baldness came from the X chromosome, which men inherit from their mothers," said Saskia Hagenaars, doctoral student at the University of Edinburgh.

"We are still a long way from making an accurate prediction for an individual's hair loss pattern. However, these results take us one step closer. The findings pave the way for an improved understanding of the genetic causes of hair loss," added Riccardo Marioni from the University of Edinburgh. 

​New York, Feb 15 (IANS) Astronomers have spotted a rare pulsating star which is expanding and contracting in three different directions simultaneously.

It is situated 7,000 light years away from Earth in the constellation Pegasus, said astronomer Farley Ferrante, a member of the team that made the discovery at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

The star is one that pulsates and so is characterised by varying brightness over time. 

Called a variable star, this particular star is one of only seven known stars of its kind in our Milky Way galaxy.

"It was challenging to identify it," Ferrante said in a university statement. 

The Milky Way has more than 100 billion stars. But just over 400,900 are catalogued as variable stars. 

Of those, a mere seven -- including the newly-identified one -- are the rare intrinsic variable star called a Triple Mode 'high amplitude delta Scuti' or Triple Mode HADS(B), for short.

"The discovery of this object helps to flesh out the characteristics of this unique type of variable star. These and further measurements can be used to probe the way the pulsations happen," Robert Kehoe, Professor at Southern Methodist University, said.

"Pulsating stars have also been important to improving our understanding of the expansion of the universe and its origins, which is another exciting piece of this puzzle," Kehoe said.

The astronomers discovered the variable star by analysing light curve shape -- a key identifier of star type -- created from archived data procured by ROTSE-I telescope.

​New York, Feb 15 (IANS) In a surprising discovery, astronomers have observed a black hole producing cold, star-making fuel from hot plasma jets and bubbles.

The researchers found that powerful radio jets from the black hole -- which normally suppress star formation -- are stimulating the production of cold gas in the galaxy's extended halo of hot gas. 

This newly identified supply of cold, dense gas could eventually fuel future star birth as well as feed the black hole itself, said the study published in the Astrophysical Journal.

The researchers studied a galaxy at the heart of the Phoenix Cluster, an uncommonly crowded collection of galaxies about 5.7 billion light-years from Earth.

The team analysed observations of the Phoenix cluster gathered by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), a collection of 66 large radio telescopes spread over the desert of northern Chile. 

The researchers believe that the new findings may help to explain the Phoenix cluster's exceptional star-producing power. 

They may also provide new insight into how supermassive black holes and their host galaxies mutually grow and evolve.

"With ALMA we can see that there's a direct link between these radio bubbles inflated by the supermassive black hole and the future fuel for galaxy growth," said study lead author Helen Russell, an astronomer with the University of Cambridge in Britain.

"This gives us new insights into how a black hole can regulate future star birth and how a galaxy can acquire additional material to fuel an active black hole," Russell said.

What the researchers believe to be happening is that, as jet inflate bubbles of hot gas near the black hole, they drag behind them a wake of slightly cooler gas. 

The bubbles eventually detach from the jets and float further out into the galaxy cluster, where each bubble's trail of gas cools, forming long filaments of extremely cold gas that condense and rain back onto the black hole as fuel for star formation.

"It's a very new idea that the bubbles and jets can actually influence the distribution of cold gas in any way," said study co-author Michael McDonald, an astrophysicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US.

London, Feb 14 (IANS) A specific gene that plays a crucial role in ensuring DNA is copied correctly when cells divide and grow can cause growth defects associated with a rare type of dwarfism, says a study.

"This research sheds new light on the mechanisms underlying DNA replication, and the effect on human health when this process goes wrong," said Grant Stewart from University of Birmingham in Britain.

During the study, published today in Nature Genetics, the researchers looked at genetic information from more than 250 people around the world with microcephalic dwarfism, a group of disorders characterised by short stature and reduced head size.

They found that 29 of the individuals had faulty versions of a gene called DONSON.

Tests on cells growing in the laboratory revealed that this gene plays a crucial role in ensuring DNA is copied correctly when cells divide and grow.

Cells from patients with mutations in the DONSON gene had difficulty in efficiently replicating their DNA and protecting it from uncontrolled damage, ultimately leading to the growth defects typical of microcephalic dwarfism.

This research raises the potential of more accurate diagnoses for patients with genetic microcephaly, in addition to providing an insight into how similar rare hereditary diseases are caused.