fbpx
01 / 05
Super-Precise CRISPR Tool Enters US Clinical Trials

Nature | Noncommunicable Disease

Super-Precise CRISPR Tool Enters US Clinical Trials

“A high-precision successor to CRISPR genome editing has reached a milestone: the technique, called base editing, has made its US debut in a clinical trial. The trial tests more complex genome edits than those performed in humans so far.

Trial organizers announced on 5 September that the first participant had been treated using immune cells with four base-edited genes, equipping the cells to better target and destroy tumours. The hope is that the approach can tame trial participants’ difficult-to-treat form of leukaemia and serve as a gateway to more complex edits in the future.”

From Nature.

Financial Times | Mental Health

Internet Use Does Not Appear to Harm Mental Health, Study Finds

“A study of more than 2mn people’s internet use found no ‘smoking gun’ for widespread harm to mental health from online activities such as browsing social media and gaming, despite widely claimed concerns that mobile apps can cause depression and anxiety.

Researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute, who said their study was the largest of its kind, said they found no evidence to support ‘popular ideas that certain groups are more at risk’ from the technology.”

From Financial Times.

World Health Organization | Vaccination

Historic Step Towards Broader Vaccination against Malaria

“Shipments of the world’s first WHO-recommended malaria vaccine, RTS,S, have begun with 331 200 doses landing last night in Yaoundé, Cameroon…

A further 1.7 million doses of the RTS,S vaccine are expected to arrive in Burkina Faso, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone in the coming weeks, with additional African countries set to receive doses in the months ahead.”

From World Health Organization.

AllAfrica | Health & Demographics

Rwanda on Track to Achieve Zero Malaria in 2030

“Rwanda Biomedical Center has announced that it targets to achieve ‘zero malaria’ in 2023 following a significant decline in the infection-related cases, according to officials….

Dr. Jean Louis Ndikumana Mangara, Director of Malaria Prevention Unit at Rwanda Biomedical Center, points out that a decrease of approximately 85 percent has been observed since 2016.”

From AllAfrica.

Reuters | Health & Medical Care

UK Authorises Gene Therapy for Blood Disorders in World First

“Britain has authorised a gene therapy that aims to cure sickle-cell disease and another type of inherited blood disorder for patients aged 12 and over, the country’s medical regulator said on Thursday, becoming the first in the world to do so.

Casgevy is the first medicine to be licensed that uses the gene-editing tool CRISPR, which won its inventors the Nobel Prize in 2020.”

From Reuters.