From today’s RSS feeds:<\/p>\n
1) Alilain WJ, Horn KP, Hu H, Dick TE, Silver J: “Functional regeneration of respiratory pathways after spinal cord injury<\/a>“. Nature<\/em> 2011: 475: 196-200<\/p>\n (This article also showed up in my BBC science feed, with the title “Spinal cord repair restores independent breathing<\/a>“).<\/p>\n The authors grafted nerves across spinal cord scar tissue in paralysed mice, while simultaneously injecting a chondoitinase enzyme to clear proteins that would otherwise inhibit nerve growth. The mice regained 80-100% of their lost breathing function within a few months.<\/p>\n Isn’t that amazing?!<\/p>\n 2) Li H, Haurigot V, Doyon Y, Li T, Wong SY, Bhagwat AS, Malani N, Anguela XM, Sharma R, Ivanciu L, Murphy SL, Finn JD, Khazi FR, Zhou S, Paschon DE, Rebar EJ, Bushman FD, Gregory PD, Holmes MC, High KA: “In vivo genome editing restores haemostasis in a mouse model of haemophilia”.<\/a> Nature <\/em>2011: 475: 217\u2013221<\/p>\n In this study, the authors essentially cured an inherited blood clotting disorder in mice by targetting an enzyme-and-template repair kit to the livers of living animals.<\/p>\n Science rocks!<\/em><\/p>\n 3) Wu G, Liu N, Rittelmeyer I, Sharma AD, Sgodda M, Zaehres H, Bleidi\u00dfel M, Greber B, Gentile L, Han DW, Rudolph C, Steinemann D, Schambach A, Ott M, Sch\u00f6ler HR, Cantz T: “Generation of Healthy Mice from Gene-Corrected Disease-Specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells<\/a>“. PLoS Biol<\/em> 2011: 9(7): e1001099.<\/p>\n More reversal of inherited gene mutations, this time in stem cells that were subsequently used to generate healthy animals.<\/p>\n All this in one day?! Isn’t it great to live in the future?!<\/p>\n 4) BBC News: “Animal experiments increase again<\/a>“.<\/p>\n In a well-regulated system, I do believe I can live with that. Not without regrets that there isn’t a better way, mind you… but there is no other way. Not one that could have yielded the three studies described above, anyway.<\/p>\n Keep up the good work, science!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From today’s RSS feeds: 1) Alilain WJ, Horn KP, Hu H, Dick TE, Silver J: “Functional regeneration of respiratory pathways after spinal cord injury“. Nature 2011: 475: 196-200 (This article also showed up in my BBC science feed, with the … Continue reading