There has been a sizable downturn for the CRISPR therapy biotech arena. Firms like Editas, Verve, Intellia, and even CRISPR Therapeutics, which has garnered an FDA approval, have had struggles recently. It feels like a disconnect here in a way because overall gene editing and gene therapy have never seemed more promising.
But being a gene therapy biotech and getting the data needed to market a product is a struggle. Past hype by some in the field also doesn’t help.
Customized CRISPR therapy for baby
On the more upbeat side, we have the gene editing news from last week: World’s first personalized CRISPR therapy given to baby with genetic disease, Nature News. Of course, baby KJ’s life is still likely to be complicated health-wise moving forward, but there is more hope now and this is quite a biomedical advance. I hope KJ does great!
More recommend reads
- Post-gastrulation amnioids as a stem cell-derived model of human extra-embryonic development, Cell. How do we make amnionic sacs during our development? A vast amount of research has explored amniotic development. Now researchers have taken a step toward making amniotic sacs in the lab.
- Vaccines do not contain aborted fetal tissue, Science Up First. I’ve written before about various myths before like the old one “stem cells in Pepsi“. I also have an explainer on HEK 293 cells, which are used in some vaccine research.
- Marsupial embryos lack the epigenetic reset seen in placental mammals, Nature News. Marsupials are so cool.
- BrainStorm Receives FDA Clearance to Initiate Phase 3b Trial of NurOwn® for ALS, PR. Is this warranted? In the past FDA reviewers have been down about the data on Nurown. I’ve also been skeptical about Nurown.
Two longevity influencer tweets
Tweet 1: David Sinclair’s anti-aging NIH funding lost due to targeting of Harvard
I have disagreed with Harvard professor David Sinclair about some important things like how to characterize longevity research. I also believe he has over-stated the potential of some research in the past including related to in vivo reprogramming. To me, he seems too into the idea of reversing aging with unproven approaches like supplements. However, when I saw his tweet that all of his NIH funding was cancelled by the Trump administration, I felt like it was just more bad news for science.
I’m guessing the cancellation of the funding is simply because he’s at Harvard, which the administration has targeted for potentially illegal cuts to research.
I find much of Sinclair’s work to be interesting and potentially important. It seems NIH reviewers see it that way too. Cutting research support like this for political reasons is a recipe for worse health for Americans in the long run.
Tweet 2: Bryan Johnson joking or for real on broccoli & eye contact statement?
Is he being serious or kind of poking fun at his anti-aging universe? I hope it’s the latter, but I can’t tell. Just the idea of watching yourself eating broccoli in the mirror seems like something out of a movie.
Blast from the past: the stem cell bra
Here’s our The Niche blast from the past: The Stem Cell Bra interview with Howard Leonhardt. I’m still shaking my head on this one a dozen years later.