World News

The hope of an inexpensive, easily stored vaccine against cholera that could majorly impact the spread of the disease seems to have been realized. However, it is interesting to note the means by which this is completed. Scientists from the University of Tokyo has engineered a rice which produces a portion of the cholera toxin protein in its grains which allows mice fed with the engineered rice to be vaccinated against the lethal disease and do not get sick even after being fed the complete cholera toxin. The vaccine is observed to be a painless, needleless way to combat the major epidemic.


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Rice-based cholera vaccine developed in Japan
The hope of an inexpensive, easily stored vaccine against cholera that could majorly impact the spread of the disease seems to have been realized. However, it is interesting to note the means by which this is completed. Scientists from the University of Tokyo has engineered a rice which produces a portion of the cholera toxin protein in its grains which allows mice fed with the engineered rice to be vaccinated against the lethal disease and do not get sick even after being fed the complete cholera toxin. The vaccine is observed to be a painless, needleless way to combat the major epidemic.
Critical protein prevents DNA damage from persisting through generations
Scientists at the Rockefeller University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the National Cancer Institute has discovered that a protein, known as ATM is vital in helping repair double stranded breaks in DNA of immune cells, as well as preventing genetic damaged from being passed on during cell division. The ATM protein helps repair DNA double strand breaks and activates cell-cycle checkpoints that prevents genetically damaged cells from dividing. However, mutated ATM protein has been observed in a number of lymph system and immune system cancers.
Substance in tree bark could lead to new lung cancer treatment
A substance derived from the bark of the lapacho tree has been determined to kill certain kind of cancer cells, as well as a possible treatment for the most common type of lung cancer. The compound, known as beta-lapachone, has been isolated by researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center and has been observed to show promising anti-cancer properties. It is anticipated that future therapies based on beta-lapachone has the potential of playing a major role in treating drug-resistant cancers.