DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ How surgeons in Ukraine are saving soldiers' lives with a simple tube grown from human cells
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Adam Barnes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It's a small tube called the human acellular vessel (HAV) designed to treat traumatic vascular injuries mostly due to blasts and shrapnel. Why vascular injuries are so dangerousVascular injuries are a leading cause of preventable death in military combat and a leading cause of amputation. They're lab-grown from human vascular cells in about eight weeks and then sanitized to be ready as an off-the-shelf replacement blood vessel. HumacyteVascular surgeons often treat traumatic vascular injuries with grafts. Humacyte plans to file an application with the FDA later this year for HAVs to treat traumatic vascular injuries.

Persons: HAVs, —, Oleksandr Sokolov, Sokolov, Humacyte, Laura Niklason, they're, Niklason, Niklosan, Jeffrey Lawson Sokolov, HAVs aren't, Miechia, Esco, What's Organizations: Service, FDA's, International, Ukrainian Ministry of Health, Humacyte, Humactye, FDA, HAVs Locations: Ukraine, It's, Afghanistan, Russia

☆ Scientists Debut Lab Models of Human Embryos
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Carl Zimmer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In its first week, a fertilized human egg develops into a hollow ball of 200 cells and then implants itself on the wall of the uterus. Over the next three weeks, it divides into the distinct tissues of a human body. And those crucial few weeks remain, for the most part, a black box. Dr. Hanna and a number of other biologists are trying to uncover those details by creating models of human embryos in the lab. They are coaxing stem cells to organize themselves into clumps that take on some of the crucial hallmarks of real embryos.

Persons: ”, Jacob Hanna, Hanna, Hanna’s Organizations: Weizmann Institute of Science Locations: Israel, Britain, United States, China

☆ U.S. regulators approve sale of cell-cultured chicken by two startups
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Proponents of cultured meat say it's healthier and more environmentally friendly than traditional meat. As a result of the decision, the USDA will inspect cultured meat facilities, just as it does traditional meat processing plants and slaughterhouses. The meat produced by Upside Foods and Good Meat will be labeled as "cell-cultivated chicken" when sold to consumers. Chef Jose Andres has placed the first order to sell Good Meat's cultured chicken to serve it in an undisclosed Washington, D.C., restaurant, the company said. Even armed with cash and regulatory approval, cultured meat startups face many hurdles before their products can become mainstream.

Persons: we're, Josh Tetrick, Joinn Biologics, Chef Jose Andres, Dominique Crenn, Uma Valeti Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, USDA, Eat, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Foods, D.C, Companies, McKinsey Locations: U.S, Singapore, United States, Washington, San Francisco

☆ Cloning Scientist Hwang Woo-suk Gets a Second Chance. Should He? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( David Cyranoski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Science is known for rigorous self-policing by the research community, yet it can feel like scientific fraud is rampant. The story of Hwang Woo-suk, a South Korean scientist who gained notoriety for claiming to clone human embryos, provides clues. After leaving the field in disgrace, Dr. Hwang has landed in clover, and now spends his days cloning beauty show and racing camels for United Arab Emirates royalty. Dr. Hwang burst into the spotlight in 2004 when he reported success in making an embryonic human clone and deriving stem cells from it. This was the proof-of-principle for the once-hyped “therapeutic cloning” — in which patients’ own cells, from the skin or other tissue, could be used to create embryonic stem cells with their genetic signature, which could then be used to treat diseases.

Persons: Hwang Woo, suk, Hwang Organizations: South, United Arab, Netflix, YouTube Locations: South Korean, United Arab Emirates

☆ The future of medicine may lie in space
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Days after I got my first taste of working at a lab bench, a company set forth to prove scientific research can be successfully done in orbit without any humans present. Look upVarda Space Industries plans to use a small capsule, shown in the rendering above, to conduct pharmaceutical research in space. Varda Space industriesThe future of medicine may take flight in space. Unearthed in Ethiopia in 1974 and representing 40% of a skeleton, the remains revealed an early human relative who lived millions of years before Homo sapiens. Meanwhile, other, more recent fossil discoveries are shaking up what we know about early human migration.

Persons: Varda, Lucy, Dave Einsel, paleoanthropologist Dr, Ashleigh L.A, Wiseman, waddle, Frank Postberg, Jochen Brocks, —, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Logan Science Journalism, Marine Biological, Space Industries, Research, British Antarctic Survey, Sky, University of Cambridge, ATP, Freie Universität Berlin, Australian National University, CNN Space, Science Locations: Woods Hole , Massachusetts, California, Antarctica, Weddell, Ethiopia, Barney Creek, Northern Australia, Australia, New England

☆ Scientists report creation of first human synthetic model embryos
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The research raises critical legal and ethical questions, and many countries, including the US, don’t have laws governing the creation or treatment of synthetic embryos. “Unlike human embryos arising from in vitro fertilization (IVF), where there is an established legal framework, there are currently no clear regulations governing stem cell derived models of human embryos. “I just wish to stress that they are not human embryos,” Zernicka-Goetz said. Right now, the synthetic model human embryos are confined to test tubes. “There is much work to be done to determine the similarities and differences between synthetic embryos and embryos that form from the union of an egg and a sperm.”

Persons: CNN —, ” James Briscoe, Francis Crick, Dr, Magdalena Zernicka, Goetz, Zernicka, ”, ” Zernicka, “, haven’t, Sanjay Gupta, ” Roger Sturmey Organizations: CNN, Francis, Francis Crick Institute, International Society for, CalTech, University of Cambridge, The Guardian, CNN Health, University of Manchester Locations: United States, United Kingdom, Boston, Israel

☆ Bone loss occurs in teens who have weight loss surgery, study says. Is that unique?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The bones of teens and young adults who lost significant weight after bariatric surgery were weaker than those of youth with similar levels of obesity who did not have surgery, a new study found. Despite counseling, teens and young adults who did not undergo weight loss surgery continued to gain weight over those two years, the study found. However, it’s difficult to accurately study bone loss in adolescents and young adults. A study would need to follow teens who underwent surgery for at least 10 years to determine if the bone loss seen in the new study lasts, Inge said. “That’s why we insist that people undergoing weight loss surgery take their multivitamin with calcium and vitamin D every day, just like medicine.”

Persons: Miriam Bredella, “, ” Bredella, Don’t, Thomas Inge, Robert H, Lurie, ”, Inge, they’re, Bredella, it’s, Justin Ryder, Ryder, Heike Faber, iStockphoto, haven’t, ” Ryder, ” Inge Organizations: CNN, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Ann, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, NASA, BMI, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, “ Locations: Massachusetts, Boston, Chicago

☆ Is taurine the ‘elixir of life’? Maybe, if you’re a worm, mouse or monkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“This study suggests that taurine could be an elixir of life within us,” Yadav said in an earlier news release on the study, which published Thursday in the journal Science. Considered a non-essential amino acid, taurine exists in the brain, retina and nearly every muscle and organ tissue in the body. Taurine-fed worms lived longer and appeared healthier, but taurine “had no effect on yeast,” Yadav said. More than one solutionThe field of anti-aging is exploding, with taurine just one of many potential pathways to the holy grail of longer life. In the end, science is going to need “100 different kinds of taurine,” Lithgow said.

Persons: CNN —, taurine, Vijay Yadav, ” Yadav, Henning Wackerhage, “, ”, Walter Willett, Harvard T.H, ” Willett, Gordon Lithgow, I’m, it’s, Lithgow, ” Lithgow, “ You’ve, taurine “, Wackerhage, Yadav, Taurine, Pieter Cohen, Cohen, ” Cohen, There’s, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Columbia University, Technical University of Munich, Harvard, of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, Buck Institute, Disease, US Food and Drug Administration, Research, Cambridge Health Alliance, taurine Locations: New York City, Germany, Chan, Novato , California, Somerville , Massachusetts

☆ Portugal just launched a 'government-funded' 4-day workweek trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Jennifer Liu | In Jljenniferliu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Portugal is the latest country to experiment with a four-day workweek, and businesses are getting an assist from the government. Businesses say they want to see if a shortened workweek will help reduce employee stress and burnout, and in turn improve worker retention. Researchers also hope to track the economic, social and environmental implications of a four-day business week in Portugal. Although no country has fully adopted a four-day workweek, trials have run in South Africa, Belgium, Iceland, Japan and elsewhere. Check out: Congressman wants to make 32-hour workweek U.S. law to ‘increase the happiness of humankind’

Persons: Kelly Evans Organizations: Employers, OECD, University of London, University of Reading, Borders Service, European Union, European, Area Locations: Portugal, Portuguese, United Kingdom, Ireland, U.S, South Africa, Belgium, Iceland, Japan

☆ Steakholder Foods and Umami Meats have teamed up to create the world's first 3D-printed cultivated fish fillet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Michelle Cohan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A “Star Trek“-like, food-on-demand 3D printer has just served up a real, cultivated fish fillet for the first time. Steakholder Foods, a startup based in Israel, produced the 3D-printed cut of grouper – “a significant milestone in the food industry,” says Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Foods. Chicken nuggets from Steakholder Foods, pictured, are considered a hybrid product, containing both plant-based and cultured ingredients. At the time of writing, Singapore is the only country in the world where cultivated meat products are commercially available. “One way is to create hybrid products, so something that (combines) cultivated meat with plant-based meat or conventional meat,” Block tells CNN.

Persons: ”, Arik Kaufman, Mihir Pershad, ” Kaufman, we’ve, Orit Goldman, Liz Specht, Davis, Ronen Mangan, David Block, GFI’s Specht Organizations: CNN, Steakholder Foods, Good Food Institute, UN, of California, NASA, Foods, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, UC Davis, Consortium Locations: Israel, Singapore, bioreactors, California

☆ SpaceX Axiom 2 mission returns from space station
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

This mission, dubbed Axiom Mission 2, or AX-2, launched from Florida on May 21. The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying Axiom Mission 2's four-person crew splashed down off the coast of Panama City, Florida, at 11:04 p.m. A company called Space Adventures brokered several such missions to the space station in the early 2000s, booking rides for wealthy thrill seekers on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft. The SpaceX capsule transported the AX-2 crew back to Earth after a weeklong mission at the International Space Station. Axiom is one of several US companies gunning to create a new, privately owned space station.

Persons: Rayyanah Barnawi, Peggy Whitson, Whitson, I’m, ” Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali AlQarni, “, ” Barnawi, Barnawi, AlQarni, “ That’s, I’ve, ”, Prince Sultan bin Salman, Biden, axiomspace, Derek Hassmann, it’s, gunning Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, NASA, International, Houston, Crew, Dura, Line Corp, Royal Saudi Air Force, United Arab Emirates Space Agency, Russian Soyuz, Saudi, Space, Soyuz, Government Locations: Panama City , Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Saudi Arabia, American, Russian, United States

☆ SpaceX mission lifts off with former NASA astronaut, three paying customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The AX-2 crew is being led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, 63, now an Axiom employee. After the Crew Dragon capsule docks early Monday, the AX-2 crew will join seven astronauts already aboard the space station. The first was Prince Sultan bin Salman, who spent about a week on a NASA space shuttle mission in 1985. Axiom is one of several US companies gunning to create a new, privately owned space station. The AX-2 crew will work alongside the professional astronauts on the space station, though they will operate under different schedules.

☆ How to watch SpaceX Axiom 2 launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.CNN —SpaceX is set to launch four passengers — including three paying customers — toward a weeklong stay aboard the International Space Station. The Axiom Ax-2 Prime crew members, from left to right: John Shoffner, Rayyanah Barnawi, Peggy Whitson, and Ali Alqarni, will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. Axiom brought that business model to the United States, partnering with SpaceX to establish a framework for getting an array of customers to the space station. Axiom is one of several US companies gunning to create a new, privately owned space station. The AX-2 crew will work alongside the professional astronauts on the space station, though they will operate under different schedules.

☆ SpaceX launching Saudi astronauts on private flight to space station
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule, are prepared to carry four crew members on Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) to the International Space Station, at the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. May 21, 2023. SpaceX's next private flight to the International Space Station awaited takeoff Sunday, weather and rocket permitting. The passengers include Saudi Arabia's first astronauts in decades, as well as a Tennessee businessman who started his own sports car racing team. With its Falcon rocket already on the pad, SpaceX targeted a liftoff late Sunday afternoon from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Representing the Saudi Arabian government this time are Rayyanah Barnawi, a stem cell researcher set to become the kingdom's first woman in space, and Royal Saudi Air Force fighter pilot Ali al-Qarni.

Circuit Court of Appeals panel that will hear the Biden administration's appeal to keep the abortion pill mifepristone on the market are staunchly conservative, with a record of opposing abortion rights. - In 2019, she co-authored a majority opinion for the full 5th Circuit that upheld a Texas law that effectively banned the most common abortion procedure for terminating second-trimester pregnancies. - Also in 2019, she wrote a majority panel 5th Circuit opinion invalidating the Affordable Care Act's mandate requiring individuals to purchase health insurance. - In 2019, he was part of a 5th Circuit panel that rejected Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban, but in a concurring opinion argued against the constitutional right to abortion. - In 2018, he voted to uphold a Texas law requiring burial or cremation of fetal remains.

☆ This is a 3D printed 'fish fillet.' Would you eat it?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Israel's Steakholder Foods and Singapore's Umami Meats teamed up to create grouper fish fillets in a lab. The process involves adding fish and plant cells to "bio-ink" for a unique 3D printer to create the fillets, Reuters reports. As the food technology industry makes strides in developing alternative nutrition sources, it's unveiling its latest invention — 3D printed fish fillets. "With our patent-protected printing capabilities, we know to 3D print exactly the same texture and flakiness of a real fish." Amir CohenBut don't expect to find the fish fillets at your local grocery store anytime soon.

☆ Dished up by 3D printers, a new kind of fish to fry
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An Israeli foodtech company says it has 3D printed the first ever ready-to-cook fish fillet using animal cells cultivated and grown in a laboratory. Israel's Steakholder Foods has now partnered with Singapore-based Umami Meats to make fish fillets without the need to stalk dwindling fish populations. Steakholder Foods then adds them to a 'bio-ink' suited for special 3D printers. It has the flakiness of traditional fish and when fried and seasoned it is hard to tell the difference. "The number of scientists, you can imagine, working on fish stem cell biology is a small fraction of those working on animal cells and human cells."

☆ A drug company abandoned a treatment for ‘bubble boy disease.’ After a 5-year fight, this little girl is about to get it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Elizabeth Cohen Lauren Mascarenhas | Elizabeth Cohen | Lauren Mascarenhas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +29 min

The Sulacks weighed their options: Have a transplant with a match that was less than ideal – far less – or wait for gene therapy to become available. The news release didn’t say anything else about the SCID gene therapy. Or was the company abandoning its plans for SCID gene therapy altogether? In February, 2021, the parents of more than 20 children who were waiting for the gene therapy treatment, including the Sulacks, wrote a letter to Gaspar. Insurance companies have sometimes balked at paying for gene therapy, which is typically given in one treatment.

☆ A new long Covid treatment shows promise, but insurance won't cover it and some doctors are skeptical: Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Some long Covid patients swear by the treatment, with one describing it to CNBC Make It as a "total game changer." That's a huge stumbling block for many medical experts, who caution against viewing it as a universal remedy for long Covid. Most of the ones who do get treated have reported improved long Covid symptoms, the clinic adds. That's because a variety of underlying physiological conditions — like chronic lung issues, for example — can "drive different manifestations of long Covid," says Dr. Lucy Horton, an infectious disease physician who founded the long Covid clinic at UC San Diego Health. "For many [Covid] long haulers, including myself, financial freedom is gone because we can't work full-time."

☆ Humans can't live forever, but we haven't even come close to the limit for how long our bodies could last
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Emily Swaim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Mysteries like cellular senescence, telomere length, and DNA methylation hold the keys to our longevity. But so far, no one has figured out how to completely prevent or eliminate harmful senescent cells. DNA methylation is linked to several age-related diseasesTreating or preventing age-related diseases is one of the keys to unlocking longer, healthier lives. Similar to telomeres, DNA methylation is another way scientists can measure your biological age to help predict your life expectancy. For example, telomere shortening can lead to DNA damage, which in turn disrupts your mitochondria.

☆ Your Hair Is Going Gray. This Glitch May Explain Why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But gray hairs are one of the most obvious clues that the body isn’t working like it used to. Our hair turns gray when melanin-producing stem cells stop functioning properly. “This is a really big step toward understanding why we gray,” said Mayumi Ito, an author of the study and a dermatology professor at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. Unlike embryonic stem cells, which develop into all sorts of different organs, adult stem cells have a more set path. The melanocyte stem cells in our hair follicles are responsible for producing and maintaining the pigment in our hair.

☆ I've treated bulldogs' health issues for over 30 years. I now help more Frenchies than ever and recommend knowing about all their medical needs before getting one.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Crystal Raypole | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

It's an unfortunate irony — one that means only a few vets have adequate experience treating bulldogs. How I became an expert in treating French bulldogsDr. Kraemer has treated thousands of bulldogs. I even treated some rescued French bulldogs with stem cell therapy, a cutting-edge regenerative medicine. But in my experience, with the improvement of preventive care, wellness, and medicine, the average French bulldog may live 11 to 12 years. In fact, I've treated French bulldogs who competed in local fundraising physical activities, like Cherie the Surf Dog who raises funds for French Bulldog Rescue.

☆ Two of Ken Griffin's biggest donations sit on opposite sides of the spectrum
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Griffin, who founded Wall Street giants Citadel and Citadel Securities, donated $300 million to Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). However, it's interesting to see how two of his biggest contributions — DeSantis and Harvard — seem to operate on opposite ends of the spectrum. Click her to read our profile on Ken Griffin's rise to the top of Wall Street. Wall Street is drying out wells to drive up returns in California. Click here for more on the water woes created by Wall Street.

☆ This exclusive club for the ultra-rich is on the search for immortality
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Members of R360, a club with a $100 million net-worth minimum, are also exploring longevity. Tests revealed he had an arterial blockage and that his cardiac system was that of a 68-year-old, Fioretti told Insider. Fioretti co-chairs a group of 25 ultra-rich individuals who seek to push the limits of the human lifespan. Though the group's main focus is longevity, members have also learned more about psychedelic drugs as treatments for addiction and mental health. Some R360 members have independently invested in anti-aging endeavors, including Fioretti.

☆ Scientists have created mice with two biological fathers. They say the technique could one day be replicated in humans.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Speaking at a conference, they said they made female eggs from male cells. He then used that technique to make female eggs, called oocytes, from male cells and fertilized them to create seven mice with two biological dads. REUTERS/Alan Trounson/California Institute for Regenerative Medicine/HandoutThey then deleted the Y chromosomes in the cells and duplicated the cells' X chromosomes, before prompting the cells to turn into egg cells with two X chromosomes. The technique could also help women and people with two X chromosomes who have a genetic issue with one of the X chromosomes to have children, he said. Human reproductive cells are very complex and much less well-known than mice cells.

Search resuls for: "Stem Cell"

25 mentions found