We did not really expect to see it, but a blood testing startup with blatant ties to Theranos has come up. We’re still not quite sure how to feel about that. But in other news, we also saw the first-of-a-kind treatment using nanoparticles leveraging the CRISPR technology to treat a life-debilitating genetic condition. We also loved seeing something a little sweeter in the form of proteins and perhaps something a little shocking for PTSD.
It seems that blood testing is becoming the rave again. You may remember us covering a new company, Superpower, a couple of weeks ago, that had a similar thought. We even noted how similar it sounded to Theranos. Well, we’re not stopping there, apparently, as Therano’s former CEO, Elizabeth Holmes, previous partner, Billy Evans, is setting up his own testing company (with a shockingly similar-looking device). If you need a refresh on Theranos and how they got to their $10B evaluation in the span of 10 years, you can find it here.
The new company is called Haemanthus and is aiming to raise $50M to make this blood, sweat, and urine testing device a reality after apparently gaining initial $18.5M from initial supporters. Their initial aim is to target pet health markets, which are dubbed to have grown significantly and are ‘recession-proof’. It is to be seen what comes out of this, and we will be following with interest. You can read more details from the coverage given by the New York Times
We are starting to see more rare and untreatable diseases seeing treatment options. This story from the New York Times highlights one such case: using lipid nanoparticle-delivered base-editing therapy. In this case customized to target the carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase 1 deficiency (CPS1 deficiency) that causes ammonia buildup with a variety of severe effects. This deficiency affects 1 in 1.3 million. This treatment was administered at 6 months of age and then 22 days later again to a baby with this rare deficiency. You can also read about the methodology in this article, outlining the method for patient-specific In Vivo gene editing.
The highlight of this story might be how quickly this treatment was moved from the lab to the patient and how fast the FDA was able to approve the treatment for this case. Usually, approvals may take years, but in this case, based on the reporting, it seemed to only take months. It’s positive to see that sometimes, when things fall into place and people are committed, what can happen.
Ever wonder how one receptor gets jazzed by all the sweet things? Meet the human sweet receptor, a dynamic duo of proteins (TAS1R2 & TAS1R3) that acts like a chill bouncer, recognizing tons of sweet molecules, yet isn't too clingy (hello, low affinity!). This clever setup lets us pick the most energy-packed treats. For ages, its structure was a mystery, but scientists recently got its glamour shot using cryo-EM, even catching it with artificial sweeteners. This peek at its "sweet spot" on the TAS1R2 subunit could help cook up even better sweeteners in the future!
If you are curious to dive deeper or just have a look at the structures and the interactions, you can find the full article published in Cell from HERE
A device vaguely like a shock collar seems to be a promising way to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Scientists at the University of Texas at Dallas and Baylor are using it to gently nudge your vagus nerve — basically the brain's main connection to your internal world. These mild electric pulses aren't punishment; they're thought to encourage the brain to rewire itself. This vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) isn't new, used for things like epilepsy and depression. But this time, researchers paired the "zapping" collar with talk therapy, specifically confronting traumatic memories. They achieved the stimulation with the aforementioned collar through a tiny glass-encapsulated stimulator that was implanted in the patients.
Read the full study from HERE
Another week, another set of stories. Some things that weren’t really expected, and I have to say I couldn’t believe it either when I first saw it. Nonetheless, I can’t get enough of seeing how things develop and how new things come out and level up or fizzle out. The changes feed our curiosity! Again, feel free to poke us wherever, reply to this email, let us know what’s up with you, what we could do better (or worse)!
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