LNP Delivers CRISPR Directly to Mouse Liver, Dramatically Cuts Cholesterol Levels for Months
March 2, 2021
Scientists at Tufts University and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT have developed a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology that can package and deliver CRISPR gene editing machinery specifically to the liver. Their studies in mice demonstrated use of the LNP technology to shuttle CRISPR Cas9 mRNA and guide RNA directly to the liver, to knock down a gene called Angptl3. The strategy resulted in up to 57% reductions in blood cholesterol levels with the effects lasting for several months following a single injection.
“We envision that with this LNP platform in hand, we could now make CRISPR a practical and safe approach to treat a broad spectrum of liver diseases or disorders,” said Zachary Glass, a graduate student in the lab of Qiaobing Xu, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Tufts’ School of Engineering and corresponding author of the study. Min Qi
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Home > Press > Threads that sense how and when you move? New technology makes it possible: Engineers created thread sensors that can be attached to skin to measure movement in real time, with potential implications for tracking health and performance
Scanning electron microscopy of carbon ink-coated threads. Straight thread on left. Bending the coated threads creates strain (right), which changes their electrical conductivity - a quantity that can used to calculate the degree of deformation (scale bar 200 microns)
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Yiwen Jiang, Tufts University
Abstract:
Engineers at Tufts University have created and demonstrated flexible thread-based sensors that can measure movement of the neck, providing data on the direction, angle of rotation and degree of displacement of the head. The discovery raises the potential for thin, inconspicuous tatoo-like patches that could, according to the Tufts team, measure athletic performance, monit
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IMAGE: Scanning electron microscopy of carbon ink-coated threads. Straight thread on left. Bending the coated threads creates strain (right), which changes their electrical conductivity - a quantity that can used to. view more
Credit: Yiwen Jiang, Tufts University
Engineers at Tufts University have created and demonstrated flexible thread-based sensors that can measure movement of the neck, providing data on the direction, angle of rotation and degree of displacement of the head. The discovery raises the potential for thin, inconspicuous tatoo-like patches that could, according to the Tufts team, measure athletic performance, monitor worker or driver fatigue, assist with physical therapy, enhance virtual reality games and systems, and improve computer generated imagery in cinematography. The technology, described today in