DISCOVERERS OF CRISPR/CAS

DISCOVERERS OF CRISPR/CAS GENETIC EDITING WIN NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY

On 7 October 2020 the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Emmanuelle Charpentier of the Max Planck Institute in Berlin and Jennifer A. Doudna of the University of California, Berkeley, for developing a method for editing the genome.

The CRISPR/Cas9 editing tool works like a pair of genetic scissors designed to change the DNA of organisms with great precision. This system has revolutionized scientific research, making it possible to generate animal and cellular models of genetic diseases and thus to understand their mechanisms in clearer ways. There is also great potential for gene therapy, correcting specific mutations present in diseases that still have no treatment.

The scientists first published their research in August 2012 in an article for the prestigious journal Science, in which they described the efficiency, versatility, and potential of their tool. Eight years after that publication, however, the veritable ramifications of this discovery are still to be seen.

Sources: Real Academia de las Ciencias de Suecia. Press release: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020. THE NOVEL PRIZE. 2020. Jacinto F V, Link W, Ferreira BI. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing: From basic research to translational medicine. J Cell Mol Med. 2020;24:3766–78. Jinek M, Chylinski K, Fonfara I, Hauer M, Doudna JA, Charpentier E. A programmable dual-RNA-guided DNA endonuclease in adaptive bacterial immunity. Science (80- ). 2012;337(6096):816–21.

NEW FRONT-END NUTRITION LABELLING GOES INTO EFFECT IN MEXICO

On 27 March 2020, the Diario Oficial de la Federación, the official government gazette, published its modifications to NOM-051-SCFI/ SSA1-2010 of the General Specifications for Labeling of Prepackaged Foods and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, originally published on 5 April 2010. These include more “aggressive” front labeling in terms of mandatory nutritional information for all products marketed in Mexico, whether they are produced in Mexico or not. The labeling will allow consumers to obtain quick and easy information to help them make informed decisions about their intake of food components, identifying products with seals indicating “Excess Calories,” “Excess Sodium,” “Excess Saturated Fat,” “Excess Trans Fat,” “and “Excess Sugar.” In addition, in the case of foods that so contain the additives, they are to be marked “Contains Caffeine – To Be Avoided by Children” or “Contains Sweeteners – Not Recommended for Children.” In response to the high rates of obesity and chronic-degenerative diseases in Mexico, the federal government has implemented modifications in the way it communicates the nutritional content of packaged foods and

beverages. The idea of the amendment, apart from providing consumers with clear and direct information, is to encourage the food industry to modify the makeup of their products and so to avoid the use of the stamps on them. The amendment also presents an implementation plan in three phases, intended to tighten labelling requirements by the year 2025, when the quantity of the abovementioned nutrients will have to be even lower to avoid the application of the stamps.

A model generated by Mexican researchers predicted that labeling could reduce consumption by up to 36.8 kcal per day, translating into a 4.98% decrease in the prevalence of obesity among adults under the age of sixty. This strategy is estimated to reduce 1.3 million cases of obesity and save $1.8 billion in costs associated with the condition.

Taken from NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010

Sources: MODIFICATION to the Official Mexican Standard NOM-051-SCFI/ SSA1-2010, General Specifications for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods and Non-Alcoholic Beverages Commercial and health information, published on April 5, 2010. Official Gazette of the Federation, 2020.

AFRICA ERADICATES POLIO AFTER TWENTY-FOUR YEARS, WITH NO REPORTED CASES

After the World Health Organization designed a plan in 1993 to eradicate polio through immunization in forty-one different countries in Africa, through massive oral vaccination campaigns twice a year, on 25 August 2020 the same organization issued a press release stating that Africa was certified free of wild polio.

In achieving the required nine billion oral vaccines, 220 million children were vaccinated in multiple doses, along with two million volunteer vaccinators who supported the campaign from 1996 to 2020. The initial projection planned to eradicate the disease by 1999, but the task took twenty years longer than expected.

Today, only two countries in the world still have wild poliovirus transmission, namely Pakistan and Afghanistan. Measures for immunization should not therefore be relaxed, as the virus could be imported from these countries again.

Sources: World Health Organization. Global polio eradication initiative applauds WHO African region for wild polio-free certification. News. 2020. www.africakicksoutwildpolio.com

Picture: Sunday Alamba

Written by Dr. Carmen de la Rocha

D. in Plant Biotechnology, CINVESTAV-Irapuato - Master of Science in Biochemical Engineering, ITC - Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Science, IBERO, León - Supervisor of the Department of Development CidVID - Professor of Subject B, CUCS UdeG Member of the National System of Researchers, level I.

Tattoo Ink for Cancer Detection

A colorful approach to the development of new nano-based image contrast agents designed to improve cancer detection.

Early detection of cancer is essential to improving disease prognosis and quality of life for people with cancer. This article discusses the possibility of finding ink-based compounds to “color” tumor cells and differentiate them from healthy cells.

The development of new imaging methods could provide timely detection of cancer during routine screenings or help oncologists identify tumor margins for surgical resection. Time is a key factor in the diagnosis of cancer. Early screening for malignant and precancerous lesions has been shown to reduce mortality greatly.

Helen R. Salinas and her collaborators at the University of Southern California and the University of Texas Health Science Center evaluated the optical properties of a colorful class of ink and pigments that humans routinely use: the tattoo inks and pigments that the FDA has approved for coloring foods, drugs, and cosmetics. Their absorption, fluorescence, and Raman scattering properties were characterized in the hope of identifying a new panel of dyes offering exceptional image contrast. Some dyes, such as “optical inks,” were found to exhibit multiple useful optical properties, surpassing some of the clinically approved imaging dyes on the market. Obtaining negative tumor margins (which corresponds to the complete removal of the tumor) can be essential to a patient’s survival.

Developing new imaging techniques with increased sensitivity to cancer allows for timely medical intervention and better results for patients. Molecular imaging is an imaging strategy that uses contrast agents, along with various imaging modalities.

In order to transport the dyes to the tumor, the researchers designed biocompatible and biodegradable liposomal nanoparticles.

Liposomes are spherical vesicles with a double lipid layer, similar to cell membranes, capable of encapsulating the pigments. The pigments passed through the blood vessels and penetrated the tumor tissue, where they were retained in different models of lymphoma, colorectal cancer, and cervical cancer. The molecules of the dyes, administered in their free form (i.e. not encapsulated), also accumulated in the neoplasm. The researchers concluded that administering them during removal surgeries would help surgeons to identify the limits of the tumors and to eliminate them effectively. If so, this would be the first step in developing commercial dyes combined with nanovesicles designed to detect cancer in a timely manner.

Source.

Salinas, H. R., Miyasato, D. L., Eremina, O. E., Perez, R., Gonzalez, K. L., Czaja, A. T., Burkitt, S.,

Aron, A., Fernando, A., Ojeda, L. S., Larson, K. N., Mohamed, A. W.,

Campbell, J. L., Goins, B. A., & Zavaleta, C. (2020). A colorful approach towards developing new nano-based imaging contrast agents for improved cancer detection. Biomaterials Science. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0bm01099e https://www.investigacionyciencia.es/noticias/tinta-de-tatuaje-para-detectar-el-cncer-18981