US biotech Verve Therapeutics has for the first time shown that base editing can be used to turn off a gene in the liver in non-human primates. The trial was part of the company’s programme to create a ‘one-and-done’ gene editing treatment for lowering cholesterol. Read the article in C&I magazine.
South Africa-based pharmaceutical company Aspen has announced a proposed price reduction of up to 73% for critical cancer medicines after the European Commission raised concerns over possible overpricing. Read the article in C&I.
Potholes on British roads cost car owners £4bn/year in repair bills, prompting a £2.5bn government fund to tackle the issue. To repair asphalt roads, the original material is usually ripped up and replaced. Another option is to use mastic asphalt, which is like ordinary asphalt but contains much more bitumen. Since mastic flows, it can be poured onto a damaged area and does not require asphalt to be removed. Read the C&I article
Strawberry growers in the UK rely on commercial boxes of bumblebees to pollinate their flowers. Each individual flower much be visited multiple times for a good shaped fruit to form. Read the article in C&I magazine.
South Africa’s nearly 300 estuaries are under intense pressure from increasing pollution associated with habitat modifications due to urbanisation, industrialisation, agriculture and infrastructure development. Read the article in C&I magazine.
Chemists have tapped the red colour of bricks to convert them into supercapacitors. The porous nature of fired bricks allows them to be filled with conducting polymer to store and release energy rapidly. Read the article in C&I magazine.
Climate-related hazards are poised to significantly disrupt the chemicals industry, according to a new report, and will drive structural changes to industry production. Read the C&I article
Dragonfly and cicada wings – along with gecko feet – are known to have bactericidal properties. Now, researchers in Japan report that this activity depends on the ability of the bacteria to move toward and adhere to these surfaces.
Researchers are developing a multi-organ in vitro Human-on-a-Chip system to investigate the impact of opiate overdoses on the brain stem, kidneys, heart, skeletal muscles and liver. The research will also evaluate the acute and chronic effects of overdose treatments, such as naloxone (Narcan). Read the C&I article
A derivative of a natural flavonoid compound has reversed memory loss in a mouse genetically modified to mirror inherited Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Read the C&I article.