A new hope for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy
The FDA has recently given accelerated approval to a new drug for the neuromuscular disease. It’s a gene transfer therapy for pediatric patients age four and five years old who still have the ability to walk. The medication helps the body produce dystrophin, a protein that assists in holding muscle cells together. Researchers hope the positive conclusion of more clinical trials will widen the approved age range (University of Rochester).
Do rodents have the key to immortality?
Naked mole rats are known for their long lifespans and resistance to diseases like arthritis, neurodegeneration, and cancer. And now scientists have successfully transferred that longevity gene into mice. The process gave these mice a four-point-four percent increase in median lifespan and improved their overall health. The research is published in the journal Nature (University of Rochester).
Buying a dog could be great for your health
A new review shows that trained scent dogs are faster and more precise at detecting Covid-19 than current technology. These pups have hundreds of millions of olfactory receptors, while humans only have about 6 million. To put that in perspective, they can detect one drop of a smelly substance in 10.5 Olympic sized pools. The research is published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine (UC Santa Barbara).
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