Scientists are reinventing ways that bacteria can be beneficial for human health. Watch this video to learn more about how bacteria may be a next generation medicine using an example of people with phenylketonuria, a metabolic disorder that makes it difficult for people to digest a particular amino acid. References: Synlogic Therapeutics Isabella et al….
What is PIGA-CDG?
PIGA-CDG is a rare and potentially devastating metabolic disorder that affects development across many systems of the body. Learn more about the function of PIGA in the human body, the symptoms of the disorder and potential areas of research for treatment. For additional information, visit www.piga-cdg.com.
Mini-course: Sexual and asexual reproduction
Why do certain species reproduce sexual and others reproduce asexually? Learn how and why sexual and asexual reproduction have evolved and how they have contributed to the genetic diversity we see today! This video was produced in collaboration with iBiology.
Mini-course: What is the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium?
Learn all about the concept of combining Darwinian evolution and Mendelian genetics to study populations using fun practical examples! This video was produced in collaboration with iBiology.
3D Packaging of DNA Regulates Cell Identity
The fundamental mechanisms governing how cells form an identity such as becoming a muscle cell or a nerve cell are not fully understood. Multiple diseases, such as cancer, have been linked to cells going down the wrong developmental path during maturation. This new study conducted at the University of Pennsylvaniasuggests that the ability of a…
Progress and Promise of Stem Cell Research: Lou Gehrig’s Disease/ALS
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or Lou Gehrig’s disease is caused by the destruction of motor neurons. Find out how scientists are attempting to use stem cells as trojan horses to repair the injured motor neurons and produce new healthy motor neurons! Guest voiceover: Dr. Larry Goldstein This video was produced in collaboration with Americans For…
Designing a Potential Treatment for PMM2-CDG
PMM2-CDG is a rare but devastating disease that affects almost every part of the body. That’s because it is caused by a mutation in a fundamental gene (PMM2) involved in the addition of sugars to proteins. To attempt to treat the disease, researchers are trying to bypass the effect of the damaged PMM2 by cleverly…
Progress and Promise of Stem Cell Research: Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease is caused by misshaped red blood cells that are produced from stem cells. Scientists are now attempting to engineer the patient’s own stem cells to produce normal disc shaped red blood cells by fixing the underlying defect in the stem cell’s DNA. This video was produced in collaboration with Americans For Cures…
Cut and Paste: Treating Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Nusinersen
In order to make protein, the gibberish portions of RNA are removed to create a coherent message. This is called RNA splicing. RNA splicing of a specific gene is defective in Spinal Muscular Atrophy. A new drug called “nusinersen” is attempting to repair this splicing defect. This video was produced in collaboration with Cold Spring…
Is Aging in Our Genes?
Why do some people age more quickly than others? Learn about a pioneering experiment that changed the field of aging forever and made us re-examine what longevity really is! This video describes pioneering research performed by the biologist Cynthia Kenyon, who hypothesized that genes could control the rate of aging. To figure out which genes…