#1 - New Target, New Toilet and New Brain?
A new protein for the future of cancer vaccines, potty trained cows saving the world and the second brain in our gut we never new we had.
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New Target, New Hope?
đ New Identified Target For Cancer Vaccines
Now first off, you may be thinking cancer can be vaccinated against? Hopefully by the end of this you will have a better idea!
Cancer vaccines either treat existing cancer or can prevent the development of cancer. Any vaccine that treats an existing cancer are known as therapeutic cancer vaccines. So far there is limited success in the approval of these types of Vaccine, with melanoma and lung cancer having higher levels of promise in comparison to other types.
T Cell response to tumours could be enhanced by vaccinating against certain proteins found on cancer cells.
Using methods from recent years, cancer vaccines are intended to stimulate an immune response from the body which destroys a tumour. This is done as fragments from the cancer protein are injected. In recent news, MIT researchers have made a minor breakthrough. Scientists have made progress in the finding of what proteins to include within the ââcancer vaccineââ. They have found that focusing on certain cancer proteins can boost the overall T cell response and help to shrink tumours in mice. By focusing on the types of proteins located, they can help to reawaken otherwise dormant populations of T cells that target those proteins, resultantly strengthening the overall immune response. This may lead to a higher level of success in FDA approval.
The senior author of the study; Tyler Jacks, said that ââthis study further highlights the importance of the details of immune responses against cancerââ he went on to say that ââwe can now see that not all anticancer immune responses are created equal, and that vaccination can unleash a potent response against a target that was otherwise effectively ignored.ââ
Neoantigens are cancerous proteins that are produced by cells that have mutated and so turned cancerous, neoantigens are not seen in healthy cells. Complimentary T cells recognise the specific neoantigen and start destroying the cancer. However these cells can undergo T cell exhaustion which can create an ââimmunosuppressive environmentââ that disables the T cells allowing the tumour to grow unchecked.
The research team hope that in time the rejuvenation of the T cells could help to attack tumours. The recent focus has been on the development of methods to identify these neoantigens in patient tumours. These vaccines have shown promise in clinical trials for the treating of melanoma and lung cancer.
These therapies are reported to work amazingly well in a subset of patients, but the vast majority still don't respond very well to the cancer vaccine.  MIT's Megan Burger says that ''a lot of the research in the lab in aimed at trying to understand why that is and what we can do to get more of the patients responding.
In this study, the researchers found that they had higher levels of success when using neoantigens that bind weakly to immune cells that are responsible for presenting the antigen to T cells so triggering an immune response. Targeted neoantigens such as these, when used on mice with lung tumours, shrank by an average of 27%. Further more, following the vaccination, the T cell population has the potential to continuously respond, allowing longer term control of the tumour.
The aim for the future is to test therapeutic approaches that would use both this vaccination strategy as well as other forms of cancer drug.
Potty Trained Cows?
đ How Scientists Training Cows Where To Go, Could Help The Environment
Whilst this may sound like just a stupid story, there is a lot of science behind it! Not only is animal waste a major issue in many locations, but the feces can trigger environmental issues such as acid rain, eutrophication and other issues. Furthermore, a reduction in CO2 emissions further adds to the benefits of the ''Moo Loo'', seeing as 10% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions comes from cattle, it's not bad going!
Yes, cows were potty trained.  When put to the test 11 out of 16 cows of a sample trial learned how to use the artificial toilet. Cows each produces around 30 litres of urine a day, and think how many cows there are in a field, and now the world.Â
One of the environmental issues is the production of ammonia. Urine contains nitrogen and when mixed with feces and other materials can become ammonia. This ammonia gas in the atmosphere can react with sulfuric or nitric acid vapours and forms aerosols. This fine particulate matter can cause lung issues for us humans. This is one of the effects alongside acid rain and more. In 2019, nitrous oxide comprised 7% of all the US greenhouse gases further emphasising the scientific importance of this experiment.
How was the experiment done?
The experiment was conducted in Germany where researchers mimicked the training of a toddler. Cows were placed in pens and rewarded after urinating. Cows have a sweet tooth so were mostly rewarded with a molasses liquid.  On the other hand if they urinated outside of the pen, they were squirted with cold water.
Once in a larger environment, 11 of the cows pushed into the pen to seek their reward. Whilst we appreciate that 11 is not a huge sample size, the proof of principle trial has still been successful and promise for the future has been shown.
A few points need to be mentioned. Firstly they gave the cows diuretics to act as a catalyst in the experiment, as they only had limited time to work and complete the trial, secondly this experiment focused on urinating not defecating.
Urine is seen as a bigger problem in Europe compared to feces and so can still be seen as a success!  However one of the researchers believed that the cows could be trained to defecate in specific places too. He went on to say that one of the biggest environmental problems is belching and flatulence which they cannot be trained out off!
We Have A Second Brain?
⥠Michigan State University and The Enteric Nervous System
Firstly what is the enteric nervous system? I've only heard of the central nervous system.
The enteric nervous system (ENS) is an autonomous part of the nervous system and includes a number of neural circuits that control a variety of functions. These functions include motor functions, blood flow, mucosal transport and secretions and the modulating of immune functions. It is essentially an intrinsic system, that is one of the main divisions of the autonomic nervous system. It consists of a mesh like system of neurons that governs the function of the gastro intestinal tract
The enteric system is remarkable independent. The number of specialised nervous system cells such as neurons of glia, that live in a person's gut is similar to the number of specialised cells found in the brain of a cat.Â
In this study, news articles and scientific reports have labelled this, the second brain.
Whilst many of you may know what neurons are, glial cells are less commonly known. A neuron is simply a nerve cell that is the building block of the nervous system. They are specialised in the sense that they transmit electrical impulses and so information throughout the body. Glial cells provide supportive functions to the nervous system. Glial cells are found in the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).
Gulbransen and his team at Michigan State University have shown that the glial cells play more of a roll in the enteric nervous system. This discovery and the research that may follow these findings could help in the finding and production of intestinal treatments, it is believed that in the US, 3 in 20 have intestinal illness with the UK having 4 in 10 have some sort of intestinal linked issue.Â
''Thinking of this second brain as computer, the glia are the chips working in the periphery'' said Gulbransen. ''They're an active part of the signalling network, but not in the same way the neurons are'' ''The glia are modulating or modifying the signal. In essence, the glia are more integral to making sure things are running smoothly, than scientists ever thought.Â
This research has helped fill in the jigsaw puzzle of the structure, functioning and workings of the enteric system and as mentioned potentially providing the foundation for more medicines and treatments for gastro-intestinal issues such as IBS.Â
Earlier this year the team found that the glia could open up new ways to help treat IBS that currently affects between 10 and 15 % of Americans. In addition these cells could also be involved in several other conditions such as gut motility, constipation and chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction.
It is worth noting that science is not yet at the point of providing treatments for these issues. Rather this research can act as a foundation for the further learning and treatment development.
Weekly Topics
As always, take some things with a pinch of salt and be analytical! đ§
đď¸ Environmental
10 great city projects for nature â from vertical forests to a âgangsta gardenâ
Climate change threatens base of polar oceans' bountiful food webs
Kowbucha, seaweed, vaccines: the race to reduce cowsâ methane emissions
đź Conservation
China's ecological conservation and restoration efforts are paying off!
Giant pandas take the lionâs share of conservation attention
âEarth looks fragile from spaceâ: Jeff Bezos pledges $1bn to conservation
đŚ Disease and Illness
Can fruit fly research help improve survival of cancer patients?
Ramping up therapeutic antibody development
An algorithm to predict psychotic illnesses
đˇ COVID
Covid antiviral pill which cuts illness and deaths by half.
A flu pandemic worse than Covid is still the ânumber one biological riskâ to humans
More Details About COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots
𧪠Biochemistry
Using Biochemistry to Fight Obesity
Biochemistry Researchers Identified How Organic Solar Cells Could Be More Efficient
Exploring the polymerase of poxviruses at an atomic level
đŹ Evolution
Plants evolved complexity in two bursts - with a 250-million-year hiatus.
Modern snakes evolved from a few survivors of dino-killing asteroid.
Earth history events shaped the evolution of uneven biodiversity across tropical moist forests
𧏠Genetics
Brexit paves the way for gene-edited crops
Cancer cellsâ unexpected genetic tricks for evading the immune system
The genetic symphony underlying evolution of the brainâs prefrontal cortex
đˇ Weekly Camera Roll
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