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Anti-Sickle | Seal Snot | Ultra-3D

Anti-Sickle | Seal Snot | Ultra-3D

Issue #131

Steve Burgess
December 16, 2023

“It’s been a great year for science.”

I overheard that statement this week and couldn’t agree more. I’m glad we got to share some of it together, thank you for reading!

-Steve

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photo by Sangharsh Lohakare

Anti-Sickle

We now have an answer for sickle cell disease (SCD). Vertex’s Casgevy is the first FDA approved treatment utilizing CRISPR gene editing technology.

SCD: painful blood disorder where red blood cells form sickle shapes
Affects ~100k people in the U.S.
Successful outcomes in 29/31 patients

Patient’s edited bone marrow cells are injected after chemotherapy eliminates existing ones. Casgevy’s ~$2 million per patient price tag may cause sticker shock, but is far less than estimated healthcare costs associated with lifelong treatments.

FDA announcement

Quick! (vote)

How would you pronounce "Casgevy"?

Check out last week’s results in “Unnatural Selection” below

Seal Snot

Arctic bearded seals use their noses to stay warm. Thanks to specialized maxilloturbinates, they limit heat loss while breathing in cold air.

Maxilloturbinates = mucus and tissue covered bone shelves in nasal cavities
Studied against their Mediterranean monk cousins
At -22°F, arctic nostrils saved 1.45x more heat & 3.5x more water (per breath)

Bearded seals maintained their breathing advantages at 50°F thanks to the increased nasal passage surface area. Researchers are exploring how to apply this system to ventilation and/or air conditioning. Good to nose!

Seal the deal

Ultra-3D

Ultrasound-based 3D-printing could build implants inside human bodies. DAVP works by injecting liquid that solidifies later.

DAVP = Deep-penetrating Acoustic Volumetric Printing
Uses biocompatible ink that solidifies with focused ultrasound
Can seal tissue, repair bone, and create drug-dispensers

Customizable ink mimics various body parts, including their durability. Use in humans requires further research, but DAVP offers a less invasive alternative to traditional implants that can sometimes damage surrounding tissue. (ink sold separately)

Fresh prints