Aurora magazine

A team of students from the University of Copenhagen is developing a new way to track female hormones. With a chewing gum. They developed a biosensor that they integrated into a gum. When chewed, the biosensor intercepts estrogen and luteinizing hormone. In this way it identifies the hormonal peaks that precede the ovulation period.

When levels of estrogen or luteinizing hormone peak, the biosensor is activated. As a result, the rubber changes color more or less intensely. In this way those who chew it can use the color of the rubber to understand at what stage of ovulation it is. To do this, just use a special app in development, which will analyze the photos of the rubber loaded on the phone.

The results will also be useful to predict fertile periods in the following months. Chewing gum contains a genetically modified yeast with sequences expressing the hormones involved. Furthermore, it contains binders that change color depending on which genetic sequences are activated. At the moment, one of the major problems is making the yeast survive in the gum for a sufficient period. Later, the researchers will also try to aromatize the gum. The company aims to offer an alternative to current hormonal monitoring tools.

The latter are quite expensive, too much for some people. A chewing gum would instead be economical, easy to use and even accurate. For the moment, however, there are still so many improvements to be made.

Source: 2019.igem.org

The DNA region associated with Huntington's disease expands as the years go by, contributing to the progression of the disease. This was revealed by a study by the University of Glasgow and University College London.

Scientists have analyzed the DNA of two groups of people with the Huntington-related genetic abnormalities. From the observations it emerged that the mutations grow over time and change. The more time passes, the more CAG repeats grow and the worse the disease gets. In some people, however, there were additional AAC breaks. These slowed down the rate at which the repetitions increased, slowing the progression of the disease. For a more in-depth analysis, it emerged that the phenomenon would be connected to particular genetic variants, all associated with the growth of CAG.

The discovery could have enormous implications in the therapeutic field. They could help scientists predict how Huntington's disease will evolve, how severe the symptoms will be and how quickly it will degenerate.

This will also have repercussions on the development of new treatments. Starting from this research, the team is working on ways to reproduce the observed phenomenon. Above all, it is looking for the genes responsible for the severity of the disease, so as to alleviate at least some of the symptoms. To this end, they have developed a new DNA sequencing technique, which will allow us to better observe CAG mutations.

Source: medicalxpress.com

Researchers at the University of Missouri, in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Duke University, have corrected in mice the genetic mutation causing Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This is a further step towards effective treatment also in human beings.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by the production of dystrophin. Protein is essential for the development and survival of muscle cells. When it is missing, all the muscles of the body gradually lose their functionality. This applies to both motor and respiratory and cardiac muscles. To avoid all this, the genetic mutation that prevents the production of the protein should be corrected.

The study authors thought of the most efficient way to correct mutated cells. By changing the genes of muscle stem cells, all new cells would be healthy. In this way it would be possible to replace sick muscle cells with as many healthy ones. To test this hypothesis, the researchers tested it on some guinea pigs suffering from dystrophy. First, the researchers treated a healthy muscle using Crispr.

They then transplanted it into an immunodeficient mouse and let it regenerate from its stem cells. In this way they obtained many modified muscle stem cells, proving the feasibility of the first phase. After the first phase, the researchers tested the therapy on sick guinea pigs. They modified the sick stem cells and let the muscles regenerate. The test was successful and the muscles of the guinea pigs began to produce dystrophin. If all this could be reproduced in humans, the dystrophy could be permanently erased.

Source: wired.it

A study led by Yale researchers examines changes in the fertility of different generations of women. They focused on women of the X generation - born between 1965 and 1982 - comparing them with their Baby Boomer counterparts. They also took into consideration the internal differences between women of the same generation, but with a different cultural level.

The researchers compared cohorts of women born at different times and with different cultural levels. The results showed that the total fertility rate has been increasing among Generation X women.

The most substantial improvements were recorded among women of higher culture, who studied at least in college. Among the women who studied at college, the percentage of those who had 2 children and chose to have a third was higher. Indeed, it can be said that having three children is the norm among high-education US women belonging to Generation X.

According to the discovery, the fertility rate may have little to do with the age of the first child. In fact, women who study longer tend to have their first child later. Nevertheless, they shorten the waiting time between one pregnancy and another, managing to have more children. This did not happen among Baby Boomer women, who have had fewer children than their more modern counterparts.

Source: yale.edu