Author archives: Rosa García-Verdugo

Gene editing could help reverse fast ageing in progeria

Gene editing could help reverse fast ageing in progeria

BiomedicineGenetics

By Rosa García-Verdugo

Gene editing could be the solution to progeria, a genetic disease, characterized by extremely fast ageing. Progeria causes fast ageing and premature death in people carrying a single-point mutation in the LMNA gene, which basically leads to the production of a toxic protein which slowly damages the cells, ageing the bodies. This simple misspelling of […]

Mitochondrial gene editing is now possible, thanks to a bacterium

Mitochondrial gene editing is now possible, thanks to a bacterium

Genetics

By Rosa García-Verdugo

Mitochondria are the energy-making machines in the cell. Also, since evolutionarily they are thought to evolve from symbiotic bacteria, they have their own little genomes, which are mainly evolved through the maternal side, and also maybe because of their important function, mutations in genes affecting them are very damaging, and even lethal. However, mitochondrial DNA […]

How to treat Parkinson’s with astrocytes

How to treat Parkinson’s with astrocytes

MedicineNeuroscience

By Rosa García-Verdugo

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by neuronal loss in the brain’s substantia nigra region. What if another cell type, namely, astrocytes, could replace them? The work of two research groups recently published Zhou, H. et al. Cell 181, 590–603.e16 (2020). shows that, at least in mice, transforming astrocytes (a non-neuronal cell type in the brain) into […]

A common gene variant associated with short height in Peruvians

A common gene variant associated with short height in Peruvians

Biology

By Rosa García-Verdugo

Like intelligence, height is genetically determined, however there are thousands of genes implicated in height determination. That is why the finding by researchers from Harvard Medical School of a gene variant responsible for shortening the average height of Peruvians in about 2.2 centimetres is so interesting. There are other rare gene variants known that cause […]