Month: June 2021

CRISPR gene editing already promises to fight diseases that were once thought unassailable, but techniques so far have required injecting the tools directly into affected cells. That's not very practical for some conditions. However, there's just been a breakthrough. NPR reports that researchers have published results showing that you can inject CRISPR-Cas9 into the bloodstream to make edits, opening the door to the use of gene editing for treating many common diseases. The experimental treatment tackled a rare genetic disease, transthyretin amyloidosis. Scientists injected volunteers with CRISPR-loaded nanoparticles that were absorbed by the patients' livers, editing a gene in the organ to disable production of a harmful protein. Levels of that protein plunged within weeks of the injec...

File photo of the Mass vaccination site at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy. The Utah Department of Health reported 351 new cases, 4 new deaths, and 19,910 new vaccinations for COVID-19 in Utah on Saturday. (Jed Boal, KSL TV) SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health reported 351 new cases, 4 new deaths, and 19,910 new vaccinations for COVID-19 in Utah on Saturday. The rolling seven-day average for positive cases in the state is now at 331, up from 324 on Friday. The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity as calculated by the "people over people" method is 8.9%. The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity as calculated by the "tests over tests" method is 5.95%. Since Friday, 3,831 people tested ...

She showed up anyway. At worst, she figured, the school would just turn her away. Apparently, they took note only of her mother’s consent. Saying nothing, Elizabeth stuck out her arm. Now she is in a pickle. The school is requiring students to be vaccinated for the fall semester and she says her father has begun warring with the administration over the issue. Elizabeth is afraid that if he learns how she was vaccinated, he will be furious and tell the school, which will discipline her for having deceived vaccinators, a stain on her record just as she is applying to college. Gregory D. Zimet, a psychologist and professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, pointed out the irony of an adolescent being legally prevented from making a choice that was strenuously urged by p...