Our knowledge of biology, science, and the human body has greatly improved since the groundbreaking Human Genome Project was completed. Numerous genetic or cellular advancements have been made that may have significant future applications. What are the 21st-Century Biology Discoveries that have changed the world?
Let’s dive in:
The past ten years have already produced significant results, such as customizing drug therapies for patients, printing new organs using stem cells, and possibly making human cells virus-proof. The next decade or two could completely alter healthcare forever as science advances and our understanding grows.
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The use of 3D printers and human stem cells
This is a significant advancement in human biology that may render organ donation obsolete.
The technology for 3D printing is getting to the point where it can print basic human replacement parts. The use of a novel kind of bio-ink may soon make it possible to produce intricate human tissues for surgical implants.
There are a few different polymer-based ingredients that go into the bio-ink. One is a natural polymer because it comes from seaweed.
The final item is a synthetic polymer that has been sacrificed. In the bio-ink, each of these polymers plays a different role. The synthetic component provides additional structural support, while the bio-ink can solidify when the conditions are right.
This ink aims to make it possible to 3D print a structure that won’t harm any of the cells that are introduced into it and can withstand being submerged in nutrients.
The final “synthetic” new organ or structure can be created by introducing osteoblasts (stem cells that help make bone) and chondrocytes (stem cells that help make cartilage) into the 3D-printed polymer structure in an environment that is rich in nutrients.
When fully developed, this method could one day be used to print tissues from patients’ stem cells. The possibility of printing skin to treat burns and kidneys is two additional development.
Specific Drug Testing
Since the beginning of the human genome more than 25 years ago, numerous offshoot areas of research have been possible. Specific drug targeting could one day eliminate cancer. The production of genetically tailored drugs, also known as pharmacogenetics, could be a significant development. Instead of utilizing chemotherapy or other generic “one-size-fits-all” treatments, this could entail the development of targeted cancer treatments.
A report based on their analysis identifies “actionable” mutations and the genes in the patient’s DNA that have been linked to cancer. There are areas of these actionable DNA sequences where anticancer drugs either already exist or are being tested.
These reports could help patients and doctors decide which medications to use to treat a particular type of cancer. If this kind of treatment works in the future, it could lead to huge discoveries about the human genome and, just maybe, make cancer treatments work.
Preventing Scaring By Converting Cells From One Form to Another
At the beginning of the previous years, it was made public that researchers may have made a significant advancement in wound healing. This could prevent scaring. To regenerate skin without leaving scar tissue, they may have discovered a method for “hacking” tissue within the wound.
Previously thought impossible, a method for converting myofibroblasts—a common wound-healing cell—into fat cells was discovered. Myofibroblasts play an important role in the formation of scar tissue as well as in healing.
The loss of subcutaneous fat cells known as adipocytes typically results in the formation of scars in part. Scarring, if any, would be less noticeable if the myofibroblasts could be changed into fat cells in some way.
They discovered that the signals appeared to be a particular kind of protein known as Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP).
In addition to slowing down aging and specifically preventing wrinkle formation, this research may have applications for diseases.
Mitochondrial DNA ‘Spring Cleaning’ Could Prevent Aging
A method for manipulating the DNA of aging cells in the human body was recently discovered by researchers. This “spring cleaning” of mitochondrial DNA could prevent aging. A method for altering the cell’s power plants, the mitochondria, was developed by researchers.
The accumulation of copying errors in our DNA over time is one reason the human body ages. Telomere shortening and other mutations are the consequences of this poor DNA copying.
In the human cell, mitochondria are among the worst culprits, although mitochondrial DNA is distinct from that of the cell’s main nucleus.
There are hundreds of mitochondria in each cell, and each mitochondrion contains its mtDNA packet. Over time, mtDNA tends to accumulate in cells and can be broadly divided into two categories: both normal and mutant mtDNA
The latter ceases to function properly and dies when it reaches a certain concentration in the cell.
Bruce Hay, a professor of biology and biological engineering at Caltech, explained, “We know that increased rates of mtDNA mutation cause premature aging.”This, in addition to the fact that mutant mtDNA builds up in important tissues that lose function as we age, like neurons and muscle, suggests that we could slow or reverse important aspects of aging by reducing the amount of mutant mtDNA.
The team was successful in discovering a method for completely removing mutated mtDNA from the mitochondria, thereby preventing the problems brought on by the accumulation of mtDNA in the cell.
Degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, aging-related muscle loss, and Alzheimer’s have all been linked to mutant mtDNA.The inheritance of mtDNA may also play a role in the onset of autism.
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