Sox9 and the Hair Follicle
— An interesting paper (with Elaine Fuchs as a co-author) on how hair follicle stem cells have a strong sense of identity even after being taken out of their home in the hair follicle and then cultured. The Sox9 protein is the “pioneering factor” in all this.
— The coming age of senolytics. I like to say “coming age of…” a lot these days, and it seems like I am far from the only one. A great article was published last month on Novartis’s push for the first ever anti-aging pill. Make sure to also read my past posts on anti-aging.
— New treatment targeting interleukin-23 could be a break-through in the treatment of psoriasis. Note that interleukin-6 has been associated with hair loss and I might write a post on that in the near future.
— Apparently, all brown eyes can be changed to blue eyes. I have brown ones and will only change them if they can figure how to make them green or golden.
— The world’s first penis transplant, if you discount an earlier one done in China a few years ago that was not entirely successful. Finding a donor is not so easy though.
Biohacking and CRISPR
— An interesting new video on out of control biohacking and its dangers. If you have a DIYbio branch near you, probably worth a visit.
— Also see biohacking and DNA modification in someone’s home. The era of synthetic biology scares and excites people at the same time. Some person will sooner or later purposely create highly destructive organisms.
— Scientists warn against editing embryos. More on “DNA Scissors” and CRISPR here. A great new article on engineering the perfect baby. I think a perfect baby is one that never poops or cries, but I doubt that dream will ever be realized.