Lead Story
CRISPR-edited donor stem cells show promise fighting blood cancer without harming healthy cells
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine reported results from a 30-patient trial in which CRISPR gene editing was used to remove the CD33 marker from donor stem cells before transplant into adults with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia or MDS. The edited cells, made by Vor Biopharma and called trem-cel, took hold successfully and shielded transplanted blood cells from a CD33-targeting cancer therapy given afterward, potentially letting doctors attack aggressive blood cancers more aggressively without destroying the healthy cells patients need to recover. The findings were published in Nature Medicine and covered September 24.
Read more →Lead Story
CRISPR-edited donor stem cells show promise fighting blood cancer without harming healthy cells
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine reported results from a 30-patient trial in which CRISPR gene editing was used to remove the CD33 marker from donor stem cells before transplant into adults with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia or MDS. The edited cells, made by Vor Biopharma and called trem-cel, took hold successfully and shielded transplanted blood cells from a CD33-targeting cancer therapy given afterward, potentially letting doctors attack aggressive blood cancers more aggressively without destroying the healthy cells patients need to recover. The findings were published in Nature Medicine and covered September 24.
Exotic quantum particles pass full test for universal quantum computing
Researchers from the University of Chicago, Harvard, Stony Brook and Quantinuum demonstrated that non-Abelian anyons, exotic quasiparticles that emerge in certain quantum systems, can perform the complete set of operations required for universal quantum computing. Using 54 qubits on Quantinuum's H2 processor, the team combined braiding and fusion of the particles to directly prepare a quantum 'magic state' through topological operations, pointing to a path toward fault-tolerant quantum computers that rely less on resource-intensive error-correction techniques. The work, covered September 24, builds on a Nature paper published in July.
Read more →Exotic quantum particles pass full test for universal quantum computing
Researchers from the University of Chicago, Harvard, Stony Brook and Quantinuum demonstrated that non-Abelian anyons, exotic quasiparticles that emerge in certain quantum systems, can perform the complete set of operations required for universal quantum computing. Using 54 qubits on Quantinuum's H2 processor, the team combined braiding and fusion of the particles to directly prepare a quantum 'magic state' through topological operations, pointing to a path toward fault-tolerant quantum computers that rely less on resource-intensive error-correction techniques. The work, covered September 24, builds on a Nature paper published in July.
Magnetic bacteria extend worms' lifespan by more than 43% in aging study
Researchers led by Prof. An Xu at China's Hefei Institutes of Physical Science found that feeding C. elegans worms a magnetotactic bacterium called Magnetospirillum magneticum extended their average lifespan by over 43% while protecting neurological and intestinal health. The team traced the effect to suppressed ferroptosis, an iron-driven form of cell death linked to aging, with the bacteria lowering iron accumulation and oxidative damage in the worms. The findings, published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, were reported September 24.
Read more →Magnetic bacteria extend worms' lifespan by more than 43% in aging study
Researchers led by Prof. An Xu at China's Hefei Institutes of Physical Science found that feeding C. elegans worms a magnetotactic bacterium called Magnetospirillum magneticum extended their average lifespan by over 43% while protecting neurological and intestinal health. The team traced the effect to suppressed ferroptosis, an iron-driven form of cell death linked to aging, with the bacteria lowering iron accumulation and oxidative damage in the worms. The findings, published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, were reported September 24.
Kosovo declared free of landmines after 27-year clearance effort
The HALO Trust announced this week that its humanitarian demining mission in Kosovo has concluded, 27 years after the end of the 1999 war during which thousands of landmines and cluster munitions were scattered across the country. The charity said the cleared land has paved the way for agriculture, infrastructure and Kosovo's broader postwar recovery, with the country joining a small group of nations, including Croatia earlier this year, to have completed full mine clearance.
Read more →Kosovo declared free of landmines after 27-year clearance effort
The HALO Trust announced this week that its humanitarian demining mission in Kosovo has concluded, 27 years after the end of the 1999 war during which thousands of landmines and cluster munitions were scattered across the country. The charity said the cleared land has paved the way for agriculture, infrastructure and Kosovo's broader postwar recovery, with the country joining a small group of nations, including Croatia earlier this year, to have completed full mine clearance.
New York unveils nearly $1 billion clean energy push to cut heating bills and emissions
Governor Kathy Hochul announced on September 22 the second installment of New York's Sustainable Future Program, a nearly $1 billion investment split across building-emissions reductions ($500 million), renewable energy projects ($300 million), zero-emission transportation (up to $75 million) and methane mitigation ($50 million). The package is aimed at lowering household energy costs, improving air quality including at schools, and expanding the state's renewable generation and grid infrastructure as part of its broader clean-energy agenda.
Read more →New York unveils nearly $1 billion clean energy push to cut heating bills and emissions
Governor Kathy Hochul announced on September 22 the second installment of New York's Sustainable Future Program, a nearly $1 billion investment split across building-emissions reductions ($500 million), renewable energy projects ($300 million), zero-emission transportation (up to $75 million) and methane mitigation ($50 million). The package is aimed at lowering household energy costs, improving air quality including at schools, and expanding the state's renewable generation and grid infrastructure as part of its broader clean-energy agenda.