Deanna Macneil

Scientists train machine learning prediction models on massive datasets and fine-tune their predictions with transfer learning, which re-uses knowledge learned on one task to boost the power of a related task. © iStock, TavriusAntigen presentation by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins is the caller ID of the immune system. On the cell surface, MHCs display peptides derived from cellular components or foreign sources such as viruses, bacteria, or parasites. Peptide display allows the…

ABOVE: Scientists explored how Arabidopsis thaliana grown aboard the ISS protects its DNA. © iStock, dra_schwartz The NASA Twins Study published in 2019 compared biological changes in identical twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly.1 The former spent a year on the International Space Station (ISS) and the latter remained Earthside. Among other differences, Scott’s telomeres grew longer while he was in space and shortened once he returned to Earth.Like many researchers in the telomere field, Dor…

ABOVE: Researchers connect neurodivergent genetics to developmental cell fates using brain organoid models, CRISPR, and single-cell RNA sequencing. ©i Stock, MarLei No two brains are the same. This is well known in life and science, but why brains develop divergently in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a mystery that persists in neurobiology research. Many genetic studies indicate that ASD likely arises early during fetal stages of development.1 However, researchers are still trying to connec…

ABOVE: Scientists are working towards pancreatic islet transplants for diabetes treatment. © iStock, AlexLMX Insulin administration is the current mainstay of type 1 diabetes therapy, but it requires frequent injections and monitoring to provide patients with glycemic control.1 As cell therapies gain traction in the clinic for different disease states, researchers aim to optimize this approach for future diabetes treatments.2 Scientists are looking into islet transplantation as a promising alte…

ABOVE: Virus-like particles combine advantages of viral and nonviral delivery methods for CRISPR gene editing. © iStock, DrAfter123 Much as a precious parcel cannot reach its destination without a reliable mail carrier, gene editors cannot make it to their target DNA without safe and effective delivery methods. Viral vectors and chemical approaches enable researchers to edit genomes in cell culture and in vivo with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and related…

ABOVE: Researchers edit RNA to bypass genome editing limitations in CAR T cell engineering. © iStock, libre de droit Many foundational research technologies have transformed cellular therapies, moving treatments from concept to clinic. In the past decade, chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) and genome editing are two standouts that led to breakthrough CAR T cell therapies for leukemia and lymphoma.1 Scientists engineer these treatments with virus-mediated gene insertion ex vivo, which instructs T…

ABOVE: Precise genome editing tools transform how researchers investigate cancer mutations. Owen Gould When scientists first began applying CRISPR for genome editing in human cells, it opened the floodgates for studying disease genetics. In those early days of editing with CRISPR-Cas9, precision oncology researcher Francisco Sánchez-Rivera was a graduate student investigating cancer genetics in Tyler Jacks’ laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In his graduate work, he…

ABOVE: C. elegans are exceptional model organisms for in vivo compound screens. A new lab on a chip device builds on the benefits of C. elegans culture techniques while overcoming conventional challenges. ©istock, HeitiPaves Caenorhabditis elegans is a tiny nematode species that makes big contributions to molecular research. These worms have simple genomes, well-delineated developmental processes, brief lifespans, and many conserved biological pathways across the animal kingdom, including human…

Flies, worms, and fish with rapid development and characterized genetics help scientists uncover fundamental and universal biological processes, and shape cutting-edge research across disciplines.

A short term high fat diet before fertilization rewires sperm small RNA expression, passing predisposition to metabolic disease onto offspring.