In BulletsThe World Health Organization (WHO) links 66 deaths reported from the Gambia to India-made cough syrups and issued a global warning. According to WHO, medicines identified are Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup, and Magrip N Cold Syrup. The contaminants identified in these medicines were higher amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which may cause acute kidney jury and death. India has already sent samples from the same batch manufactured by Maiden for testing in a federal laboratory and asked the WHO to share its report on the causal relation to death with the medical products.
More information: 1. WHO alert over India-made cough syrups after deaths in The Gambia. BBC.
2. India tests samples of cough syrup linked to deaths of children in Gambia. Reuters.
While technology has improved over the years, beer flavor has scarcely changed. In a recent study, researchers have identified and engineered a gene responsible for contributing to beer flavor. As industries switched to large and closed vessels, the brewing process produced low-quality beer due to insufficient flavor production. The problem emerges when the carbon dioxide produced in the process (about 50% of the sugar gets transformed into carbon dioxide) pressurizes the closed vessel, leading to a reduced flavor. The team concentrated on a single mutation in the gene that makes isoamyl acetate, which gives the CRISPR/Cas9-engineered yeast strain its banana-like flavor and capacity to withstand pressure. They also discovered genetic components that yeast uses to produce the rose flavor found in alcoholic beverages.
More information: Souffriau et al. (2022). Polygenic Analysis of Tolerance to Carbon Dioxide Inhibition of Isoamyl Acetate "Banana" Flavor Production in Yeast Reveals MDS3 as Major Causative Gene. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. DOI: 10.1128/aem.00814-22
Journal information: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
RNA vaccines have proved to be amazingly effective in protecting us from viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. These vaccines work by inserting a piece of genetic material into the body's cells, where they produce a specific protein, training the immune system to fight future viral attacks. Although these techniques are effective, they cannot target specific cells to produce these proteins. This means that once the genetic element enters the cell, it makes the encoded protein in every cell. However, targeting a single cell — like cancerous cells — will require a more precise approach. In a recent study, researchers have demonstrated a way to target specific cells. They created a new tool called an RNA "sensor"— a strand of lab-made RNA that reveals its contents only when it enters a particular tissue within the body. The new system, dubbed RADAR, is made of two sections: a "sensor" region that attaches to specific RNAs within the body and a "payload" region that a cell will read and convert into a protein. This type of control — directing cells of interest to produce a protein under specific circumstances — was previously not possible.
More information: Kaseniit et al. (2022). Modular, programmable RNA sensing using ADAR editing in living cells. Nature Biotechnology. DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01493-x
Journal information: Nature Biotechnology
Three chemists won this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing ‘click chemistry,’ a technique for efficiently joining molecules together. Barry Sharpless and Morten Meldal independently discovered a reaction to link two molecules — an azide and an alkyne. Carolyn Bertozzi developed new click reactions to map living cells without disturbing their function.
More information: Castelvecchi and Ledford (2022). Chemists who invented revolutionary ‘click’ reactions win Nobel. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/d41586-022-03087-8
Journal information: Nature