Makin, Simon. “Electric Bandages Heal Wounds That Won’t Close, Animal Study Shows.” Scientific American, 27 June 2023, www.scientificamerican.com/article/electric-bandages-heal-wounds-that-wont-close-animal-study-shows/.

Certain wounds persist after long periods of time. Either surgeries aren’t available, too expensive, go wrong, or antibiotics are overused and lead to resistance from bacteria. However, a “smart band aid” has been developed that adapts over time to the needs of the wound it’s covering. Still in testing, the band aid currently measures things such as temperature, pH, and glucose levels of the area it’s covering. This allows it to self-monitor the needs of the wound it’s protecting and healing, and eliminates the possibility of human error.

Another excellent new invention. This is very exciting, especially for victims of serious injuries, such as burns or infections. It seems like the testing is still far from being over, but we could see this revolutionary technology becoming available to the public in the next few years. This would simplify many cases of small bruises or infections, on animals or humans.

Denworth, Lydia. “Hearing Aids May Lower Risk of Cognitive Decline and Dementia.” Scientific American, 29 Nov. 2023, www.scientificamerican.com/article/hearing-aids-may-lower-risk-of-cognitive-decline-and-dementia/.

Hearing loss is prevalent in America; over 50% of people 50 or older have it in some form. However, for people to ask for or be offered hearing tests is rather rare. This study shows that hearing damage changes the chemistry of the brain. Some of the effects include loss of grey matter, harder working memory areas, and more depleted cognitive reserves. Hearing loss has also been tied to higher health costs and social consequences such as isolation or loneliness.

This article is interesting because it covers an area where biotech could greatly expand and  be improved upon. Hearing aids do exist, but at wildly varying prices and qualities, which determine their ability and effectiveness. Many of them are also not yet wireless; technology that is common at this point in history. There is great space to invest and develop better hearing aids for many different needs of different people.

Gruber, Karl, et al. “How Gene-Edited Insects Are Providing Food, Fuel and Waste Disposal.” Scientific American, 25 Aug. 2023, www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-gene-edited-insects-are-providing-food-fuel-and-waste-disposal/.

Companies around the world are utilising gene-editing technology to modify insects to have genes that make them suitable replacements for other things. Livestock are being replaced with large amounts of insects who have had their genes modified to be more protein-rich. In Israel, black soldier flies, rich in lipids, are being investigated as a possible replacement for agricultural oils.

Incredibly interesting advancements. One of the long-standing issues we have faced is the dilemma of finding more sustainable food sources without needing to give up meat, since they’re tasty and protein-rich. Seems like breeding insects and using them to recreate meat-like substances is as ingenious as it is practical.

Denworth, Lydia. “A-Fib–a Rapid, Irregular Heartbeat–Can Kill You, but New Tech Can Spot It.” Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2024, www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-fib-a-rapid-irregular-heartbeat-can-kill-you-but-new-tech-can-spot-it/.

A-fib is a heart condition that is often lethal. Surveys show that a quarter of cases can go undiagnosed over the course of 2 years; a long time someone can be at risk without even realising. However, research shows that certain health-related devices can help detect this disease before it strikes. Fit-bits and Apple Watches can be used to detect spikes in heart activity and lead to a diagnosis.

This is a perfect example of a perfect use of technology. Preventing people from suffering or even dying, something people from 100 or even 75 years ago wouldn’t have imagined to be possible. The risk with this tech is that such features could be locked behind paywalls if the companies that manufacture those products choose to gatekeep the detection features in the name of profits.

Guarino, Ben. “Elon Musk’s Neuralink Has Implanted Its First Chip in a Human Brain. What’s Next?” Scientific American, 31 Jan. 2024, www.scientificamerican.com/article/elon-musks-neuralink-has-implanted-its-first-chip-in-a-human-brain-whats-next/.

The first subject of testing Elon Musk’s “Neuralink” project has been implanted with a chip in his brain. The aim of the project is to enable humans to control electronic devices with their minds. They would be able to command computers and other equipment to do things without actually having physical control over a device. This is a huge leap in biotechnology and how humans interact with and use technology.

This leap is very significant to the history of biotech, but in a good or a bad way, we’ve yet to see. I think the possibilities are great, but also terrifying; the latter of which my opinion leans towards. I think connecting the brain directly to a net that they are not in control of could lead to manipulation of behaviour or even remotely assassinating someone. I see how it could be useful, especially for people who’ve lost limbs and could regain control with replacement limbs, but I also see the possibility for a lot of harm to be done.

Jackson, C. (4 August 2023). Dopamine neurons are more diverse than previously thought. https://www.genengnews.com/topics/translational-medicine/dopamine-neurons-more-diverse-than-previously-thought/
Study finds alternative behavior in dopamine pathways in the brain. Certain people, especially those with a history of Alzheimers in their families, show increased risk of dopamine-pathway degradation as they age. This is previously unknown information, as neuroscientists did not know there could be mutational links to this phenomenon.
Identifying a cause of Alzheimers, particularly one related to certain genetic mutations, could pave the way for the eradication of the disease, given that tools like CRISPR could replace the guilty mutations causing the disease to occur in the first place. More research should also be done with drugs, as certain drugs have been noted to help patients with a varied range of mysterious conditions, such as MDMA as a PTSD treatment or ketamine for people suffering from depression. Since we know some of these drugs link parts of the brain that aren’t usually connected, perhaps some of them could re-pave the destroyed pathways brought on by Alzheimers.

Thomas, U. (4 August 2023). U.K. population study links obesity risk to sex and age genes.

U.K. Population Study Links Obesity Risk to Sex and Age Genes

A growing problem in the modern world is obesity, with over $173 million being in medical care in the US being attributed to obesity-related costs. A UK study ran by UK Biobank examined nearly 420,000 adults to try and discover if there was a genetic link to a higher chance of becoming obese. Their discoveries were that the presence of 3 specific genes affected the chance of an adult becoming obese, with 2 of the genes being specifically related to women’s rates of becoming obese.
Certainly a pressing issue in a world where alternative foods, more sustainable and healthy alternatives, that is, becoming more important in the food industry, obesity is the enemy of many aging adults as it inhibits many normal human functions, and can be harmful to one’s mental health. Tying back to the previous article, the use of CRISPR or other genetic engineering technology to remove these genomes associated with higher obesity rates could be monumental in fighting this rapidly growing epidemic of obesity in modern society.

Bello, C. (22 May 2023) “Scientists discover the key to extending human lifespans and supercharging cancer-fighting cells”
https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/05/19/scientists-discover-the-key-to-extending-human-lifespans-and-supercharging-cancer-fighting
Article about a Taipei Medical University research breakthrough about a genetic modification in mice that powered a cancer-killing cell to function at 2-7 times it’s original killing rate, as well as possibly increasing the mices’ lifespans by ~20%. This breakthrough sparks hopes that the same treatment could be used to combat cancer in humans and extend our lifespans.
The positives of this breakthrough are plain to see, as cancer has claimed millions over decades of its reign, and finding a cure could save many people spanning all ages from a premature death. However, the treatment could be gatekept by high costs and be reserved for only members of a higher class who can afford treatments.

Vuksanaj, K. (5 June 2023). Three ways CRISPR is making animal research models more predictive.
https://www.genengnews.com/insights/three-ways-crispr-is-making-animal-research-models-more-predictive/
CRISPR is a gene-editing technology that is often considered the face and future of genetic engineering. Charles River Laboratories explains in the article what CRISPR is being used for with mice to be later emulated in humans, such as studying disease genes that were implanted into the mice to investigate their behavior.
CRISPR is the future of fighting diseases. The ability to input genomes that fight invasive diseases could prevent many cases of slow commandeering of a body by a disease. CRISPR also comes with some significant risks of power abuse, as the ability to edit genes opens doors to the possibility of many cruel experiments. However, for now, it is worth investing time and research into proper use and the full extent of it’s possible uses.

Adopt-a-Topic: Biotech/Genetic Engineering Phase: World

LeMieux, P. (2 August 2023). Genetic variant in people of African descent reduces HIV load.
https://www.genengnews.com/topics/infectious-diseases/genetic-variant-in-people-of-african-descent-reduces-hiv-load/
Research by an uncredited international group has discovered that a genetic variant is present in African people, lowering their risk of developing HIV and even slower progression of those with the virus. Between 6 and 13% of African people are speculated to carry the mutated genome. This has been cited as a leading explanation in why some African people or those of African descent have lower rates of HIV.
This discovery is very exciting news for groups investigating the health benefits of genetic engineering. The identified genome could be edited in people who lack it in their own DNA, which would be an important step forward in combating HIV; a disease still extremely viral and widespread among many African nations.