Skin Grown In Stanford Lab Offers Hope For Those With Rare, Painful Disease
The success of the skin bolsters the idea that gene therapy can make a profound difference in patients' lives.
San Jose Mercury News:
Stanford Team Is Growing Healthy Skin For Diseased Patients
Small sheets of healthy skin are being grown from scratch at a Stanford University lab, proof that gene therapy can help heal a rare disease that causes great human suffering. The precious skin represents growing hope for patients who suffer from the incurable blistering disease epidermolysis bullosa — and acceleration of the once-beleaguered field of gene therapy, which strives to cure disease by inserting missing genes into sick cells. (Krieger, 2/7)
In other research news —
Sacramento Bee:
UC Davis Researchers Find Mold, Fungi In Medical Marijuana And Warn Of Health Risks
In uneasy news for medical marijuana users, UC Davis researchers have identified potentially lethal bacteria and mold on samples from 20 Northern California pot dispensaries, leading them to warn patients with weakened immune systems to avoid smoking, vaping or inhaling aerosolized cannabis. (Buck, 2/7)
Capital Public Radio/KXJZ:
Drought Increases Severity Of West Nile Epidemics
Drought increases the severity of West Nile epidemics, according to a new study by researchers at UC Santa Cruz. Researchers analyzed 15 years of data on human West Nile virus infections across the U.S. They found that in drought years, outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease were much more severe, particularly in regions where large epidemics have not occurred in the past. (Quinton, 2/7)