UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News

Stunning regenerative medicine study cited

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 27 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists, in what's called a stunning achievement, have transformed one type of adult mouse cell directly into another type inside a living animal.

"In a feat of biological prestidigitation likely to turn the field of regenerative medicine on its head, Harvard Stem Cell Institute co-director Doug Melton (and post doctoral fellow Qiao Zhou) report having achieved what has long been a dream and ultimate goal of developmental biologists …" the institute said in a statement.

Using a technique they call "direct reprogramming," the team transformed mouse exocrine cells, which make up about 95 percent of the pancreas, into insulin-producing beta cells.

"We're intrigued by the possibility that this approach, which has worked for pancreatic insulin-producing cells, could be more widely applied to many kind of cells, especially those that are lost in disease or following injury," Melton, who led the study, said. "And at the same time, we are exploring the possibility of using this general approach in a clinical context to make new beta cells for patients."

The work is reported in the online edition of the journal Nature.

NASA renames observatory for Fermi

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says it has renamed its newest spacecraft -- the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST -- in honor of Enrico Fermi.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said GLAST has been officially renamed the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in honor of the pioneer in high-energy physics who lived from 1901-54.

The Fermi spacecraft -- launched June 11 -- has begun its mission of exploring the universe in high-energy gamma rays, with the spacecraft and its revolutionary instruments passing their orbital checkout "with flying colors," NASA said.

"Enrico Fermi was the first person to suggest how cosmic particles could be accelerated to high speeds," said Paul Hertz, chief scientist for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "His theory provides the foundation for understanding the new phenomena his namesake telescope will discover."

NASA scientists said they expect Fermi will discover many new pulsars, reveal powerful processes near supermassive black holes at the cores of thousands of active galaxies and enable a search for signs of new physical laws.

The Fermi space telescope is an astrophysics and particle physics partnership with scientists in France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Sweden.

Scientists grow cochlea hair cells

PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 27 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have grown tiny hair cells that are necessary for hearing, suggesting a new therapy to regain hearing might be possible.

The Oregon Health & Science University researchers said they produced functional auditory hair cells in the cochlea of a mouse inner ear.

"One approach to restore auditory function is to replace defective cells with healthy new cells," Assistant Professor John Brigande said. "Our work shows that it is possible to produce functional auditory hair cells in the mammalian cochlea."

Brigande and his colleagues said they grew hair cells by transferring a key gene, called Atoh1, into the developing inner ears of mice.

The scientists said the gene transfer technique resulted in Atoh1 expression in the organ of Corti, where the sensory hair cells form.

"It remains to be determined whether gene transfer into a deaf mouse will lead to the production of healthy cells that enable hearing," said Brigande. "However, we have made an important step toward defining an approach that may lead to therapeutic intervention for hearing loss."

The study appears in the online edition of the journal Nature.

U.S.: Global warming is biggest challenge

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A U.S. official says meeting energy needs in the 21st century while fighting global warming will be one of the biggest challenges humanity has faced.

U.S. Department of Energy Undersecretary for Science Raymond Orbach says meeting that challenge will demand "transformational breakthroughs in basic science."

He cited as one example the development of artificial versions of photosynthesis, the natural process that plants use to produce energy from water and sunlight. Artificial photosynthesis, which Orbach calls "photosynthesis without the plant," could theoretically open the door to fueling cars of the future with water rather than gasoline.

Artificial photosynthesis units would split water into hydrogen and oxygen, producing clean-burning hydrogen fuel, he said.

Orbach made the statement in a two-part podcast in the American Chemical Society's Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions series.