Rejuvenation Technology through iPSC Cells?
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TL;DR
This week’s issue discusses some of the science behind new megascale biotech startup Altos Lab which has come out of the gate with $3 billion in investor backing. In particular, we look at induced pluripotency and Yamanaka factors and discuss some of the promise and challenges of this new technology. We end with a few words about the ABC conjecture.
Mega Funds for New Startup
Altos Labs has just come out of stealth with a $3 billion fundraise backed by Jeff Bezos among others (source). Hal Barron, GSK’s chief scientist, will lead the company as CEO, along with other prominent biotech executives. A star studded scientific team will seek to unravel the secrets of cellular rejuvenation and further its therapeutic applications.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)
In 2006, Dr. Shinya Yamanaka made the astounding discovery that stem cells could be generated directly from somatic cells by introducing 4 specific genes, the Yamanaka Factors. The diagram below illustrates the process by which adult donor cells can be transformed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
iPSCs have generated considerable hopes of transformative new therapies. There is excitement around growing new organs from iPSC cells but only early proofs of concept have been constructed for mice thus far (source). A new study from Stanford suggests that it may be possible to rejuvenate human cells through manipulation of Yamanaka factors, indicating a potential pathway to anti-aging medication.
A number of major challenges remain in iPSC research. The success rate for reprogramming remains low, with only a fraction of cells reprogrammed into iPSC cells. There is also considerable risk of tumor formation from iPSC cells, with iPCS forming teratomas upon injection into mice. The influx of funding through Altos Labs may help make progress on some of these foundational questions.
Recasting Mochizuki’s Work in More Standard Mathematical Terms
Mathematician Kirti Joshi has come out with a series of preprints (https://arxiv.org/abs/2106.11452, https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.04890, https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.06771) reinterpreting the work of Shinichi Mochizuki on the ABC conjecture in more standard mathematical terms. Mochizuki’s claimed proof of the ABC conjecture has been roiled by controversy due to the dense impenetrable nature of his preprints, leading prominent mathematicians to question the correctness of the work (source). Joshi’s new preprints might offer a path to recover more standard mathematics from Mochizuki’s insights, but the mathematical community will likely need time to come to consensus on the new papers.
Weekly News Roundup
https://www.quantamagazine.org/with-one-galaxy-ai-defines-a-whole-simulated-universe-20220120/: Machine learning is starting to make waves in cosmology.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/topological-transistor-acoustic: Acoustic topological transistors hold out the promise of new ways to manipulate sound.
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Credits
Author: Bharath Ramsundar, Ph.D.
Editor: Sandya Subramanian, Ph.D.