Gene Therapy May Treat Alzheimer's

Injecting a specific gene directly into the brain may offer a potential new therapy for halting the progress of Alzheimer’s disease, especially when treated at an early stage, a new study has claimed. Scientists from Imperial College London in the UK used a type of modified virus to deliver a gene to brain cells in mice. Previous studies by the same team suggest this gene, called PGCI – alpha, may prevent the formation of a protein called amyloid beta peptide in cells in the lab. Amyloid beta peptide is the main component of amyloid plaques, the sticky clumps of protein found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. These plaques are thought to trigger the death of brain cells. Worldwide 47.5 million people are affected by dementia – of which Alzheimer’s is the most common form, researchers said. There is no cure, although current drugs can help treat the symptoms of the disease. Other researchers said this new findings may one day provide a method of preventing the disease, or halting it in the early stages. Although these findings are very early they suggest this gene therapy may have potential therapeutic use for patients.

After 2 Millennia, 3D Tech Brings Ancient House To Life

Researchers have used 3D technology to reconstruct a house in Pompeii, the ancient town city wiped out by the eruption of a volcano two millennia ago, to show what life may have been like for its people. By combining traditional archaeology with 3D technology, researchers at Lund University is Sweden have managed to complete the detailed reconstruction of a wealthy man’s bungalow. In 1980, the Pompeii city curator invited the international research community to help document the ruins before they suffered further damage. Thus began the Swedish Pompeii Project at the Swedish Institute in Rome in 2000. The town-city, destroyed in AD 79, was scanned during field work in 2011-2012. Among other things, the researchers have uncovered floor surfaces from AD 79, performed detailed studies of the building development through history, cleaned and documented three large wealthy estates, a tavern, a laundry, and several gardens. In one garden, they discovered that some of the taps of a fountain were on at the time of the eruption. In a shop, they found three intact windows (made of translucent crystalline gypsum) from ancient Rome.