Rebecca Roberts

Featured in: Favicon

the-scientist.com Favicon

ada.org

cellandgene.com Favicon

crisprmedicinenews.com Favicon

jada.ada.org

Articles

Blocking Scar Formation Prevents Glioblastoma Recurrence

Nov 18, 2024 | the-scientist.com | Rebecca Roberts

In 2016, cancer biologist Johanna Joyce of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center published a study in Science that examined the effects of a macrophage-targeted therapy on glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a common and aggressive brain tumor.1 She found that in preclinical mouse models, GBM tumors regressed in response to the therapy, but with mixed long-term results. About half the time, the tumors would recur. In the other half, they remained in a fully dormant state.
Tackling Antibiotic-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus with Phagemids and Cas13a

Nov 18, 2024 | crisprmedicinenews.com | Rebecca Roberts

Researchers in Japan have used phagemids for the delivery of CRISPR components to bacteriophage, selectively killing multi-drug resistant bacteria in vitro. By: Rebecca Roberts - Nov. 18, 2024 Bacteriophage therapy has long been heralded as one of the most promising avenues in the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.
Alternatives To CRISPR-Cas9: Nucleases For Next-Gen Therapy

Oct 28, 2024 | cellandgene.com | Rebecca Roberts

By Rebecca Roberts, Ph.D. While CRISPR-Cas9 is a widely used gene-editing tool, its limitations have spurred the development of alternative nucleases to improve therapeutic outcomes. Issues like double-stranded breaks (DSBs), off-target effects, and the large size of Cas9, which complicates delivery, have shifted the focus toward other CRISPR systems. Smaller nucleases like SaCas9 and Cas12a are easier to package into adeno-associated viruses (AAVs), making them ideal for in vivo therapies.
Demystifying CRISPR gRNA Chemical Modifications

Oct 28, 2024 | cellandgene.com | Rebecca Roberts |Kevin Holden

By Rebecca Roberts, Ph.D., Kevin Holden, Ph.D., and Adrianna Zepeda Chemical modifications on CRISPR guide RNAs (gRNAs) are essential for enhancing stability, reducing immune responses, and improving editing efficiency, particularly in challenging cells and in vivo applications. These modifications act as protective armor, preventing degradation by exonucleases and stabilizing gRNAs for effective gene editing.
Understanding the 3D Cell Culture Revolution

Apr 17, 2024 | the-scientist.com | Rebecca Roberts

Article reviewed by Julía Crispim da Fontoura, a PhD candidate at the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Brazil who uses organoids to study drug resistance. Stay up to date on the latest science with Brush Up Summaries.
03.06.24 -- "Plug & Play" Lessons For RNA Companies

Mar 6, 2024 | advancingrna.com | AR Welch |Advancing RNA |Matthew Pillar |Rebecca Roberts

Here, I offer takeaways from an ARM/ASGCT workshop on one of the most popular topics to gossip about both in and outside the analytical labs: potency assays. In part one of this two-part article, I start by unpacking what I see as the most prominent knowledge gaps and questions underpinning the CGT and RNA sectors' ongoing potency assay challenges.
Tune Therapeutics: Can Epigenome Editing Cure Hepatitis B?

Mar 4, 2024 | crisprmedicinenews.com | Rebecca Roberts

November of 2023 saw US startup Tune Therapeutics pull back the curtain on a major pre-clinical programme: a potential cure for chronic hepatitis B. Developed using Tune’s TEMPO platform, TUNE-401 aims to epigenetically silence the hepatitis B virus (HBV) without creating double-stranded breaks. Dr. Brian Cosgrove, bioengineer and principal scientist at Tune, spoke about the company’s philosophy and science, the intricacies of HBV, and the TUNE-401 programme in a recent interview with CMN.
Microscopic Bowls Uncover the Secrets of Protein Secretions

Jan 30, 2024 | the-scientist.com | Rebecca Roberts

Cells secrete a range of proteins such as antibodies and growth factors that affect human health, but even within a specific cell type, some cells secrete more protein than others.1 Scientists have struggled to establish links between the genomes, transcriptomes, and functional outputs of cells, which presents a key challenge for researchers developing cell therapies.
A New mRNA Malaria Vaccine

Nov 30, 2023 | the-scientist.com | Rebecca Roberts

Malaria remains a key target for infectious disease prevention, particularly with resistance to common antimalarial drugs on the uptick.1 However, a broadly effective vaccine for the deadly disease has remained elusive.
Calm Before the Storm: Recent Progress in AAV Delivery for CRISPR Therapies

Nov 20, 2023 | crisprmedicinenews.com | Rebecca Roberts

Nicole Paulk is a gene therapy expert and a pioneer in the field of adeno-associated viral vectors (AAVs). CMN spoke with Paulk in 2021 about the future of AAV-delivered gene therapy, covering the most pressing issues in the AAV field, and the most exciting new research at that time. More than two years later, we checked in with Paulk to see how things have progressed.