Fibrosis, marked by excess extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, is the end stage of many diseases. Single-cell studies have highlighted the emergence of disease-specific fibroblast populations, including a high collagen–synthesizing CTHRC1 + subpopulation. The profibrotic cytokine TGF-β1 promotes fibrogenesis via cooperation between Smad and mTORC1/4E-BP1 signaling axes. Using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, we report that more than one-third of TGF-β1–regulated matrisome genes are under mTORC1 control. Mapping the transcriptome of TGF-β1–stimulated fibroblasts revealed similarity to CTHRC1 + fibroblasts identified in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This overlap is lost when mTORC1 is disabled. Using the selective mTORC1 inhibitor RMC-5552, we confirm a causal role for mTORC1 in promoting the acquisition of the collagen-high, CTHRC1 + phenotype in response to TGF-β1 stimulation in fibroblasts derived from patients with either IPF or lung adenocarcinoma. We conclude that mTORC1 plays a key role in shaping the transcriptional identity of these fibroblasts, with implications for therapeutic inhibition of mTORC1 in fibrosis and cancer.
Jo-Anne A M Wilson, Rachel Walters, Greg Contento et al.· Science Advances· 0 citations
This article presents a narrative review of CRISPR and the Editing of the Genome in the context of Biology. The literature on this topic has expanded substantially over recent decades, yet it remains fragmented across subfields, methods, and national research traditions. Drawing on an interpretive synthesis of representative contributions, the review reconstructs the historical development of the area, examines the conceptual foundations and definitional disputes that organize its debates, and maps the contemporary landscape of research, including the methodological shift toward data-intensive approaches and the institutional pressures that shape publication practice. Particular attention is given to the role of CRISPR and gene editing as organizing themes, and to the conditions under which findings from different research traditions can be brought into productive comparison. The review identifies three synthetic conclusions: the literature is cumulatively strong but organizationally weak; methodological pluralism is better understood as a resource than as a defect; and the growing practical salience of the topic raises the stakes of its unresolved conceptual questions. An agenda for future work is proposed, emphasizing integrative research designs, transparent synthesis practices, and the protection of definitional and infrastructural work on which cumulative progress depends. The article is intended as both a reference map for newcomers and a provocation for specialists in Biology.
Zen Revista, 10 BIOLOGY· Zenodo (CERN European Organi...· 0 citations
This article presents a narrative review of CRISPR and the Editing of the Genome in the context of Biology. The literature on this topic has expanded substantially over recent decades, yet it remains fragmented across subfields, methods, and national research traditions. Drawing on an interpretive synthesis of representative contributions, the review reconstructs the historical development of the area, examines the conceptual foundations and definitional disputes that organize its debates, and maps the contemporary landscape of research, including the methodological shift toward data-intensive approaches and the institutional pressures that shape publication practice. Particular attention is given to the role of CRISPR and gene editing as organizing themes, and to the conditions under which findings from different research traditions can be brought into productive comparison. The review identifies three synthetic conclusions: the literature is cumulatively strong but organizationally weak; methodological pluralism is better understood as a resource than as a defect; and the growing practical salience of the topic raises the stakes of its unresolved conceptual questions. An agenda for future work is proposed, emphasizing integrative research designs, transparent synthesis practices, and the protection of definitional and infrastructural work on which cumulative progress depends. The article is intended as both a reference map for newcomers and a provocation for specialists in Biology.
Zen Revista, 10 BIOLOGY· Zenodo (CERN European Organi...· 0 citations
This article presents a narrative review of CRISPR and the Editing of the Genome in the context of Biology. The literature on this topic has expanded substantially over recent decades, yet it remains fragmented across subfields, methods, and national research traditions. Drawing on an interpretive synthesis of representative contributions, the review reconstructs the historical development of the area, examines the conceptual foundations and definitional disputes that organize its debates, and maps the contemporary landscape of research, including the methodological shift toward data-intensive approaches and the institutional pressures that shape publication practice. Particular attention is given to the role of CRISPR and gene editing as organizing themes, and to the conditions under which findings from different research traditions can be brought into productive comparison. The review identifies three synthetic conclusions: the literature is cumulatively strong but organizationally weak; methodological pluralism is better understood as a resource than as a defect; and the growing practical salience of the topic raises the stakes of its unresolved conceptual questions. An agenda for future work is proposed, emphasizing integrative research designs, transparent synthesis practices, and the protection of definitional and infrastructural work on which cumulative progress depends. The article is intended as both a reference map for newcomers and a provocation for specialists in Biology.
Zen Revista, 10 BIOLOGY· Zenodo (CERN European Organi...· 0 citations
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This is an independent academic book review evaluating Dr. Adam Barsouk’s 2026 oncology text, "Outsmarting Cancer: Risk Reduction and the Power of Prevention" (Johns Hopkins University Press). The review analyzes the book's core epidemiological arguments regarding primary cancer prevention while critically evaluating its theoretical and practical gaps. Specifically, it highlights the omission of modern applied biotechnology, demonstrating how contemporary bioengineering solutions—such as CRISPR-based gene editing and prophylactic mRNA oncology vaccines—are essential instruments for eradicating oncological risks at the molecular level.
Haider Al-zubaidey, Haider Al-zubaidey· Zenodo (CERN European Organi...· 0 citations
This article presents a narrative review of CRISPR and the Editing of the Genome in the context of Biology. The literature on this topic has expanded substantially over recent decades, yet it remains fragmented across subfields, methods, and national research traditions. Drawing on an interpretive synthesis of representative contributions, the review reconstructs the historical development of the area, examines the conceptual foundations and definitional disputes that organize its debates, and maps the contemporary landscape of research, including the methodological shift toward data-intensive approaches and the institutional pressures that shape publication practice. Particular attention is given to the role of CRISPR and gene editing as organizing themes, and to the conditions under which findings from different research traditions can be brought into productive comparison. The review identifies three synthetic conclusions: the literature is cumulatively strong but organizationally weak; methodological pluralism is better understood as a resource than as a defect; and the growing practical salience of the topic raises the stakes of its unresolved conceptual questions. An agenda for future work is proposed, emphasizing integrative research designs, transparent synthesis practices, and the protection of definitional and infrastructural work on which cumulative progress depends. The article is intended as both a reference map for newcomers and a provocation for specialists in Biology.
Zen Revista, 10 BIOLOGY· Zenodo (CERN European Organi...· 0 citations
This is an independent academic book review evaluating Dr. Adam Barsouk’s 2026 oncology text, "Outsmarting Cancer: Risk Reduction and the Power of Prevention" (Johns Hopkins University Press). The review analyzes the book's core epidemiological arguments regarding primary cancer prevention while critically evaluating its theoretical and practical gaps. Specifically, it highlights the omission of modern applied biotechnology, demonstrating how contemporary bioengineering solutions—such as CRISPR-based gene editing and prophylactic mRNA oncology vaccines—are essential instruments for eradicating oncological risks at the molecular level.
Haider Al-zubaidey, Haider Al-zubaidey· Zenodo (CERN European Organi...· 0 citations
This article presents a narrative review of CRISPR and the Editing of the Genome in the context of Biology. The literature on this topic has expanded substantially over recent decades, yet it remains fragmented across subfields, methods, and national research traditions. Drawing on an interpretive synthesis of representative contributions, the review reconstructs the historical development of the area, examines the conceptual foundations and definitional disputes that organize its debates, and maps the contemporary landscape of research, including the methodological shift toward data-intensive approaches and the institutional pressures that shape publication practice. Particular attention is given to the role of CRISPR and gene editing as organizing themes, and to the conditions under which findings from different research traditions can be brought into productive comparison. The review identifies three synthetic conclusions: the literature is cumulatively strong but organizationally weak; methodological pluralism is better understood as a resource than as a defect; and the growing practical salience of the topic raises the stakes of its unresolved conceptual questions. An agenda for future work is proposed, emphasizing integrative research designs, transparent synthesis practices, and the protection of definitional and infrastructural work on which cumulative progress depends. The article is intended as both a reference map for newcomers and a provocation for specialists in Biology.
Zen Revista, 10 BIOLOGY· Zenodo (CERN European Organi...· 0 citations
This article presents a narrative review of CRISPR and the Editing of the Genome in the context of Biology. The literature on this topic has expanded substantially over recent decades, yet it remains fragmented across subfields, methods, and national research traditions. Drawing on an interpretive synthesis of representative contributions, the review reconstructs the historical development of the area, examines the conceptual foundations and definitional disputes that organize its debates, and maps the contemporary landscape of research, including the methodological shift toward data-intensive approaches and the institutional pressures that shape publication practice. Particular attention is given to the role of CRISPR and gene editing as organizing themes, and to the conditions under which findings from different research traditions can be brought into productive comparison. The review identifies three synthetic conclusions: the literature is cumulatively strong but organizationally weak; methodological pluralism is better understood as a resource than as a defect; and the growing practical salience of the topic raises the stakes of its unresolved conceptual questions. An agenda for future work is proposed, emphasizing integrative research designs, transparent synthesis practices, and the protection of definitional and infrastructural work on which cumulative progress depends. The article is intended as both a reference map for newcomers and a provocation for specialists in Biology.
Zen Revista, 10 BIOLOGY· Zenodo (CERN European Organi...· 0 citations
Abstract Evolution guides biological systems to populate ecological niches, with viruses among the most successful examples of this principle. Viruses evolved over billions of years to efficiently transfer genetic information. Although viruses are highly diverse, most have converged towards remarkable similarity in the size and shape of their capsids 1,2 . By contrast, generative models for protein design enable the creation of protein architectures that are absent from nature 3–5 . Here we investigate whether protein assemblies designed by artificial intelligence can be functionalized to construct nucleic acid transport vehicles that are independent of evolutionary trajectories. By combining natural protein domains with synthetic protein assemblies, we create more than 100 bottom-up RNA transfer vehicles with unique sizes and shapes. These vehicles surpass the RNA transfer efficiency of widely used delivery vehicles by several orders of magnitude. In addition, we demonstrate that their tropism can be programmed by incorporation of computationally designed peptide binders and use them to deliver therapeutically relevant cargo RNAs into a wide range of cellular models. We show the in vivo biodistribution of one of these vehicles in a mouse at near-single-cell resolution, confirm its safety, and use it to perform a gene-editing treatment strategy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy in patient-derived cells and a pig. Our work demonstrates how proteins created by generative artificial intelligence can be harnessed for the rational engineering of RNA transport systems with the desired properties by overcoming the limitations of natural protein diversity.
Maren Kirstin Schuhmacher, Christoph Gruber, Christopher Lang et al.· Nature· 0 citations
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood glucose levels (BGLs) due to defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. Nanotechnology has emerged as a revolutionary tool for diabetes care, offering potential solutions in areas such as glucose monitoring, insulin delivery, and tissue regeneration. This chapter explores the latest nanotechnology-based advancements in diabetes management, highlighting their efficacy, safety, and potential clinical applications. The integration of nanotechnology with emerging fields such as gene editing and artificial intelligence (AI) holds promise for personalized and precision medicine in diabetes treatment. However, the challenges related to safety, scalability, and regulatory concerns remain critical.
Opisthopappus is a perennial herb endemic to cliff habitats of the Taihang Mountains and represents a wild germplasm resource for stress-resistance research on Asteraceae industrial crops. However, its mitochondrial genomic architecture and evolutionary patterns remain largely unexplored. Here, the complete mitochondrial genomes of Opisthopappus taihangensis (Y. Ling) C. Shih (223,085 bp) and Opisthopappus longilobus C. Shih (209,744 bp) were assembled via a hybrid-sequencing strategy to explore mitogenomic evolutionary dynamics of the two congeneric species. Both mitogenomes were assembled as circular-mapping configurations and share conserved pseudogenes ( rpl16 , rps1 , rps19 ) and four copies of trnM-CAT , but differ by an ~8.3 kb inversion encompassing nad7 and ccmFn . Notably, rps12 is pseudogenized in O. taihangensis but remains intact in O. longilobus . A 378-bp nuclear sequence exhibiting 100% identity to mitochondrial rps12 was recovered in O. taihangensis , indicating a candidate nuclear mitochondrial DNA segment. Codon usage analyses revealed a clear preference for A/U-ending codons in both species, and suggest that codon bias is influenced by multiple evolutionary factors beyond mutational pressure. Branch-site model tests identified a significant signature of positive selection in nad5 (encoding a core subunit of respiratory complex I). Predicted RNA-editing sites (456 in O. taihangensis , 463 in O. longilobus ) are predominantly associated with hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic amino-acid substitutions. Transcriptome quantification under salt stress revealed stress-responsive expression profiles for mitochondrial genes, with interspecific expression divergence observed. Our study generates comparative mitogenomic resources and identifies candidate stress-associated loci (e.g., nad5 from selection analysis; atp1 , cox1 from expression trends), providing a foundation for subsequent functional assays and stress-adaptation research in Asteraceae.
Li Liu, Haoyuan Dan, Bingui Ma et al.· Industrial Crops and Product...· 0 citations
