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Category: biotech/medical

Promising Effects of CAR T-Cell Therapy in Refractory Stiff Person Syndrome and a Hopeful Future for All Neuroautoimmunities

Via OPG_BOEx: Clinical translation of photoacoustic imaging using exogenous molecular contrast agents [Invited] https://bit.ly/4occZgi

A team from Rice University examines the current status and future potential of contrast-enhanced PAI in human applications.

In their results, the team proposed neuro-oncology as a novel application, effectively addressing the limitations of intraoperative fluorescence imaging.

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) combines optical contrast with acoustic detection to enable high-resolution, molecular imaging at clinically relevant depths. This review outlines the current status and future potential of contrast-enhanced PAI in human applications. We begin by discussing regulatory considerations surrounding both imaging devices and exogenous contrast agents, highlighting safety concerns, lack of standardized validation protocols, and barriers to the approval of novel agents. To accelerate clinical adoption, many studies have focused on repurposing FDA-approved agents such as indocyanine green, methylene blue, and clofazimine, which offer favorable optical properties and known safety profiles. We then review clinical applications of contrast-enhanced PAI across organ systems. In lymphatic imaging, PAI enables noninvasive visualization of lymphatic vessels and sentinel lymph nodes. Prostate imaging benefits from improved tumor delineation, and vascular applications leverage PAI to assess oxygen saturation and vascular remodeling. In gastrointestinal and hepatic imaging, PAI supports functional assessment and lesion detection with enhanced contrast. Emerging applications in neuro-oncology demonstrate the potential of PAI for intraoperative guidance and brain tumor imaging. Compared to fluorescence imaging, PAI provides deeper penetration and quantifiable contrast. Studies using both approved and investigational agents, including gold nanorods and targeted dye conjugates, highlight advances in imaging tumor margins. Progress in transcranial PAI and molecular probe design continues to broaden its capabilities. Together, these developments underscore the expanding clinical utility of contrast-enhanced PAI for real-time, functional, and molecular imaging.

Electric Fields Steer Nanoparticles for Targeted Drug Delivery

Researchers discovered a new way to independently tune a nanoparticle’s speed and direction using different strength electric fields.

The new method could lead to better drug delivery technologies.

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A new method using a combination of strong and weak electric fields to change nanoparticle speed and direction could improve drug delivery and purification systems.

GLP-1 Drug Side Effects May Be Tackled with More Mechanistic Studies

GLP-1 drugs have been transformative for treating obesity, but about 50 percent of patients who were prescribed this treatment ended up stopping due to severe side effects, such as nausea.

At the 2025 Society for Neuroscience meeting, experts presented new findings on how GLP-1 agonists’ action in the brain produced unwanted side effects and how these discoveries can guide future research.

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At the 2025 Society for Neuroscience meeting, scientists discussed the adverse side effects of GLP-1 agonists and new directions for future research.

New possible treatment pathway for Shank3-related autism discovered

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in communication, behavior and the processing of sensory information. Past research has shown that some individuals diagnosed with ASD exhibit specific genetic variants or differences in the regulation of genes.

In some patients, the Shank3 gene was found to be mutated, partially or fully deleted, or not expressed as much. This gene is known to support the creation of junctions at which connected neurons communicate with each other, known as synapses.

Past findings suggest that people diagnosed with ASD who exhibit variants in Shank3 also present abnormalities in the volume, structure and function of white matter. White matter is a brain region filled with a fatty substance known as myelin, which insulates nerves and allows signals to travel faster within the nervous system.

BPA-Free? New Study Shows Popular Replacements May Harm Human Cells

Researchers report that some chemicals used in printed food-package stickers as replacements for bisphenol A can still disrupt human ovarian cell function. Chemicals that have taken the place of bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging may cause potentially harmful changes in human ovarian cells, acco

Boosting telomerase activity slows lung cell aging in pulmonary fibrosis study

Pulmonary fibrosis—also known in technical terms as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)—is a rare but life-threatening disease. It causes scarring of the connective tissue between the functional tissue of the lungs, leading to increasing shortness of breath. Current treatments can slow the progression of fibrosis, but cannot cure it. The average life expectancy after diagnosis is only four to six years. New therapies are therefore urgently needed.

A research team led by Professor Christian Bär, research group leader at the Institute for Molecular and Translational Therapy Strategies at Hannover Medical School (MHH), and his colleague Dr. Shambhabi Chatterjee has turned its attention to the interior of cells, or more precisely to telomeres. These are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, the carriers of our genetic information.

With each cell division, the telomeres shorten a little until they reach a critical length and the genes they protect could be damaged. Then the cell stops dividing and the tissue ages.

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