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Brain Organoids and Robotics / AI — Sanford Stem Cell Symposium

A model of human cortical development could be used to instruct novel computational learning approaches. Alysson Muotri, Phd, Sujeeth Bharadwaj, PhD, Weiwei Yang, and Gabrial Silva, MSc, PhD, discuss the promise, the problems, and the potential when biology and artificial intelligence meet. Recorded on 10/14/2021. [3/2022] [Show ID: 37556]

00:00 Start.
00:17 Introduction — Alysson Muotri, PhD, UC San Diego.
11:51 An Information Theoretic Approach to Learning — Sujeeth Bharadwaj, PhD, Microsoft.
30:44 An Alternate Approach to Collectively Solving Intelligence: Machine Learning to Artificial Intelligence — Weiwei Yang, Microsoft.
47:54 Organoids May Have Just the Right Amount of Complexity to Make Sense of the Brain — Gabriel Silva, MSc, PhD, UC San Diego.

Please Note: Knowledge about health and medicine is constantly evolving. This information may become out of date.

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Organoids revolutionize research on respiratory infections

Biofilms are highly resistant communities of bacteria that pose a major challenge in the treatment of infections. While studying biofilm formation in laboratory conditions has been extensively conducted, understanding their development in the complex environment of the human respiratory tract has remained elusive.

A team of researchers led by Alexandre Persat at EPFL have now cracked the problem by successfully developing organoids called AirGels. Organoids are miniature, self-organized 3D tissues grown from to mimic actual body tissues and organs in the human body. They represent a paradigm shift in the field, enabling scientists to replicate and study the intricate environments of organs in the laboratory.

Developed by Tamara Rossy and her colleagues, the AirGels are bioengineered models of human lung tissue that open up new possibilities in . They revolutionize research by accurately emulating the physiological properties of the airway mucosa, including mucus secretion and ciliary beating. This technology allows scientists to study airway infections in a more realistic and comprehensive manner, bridging the gap between in vitro studies and clinical observations.

An electrogenetic interface to program mammalian gene expression by direct current

Thoughts?

Wearable electronic devices are playing a rapidly expanding role in the acquisition of individuals’ health data for personalized medical interventions; however, wearables cannot yet directly program gene-based therapies because of the lack of a direct electrogenetic interface. Here we provide the missing link by developing an electrogenetic interface that we call direct current (DC)-actuated regulation technology (DART), which enables electrode-mediated, time-and voltage-dependent transgene expression in human cells using DC from batteries. DART utilizes a DC supply to generate non-toxic levels of reactive oxygen species that act via a biosensor to reversibly fine-tune synthetic promoters.

For the first time researchers restore feeling and lasting movement in man living with quadriplegia

In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, bioelectronic medicine researchers, engineers and surgeons at Northwell Health’s The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research have successfully implanted microchips into the brain of a man living with paralysis, and have developed artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to re-link his brain to his body and spinal cord.

This double neural bypass forms an electronic bridge that allows information to flow once again between the man’s paralyzed body and to restore movement and sensations in his hand with lasting gains in his arm and wrist outside of the laboratory. The research team unveiled the trial participant’s groundbreaking progress four months after a 15-hour open-brain surgery that took place on March 9 at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH).

“This is the first time the brain, body and have been linked together electronically in a paralyzed human to restore lasting movement and sensation,” said Chad Bouton, professor in the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes, vice president of advanced engineering at Northwell Health, developer of the technology and principal investigator of the clinical trial.

Genetically Engineering Cells to Respond to Electricity

A paper published today in Nature Metabolism has described a method of genetically engineering cells to respond to electrical stimuli, allowing for on-demand gene expression.

Despite its futuristic outlook, this line of research is built upon previous work. The idea of an implantable gene switch to command cells in order to deliver valuable compounds into the human body is not new. The authors of this paper cite longstanding work showing that gene switches can be developed to respond to antibiotics [1] or other drugs, and the antibiotic doxycycline is used regularly for this purpose in mouse models. More recently, researchers have worked on cells that control their output based on green light [2], radio waves [3], or heat [4].

However, these mechanisms have their problems. A gene trigger that operates in response to a chemical compound requires that compound to have stable, controllable biological availability [5]. If it relies on any wavelength of electromagnetic radiation, that process may be triggered by mistake or require intense energy to function [3].

Subpleural nodules and septal thickening on CT chest may predict tubercular pleural effusion

An Original Research entitled “CT Differences of Pulmonary Tuberculosis According to Presence of Pleural Effusion” by Dr Jung et al. and colleagues mentioned that tuberculous (TB) involvement of the lymphatics in the peripheral interstitium may have an association with pleural effusion development.

They explained that common CT (computed tomography) findings in TB pleural effusion are Subpleural micronodules and interlobular septal thickening. These features detected in computed tomography could aid in the differentiation between TB pleural effusion and non-tuberculous empyema.

The main question here is whether subpleural micronodules and interlobular septal thickening frequency correlate with the pleural effusion presence in pulmonary TB patients.

Study sheds light on where conscious experience resides in the brain

Researchers from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and UC Berkeley recorded electrical activity in the brains of epilepsy patients while showing them various images in an attempt to find out where persistent images are stored in the brain and how we consciously access those images. (Image credit: Hadar Vishne, Royal College of Art)

More than a quarter of all stroke victims develop a bizarre disorder — they lose conscious awareness of half of all that their eyes perceive.

After a stroke in the brain’s right half, for example, a person might eat only what’s on the right side of the plate because they’re unaware of the other half. The person may see only the right half of a photo and ignore a person on their left side.

3D Animation Captures Viral Infection in Action

With the summer holiday season now in full swing, the blog will also swing into its annual August series. For most of the month, I will share with you just a small sampling of the colorful videos and snapshots of life captured in a select few of the hundreds of NIH-supported research labs around the country.

To get us started, let’s turn to the study of viruses. Researchers now can generate vast amounts of data relatively quickly on a virus of interest. But data are often displayed as numbers or two-dimensional digital images on a computer screen. For most virologists, it’s extremely helpful to see a virus and its data streaming in three dimensions. To do so, they turn to a technological tool that we all know so well: animation.

This research animation features the chikungunya virus, a sometimes debilitating, mosquito-borne pathogen transmitted mainly in developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas. The animation illustrates large amounts of research data to show how the chikungunya virus infects our cells and uses its specialized machinery to release its genetic material into the cell and seed future infections. Let’s take a look.

Cell-free DNA blood test ‘poised to have significant impact’ on CRC screening

CHICAGO — A cell-free DNA blood-based test displayed 83% sensitivity for colorectal cancer detection and 90% specificity in an average-risk population, similar to the performance of current noninvasive screening options.

“Colorectal cancer screening is recommended for everyone in the United States,” Daniel Chung, MD, director of the High-Risk GI Cancer Clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor at Harvard Medical School, told attendees at Digestive Disease Week. “But, despite the widespread availability of many screening options, there remain persistent and significant barriers, and unfortunately, screening rates remain suboptimal. In fact, only 59% of eligible individuals aged 45 and over are adherent, which is well below the acceptance target rate of 80%.”

He added: “A blood-based screening test that can be completed as part of a routine health care visit presents a unique and attractive opportunity to increase adherence to colon cancer screening.”

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