Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease with diverse clinical manifestations. This Review discusses advances in understanding its immunopathogenesis, the evolution of targeted therapeutic strategies, and emerging approaches to restore immune tolerance. Challenges and opportunities in achieving durable remission or cure in SLE are also explored.
Enhancing Functional Independence For Older Adults — Dr. On-Yee “Amy” Lo, Ph.D. — Marcus Institute for Aging Research / Harvard Medical School.
Dr. On-Yee (Amy) Lo, Ph.D. is Assistant Scientist II at the Marcus Institute for Aging Research (https://www.marcusinstituteforaging.org/who-we-are/profiles… and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (https://connects.catalyst.harvard.edu…).
Dr. Lo is a physical therapist and research scientist who aims to prevent functional decline and enhance functional independence for older adults with mobility impairments by conducting experimental and translational research. She has expertise and experience in physical therapy, biomechanics, neuroimaging, and neuromodulation.
Dr. Lo has dedicated her career to enhancing functional independence and quality of life in older adults. Her specific research objectives are:
To investigate connections between the brain and body that enable safe navigation throughout daily environments.
Endometrial cancer—in which tumors develop in the inner lining of the uterus—is the most prevalent gynecological cancer in American women, affecting more than 66,000 women a year. Black women are particularly at risk, with an 80% higher mortality rate than other demographic groups and a greater chance of contracting more aggressive cancer subtypes.
Regardless of lifestyle choices and health care equity, studies still show Black women have lower survival rates. A team of Emory researchers wondered: Could that poorer prognosis in Black women be caused by pathologic and genetic differences as well?
“Racism and equitable access to health care certainly play a big role in the increased mortality for populations of color,” says Anant Madabhushi, executive director of the Emory Empathetic AI For Health Institute. “But with endometrial cancer, it may not completely explain the difference in mortality.
Broken connections between brain cells play a critical role in multiple neurodegenerative conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. Scientists have now come up with a novel way of repairing our neural wiring.
A team led by University of Pisa biologist Sara De Vincentiis used mini-brains grown in a lab to test a technique they’re calling “nano-pulling”, using tiny magnetic particles controlled by magnetic fields to guide axons (connective nerve fibers) into place.
With further development, the researchers believe this approach could help restore the nigrostriatal pathway, a vital connection in motor control that is compromised in Parkinson’s patients.
The accumulation of misfolded proteins in the brain is central to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. But to the human eye, proteins that are destined to form harmful aggregates don’t look any different than normal proteins.
The formation of such aggregates also tends to happen randomly and relatively rapidly—on the scale of minutes. The ability to identify and characterize protein aggregates is essential for understanding and fighting neurodegenerative diseases.
Now, using deep learning, EPFL researchers have developed a ‘self-driving’ imaging system that leverages multiple microscopy methods to track and analyze protein aggregation in real time—and even anticipate it before it begins. In addition to maximizing imaging efficiency, the approach minimizes the use of fluorescent labels, which can alter the biophysical properties of cell samples and impede accurate analysis.
Scientists have discovered a sugar compound from deep-sea bacteria that can destroy cancer cells in a dramatic way. This natural substance, produced by microbes living in the ocean, causes cancer cells to undergo a fiery form of cell death, essentially making them self-destruct. In lab tests and in mice with liver cancer, the compound not only stopped tumors from growing, but also activated the immune system to fight back. This finding could pave the way for entirely new cancer treatments based on sugars from marine organisms.