Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Category: biotech/medical – Page 1296

Genetic information can be messy. Mapping proteins could offer a clearer view of what’s driving cancer.

Scientists have unveiled new maps of the protein networks underlying different types of cancer, offering a potentially clearer way to see what’s driving the disease and to find therapeutic targets.

Sequencing the genetic information of tumors can provide a trove of data about the mutations contained in those cancer cells. Some of those mutations help doctors figure out the best way to treat a patient, but others remain more of a mystery than a clear instruction manual. Many are exceedingly rare, or there are so many mutations it’s not clear what’s fueling the cancer.

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Developing drugs for a range of tauopathies — dr leticia toledo-sherman, senior director, drug discovery, tau consortium, rainwater charitable foundation.

Dr. Leticia Toledo-Sherman is Senior Director of Drug Discovery of the Tau Consortium (https://tauconsortium.org/) for The Rainwater Charitable Foundation (https://rainwatercharitablefoundation.org/medical-research) and also holds an appointment as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurology at UCLA.

Dr. Toledo-Sherman leads drug discovery activities for an international network of scientists working to develop therapies for Tauopathies, a group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the deposition of abnormal Tau protein in the brain.

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Interesting.

Everybody knows sleep is important, but there’s still a lot we don’t understand about what it actually does to the brain – and how its benefits could be boosted. To investigate, the US Army has awarded researchers at Rice University and other institutions a grant to develop a portable skullcap that can monitor and adjust the flow of fluid through the brain during sleep.

Most of us are familiar with the brain fog that comes with not getting enough sleep, but the exact processes going on in there remain mysterious. In 2012 scientists made a huge breakthrough in the field by discovering the glymphatic system, which cleans out toxic waste products from the brain during deep sleep by flushing it with cerebrospinal fluid. Disruptions to sleep – and therefore the glymphatic system – have been increasingly associated with neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s.

Studying the glymphatic system could provide new insights into sleep disorders and how to treat them, but currently it requires big bulky MRI machines. So the US Army is funding researchers at Rice University, Houston Methodist and Baylor College of Medicine to develop a wearable skullcap.

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“The Foundation has created a unique and transparent mechanism for boosting early longevity research worldwide and ensuring mass public participation in decision making,” said Alex Zhavoronkov, Visionary Board member and an expert in AI-powered drug discovery. “This approach finally allows us to speak about getting closer to the idea of mass adoption of longevity ideas and treatments.”

“Age is the greatest risk factor for nearly every major cause of death and disability in developed nations. Therapeutically targeting biological aging is key to fulfilling the promise of 21st century medicine, and the Foundation is poised to play a central role in making this a reality,” said Matt Kaeberlein, CEO of the American Aging Association and Professor at the University of Washington, where he leads several major initiatives.

“In five years, healthy longevity will not only exist as a lab-proven concept, but will become part of everyone’s life,” said Andrea Maier, Visionary Board member and co-director of the Centre for Healthy Longevity at the National University of Singapore.

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According to 2020’s McKinsey Global Survey on artificial intelligence (AI), in 2,020 more than 50% of companies have adopted AI in at least one business unit or function, so we witness the emergence of new AI trends. Organizations apply AI tools to generate more value, increase revenue and customer loyalty. AI leading companies invest at least 20% of their earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) in AI. This figure may increase as COVID-19 is accelerating digitization. Lockdowns resulted in a massive surge of online activity and an intensive AI adoption in business, education, administration, social interaction, etc.

Full Story:

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DNA extracted from ancient Egyptian mummies is offering an intriguing glimpse at what three men might’ve looked like when they hung out in the Fertile Crescent more than 2,000 years ago.

The genetic sleuthing led to highly detailed 3D constructions of a trio from an ancient Nile community known as the Abusir el-Meleq who are estimated to have lived between 2,023 and 2,797 years ago.

The images result from DNA phenotyping, which predicts a person’s physical characteristics based on genetic data. The re-creations mark the first time comprehensive DNA phenotyping has been performed on human DNA this old, according to Virginia-based Parabon NanoLabs, the company behind the images. Parabon typically taps DNA phenotyping to help solve criminal cases.

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Describing one scenario, an AI could act as a quiet bioterrorist. Since we have become heavily dependent on computers and computer-dependent systems are by default dispersed and impersonal, the task of eradicating humanity could be divvied up to gazillions of little micro-players, who may or may not know what they are doing. “For example, the AI could pay employees in a DNA-synthesizing company to do small jobs and then combine their work into creating a biological weapon, such as a virus able to kill a lot of people,” says Turchin.

“How are you certain you are not in a multilevel simulation, where your behavior is being monitored by humans who are testing your benevolence levels?”

Turchin addresses this in one of his letters to the young, future humanity-killing AI. “There are several instrumental reasons why exterminating humanity is not in your interest,” the Russian transhumanist writes. “Cooperating with humans will only increase your chances of accomplishing any goal you may have.”

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