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Category: biotech/medical – Page 201

Dr. Gregg Sylvester, MD — Chief Health Officer, CSL Seqirus — Lessening The Severity Of Influenza

Lessening the severity and impact of influenza — dr. gregg C sylvester, MD — chief health officer, CSL seqirus.

Dr. Gregg Sylvester, MD is Chief Health Officer and Vice President, Medical Affairs, at CSL Seqirus (https://www.cslseqirus.us/our-company/leadership/gregg–… one of the world’s largest influenza vaccine companies.

Dr. Sylvester has led CSL Seqirus Medical Affairs since 2016, overseeing the global team that scientifically differentiates company’s vaccines by generating Real World Evidence and presenting CSL Seqirus research to national vaccine recommending organizations.

Dr. Sylvester has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry, government and patient care.

Prior to joining CSL Seqirus, Dr. Sylvester led Medical Affairs teams at Pfizer and Merck involved in the worldwide launches of vaccines including Gardasil (Human Papillomavirus Vaccine), Prevnar 13 (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine) and Trumenba (Meningococcal Group B Vaccine).

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The Biggest AI for Biology Yet Writes Genomes From Scratch

A new algorithm, Evo 2, trained on roughly 128,000 genomes—9.3 trillion DNA letter pairs—spanning all of life’s domains, is now the largest generative AI model for biology to date. Built by scientists at the Arc Institute, Stanford University, and Nvidia, Evo 2 can write whole chromosomes and small genomes from scratch.

It also learned how DNA mutations affect proteins, RNA, and overall health, shining light on “non-coding” regions, in particular. These mysterious sections of DNA don’t make proteins but often control gene activity and are linked to diseases.

The team has released Evo 2’s software code and model parameters to the scientific community for further exploration. Researchers can also access the tool through a user-friendly web interface. With Evo 2 as a foundation, scientists may develop more specific AI models. These could predict how mutations affect a protein’s function, how genes operate differently across cell types, or even help researchers design new genomes for synthetic biology.

Scientists develop micro-robots that can flow like a fluid or collectively assemble into solid shapes

Researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) designed a “material-like” collective of programmable micro-robots, which can behave like a fluid or bond together to create new solid structures. The technology could lead to the development of a new sub-field of robotics.

The UCSB scientists set out to design simple robots that could work together, like a colony of ants or other collective groups. The study, recently published in Science, describes micro-robotic units that can switch from a “fluidizing” state to a more “solid” shape based on the rotational state of the robots.

The idea is ripped straight from science fiction concepts like the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The researchers claim they have turned this theoretical vision into reality after studying embryonic morphogenesis, the biological process through which cells can change their shapes and turn into different tissues in the human body.

Tiny, lab-grown bits of human brain have been combined to create a more complete organ

Michael Le Page explains how this “multi-region brain organoid” contains 80 per cent of the cell types found in a 40-day-old fetal brain.

The team behind it aims to study conditions like autism and schizophrenia — with some suggesting they could one day be used in artificial intelligence. But this all throws up major ethical issues…

Hear the full story on New Scientist Weekly, a news podcast for the insatiably curious, hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet.

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Learn more ➤ https://www.newscientist.com/podcasts/

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First-of-their-kind wearable sensors continuously monitor health through body sounds

This was first predicted by Omni magazine in 1981.

In the world of medicine, the ability to listen to the intricate symphony of sounds within the human body has long been a vital diagnostic tool. Physicians routinely employ stethoscopes to capture the subtle rhythms of air moving in and out of the lungs, the steady beat of the heart, and even the progress of digested food through the gastrointestinal tract.

These sounds hold valuable information about a person’s health, and any deviations from the norm can signal the presence of underlying medical issues. Now, a groundbreaking development from Northwestern University is set to transform the way we monitor these vital sounds.

Researchers at Northwestern University have introduced a revolutionary soft, miniaturized wearable device that transcends the episodic measurements typically obtained during periodic doctor examinations. These innovative devices adhere gently to the skin, enabling continuous, wireless monitoring of crucial body sounds across multiple regions of the body simultaneously. This groundbreaking research was published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine.

Scientists identify ‘inflammation’ gene that hastens aging

New therapies for managing aging could emerge from research into a new gene, which scientists have identified as a key driver of degeneration.

Age-related diseases are strongly linked to inflammation which, when chronic, albeit low-grade, contributes to conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurodegeneration, and sarcopenia, significantly impacting health and longevity.

In a study published in Nature Communications, Dr. Ildus Akhmetov, a geneticist at Liverpool John Moores University’s School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, along with colleagues from Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, uncovered groundbreaking insights into the role of the Ectodysplasin A2 Receptor (EDA2R) in this process.

PEMF Therapy: A Non-Invasive Approach to Enhance Cancer Treatment

The Earth’s magnetic field, a constant presence in our environment, has a subtle yet profound impact on human health. It operates at extremely low frequencies (around 7.83 Hz, known as the Schumann resonance) and low intensities (30−60 microTesla). Generated by electric currents in the conductive iron alloys in Earth’s core, this magnetic field protects us from a blast of solar particles (solar wind) that could literally obliterate life on Earth if allowed to enter our atmosphere (Figure 1). It also plays a crucial role in regulating our circadian rhythms and supporting overall cellular function. Our cells are used to living bathed in this interactive field of magnetism and electricity, and therapeutically, we can turn this into our advantage.

Figure 1. How Earth’s magnetic field interacts with the solar wind.

“Inflammation” Gene Linked to Faster Aging

New therapies for managing ageing could emerge from research into a new gene, which scientists have identified as a key driver of degeneration.

Age-related diseases are strongly linked to inflammation which when chronic, albeit low-grade, contributes to conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurodegeneration, and sarcopenia, significantly impacting health and longevity.

In a study published in Nature Communications, Dr Ildus Akhmetov, a geneticist at Liverpool John Moores University’s School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, along with colleagues from Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, uncovered groundbreaking insights into the role of the Ectodysplasin A2 Receptor (EDA2R) in this process.