Lifeboat Foundation

A new family of enzymes found in the human gut has been used to quickly turn type A blood into type O — which can be used for transfusions in anyone.

Click on photo to start video.

Today we will be taking a look at a new paper that shows inhibiting TGFβ can boost liver regeneration.

If you like watching these streams and/or would like to participate in future streams, please consider supporting us by becoming a Lifespan Hero: https://www.lifespan.io/hero

Continue reading “Journal Club August 2018 — TGFβ inhibition restores liver regeneration” »

It’s an unfortunate fact of life that as we get older, our cells gradually lose the ability to heal themselves. Thankfully, at least one aspect of that might be treatable in the near future, if new work from Georgia Tech pans out. Researchers have developed a hydrogel that holds muscle stem cells, and by injecting this near the site of a muscle injury they can get to work repairing it. The team says the technique could be effective at treating injuries in the elderly and people with muscular dystrophy.

The Arctic permafrost really should stay frozen. In many places it’s been frozen for tens of thousands of years, locking away greenhouse gasses and ancient diseases.

Unfortunately, our planet’s changing climate is denting permafrosts around the world. And now NASA-funded research has confirmed that the expected gradual thawing of the Arctic permafrost is being dramatically sped up by a natural phenomenon known as thermokarst lakes.

Continue reading “Strange Lakes Are Speeding Up Arctic Permafrost Melt, And That’s Really Bad News” »

Today, we would like to share with you the talk given by Kelsey Moody, CEO of Biotech Company Ichor, at the recent Ending Age-Related Diseases: Investment Prospects & Advances in Research conference in New York City. In this talk, Kelsey discusses Ichor’s protein engineering platform, how Ichor has used it, and Ichor’s plans for using it to discover new classes of drugs for age-related diseases.

Kelsey is a process-oriented biotechnology executive who has specialized in the study of aging and aging mechanisms for over a decade. Since 2013, he has successfully built Ichor Therapeutics from a living room start-up into a premier, vertically integrated contract research organization that focuses on preclinical research services for aging pathways. Proceeds from this work are used to self-fund R&D initiatives that constitute Ichor’s portfolio companies in enzyme therapy (Lysoclear, Inc.), small molecule drug discovery (Antoxerene, Inc.), and protein engineering (RecombiPure, Inc.) Kelsey has received graduate-level training in medicine, business, and laboratory research.

The life-threatening bacteria called MRSA can cripple a hospital since it spreads quickly and is resistant to treatment. But scientists report that they are now making advances in a new technique that avoids antibiotics. Instead, they are using light to activate oxygen, which then wipes out antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The method also could be used to treat other microbial infections, and possibly even cancer.

The researchers are presenting their results today at the 256th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Clinical facilities currently have few alternatives when trying to rid their patients of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). The Veterans Health Care System, for example, hires infection prevention staff to track hand hygiene. Going even further, one recent study found that disinfecting every patient admitted to an acute-care setting cut the rate of bloodstream infections in half. However, this procedure isn’t feasible at most hospitals.

Continue reading “Weaponizing oxygen to kill infections and disease” »

The SPORT Surgical System is a versatile Single Incision advanced robotic surgical system that features state of the art Multi-Articulated Instruments.

Credit: titan medical SPORT surgical system

The deadly Nipah virus and others like it assemble themselves in a much more haphazard manner than previously thought, new UBC research has found. The discovery could allow scientists to develop more effective vaccines and rule out many approaches to fighting these viruses.

Lincoln Cannon asked me to do a talk a few months ago for the MTA. It was a good time. I learned a lot from the other speakers. Bryan Johnson opened the event and it was interesting to learn about his path and vision for the future. I would like to see many more people in his position. My goal is to make many millionaires out of biotech visionaries through the BioViva platform so that they can reinvest into great tech. Thanks, Lincoln and Bryan!

At the 2018 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, held 7 Apr 2018 at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Provo, UT, speakers addressed the themes of Mormonism, Transhumanism and Transfigurism, with particular attention to topics at the intersection of technology, spirituality, science and religion. Members, friends and critics of the association have many views. This is one of them. It is not necessarily shared by others.