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Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed a non-chemotherapy treatment regimen that is achieving full remissions for some people with aggressive B-cell lymphoma that has come back or is no longer responding to standard treatments. The five-drug combination targets multiple molecular pathways that diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) tumors use to survive.

In a clinical trial at NIH’s National Cancer Institute (NCI), researchers tested the combination of venetoclax, ibrutinib, prednisone, obinutuzumab, and lenalidomide (called ViPOR) in 50 patients with DLBCL, the most common type of lymphoma. The treatment shrank tumors substantially in 26 of 48 (54%) evaluable patients, with 18 (38%) of those patients’ tumors disappearing entirely, known as a complete response. At two years, 36% of all patients were alive and 34% were free of disease. These benefits were seen mainly in people with two specific subtypes of DLBCL.

The findings were published June 20, 2024, in the New England Journal of Medicine.

An article from last year that’s still relevant.

2023 article

Researchers investigated when the body starts exerting more energy to keep itself cool at high temperatures.

They found that this upper-temperature limit lies between 40℃ (104F) and 50℃ (122F) when the human body stops functioning…


Those who rush to leverage AI’s power without adequate preparation face difficult blowback, scandals, and could provoke harsh regulatory measures. However, those who have a balanced, informed view on the risks and benefits of AI, and who, with care and knowledge, avoid either complacent optimism or defeatist pessimism, can harness AI’s potential, and tap into an incredible variety of services of an ever-improving quality.

These are some words from the introduction of the new book, “Taming the machine: ethically harness the power of AI”, whose author, Nell Watson, joins us in this episode.

Nell’s many roles include: Chair of IEEE’s Transparency Experts Focus Group, Executive Consultant on philosophical matters for Apple, and President of the European Responsible Artificial Intelligence Office. She also leads several organizations such as EthicsNet.org, which aims to teach machines prosocial behaviours, and CulturalPeace.org, which crafts Geneva Conventions-style rules for cultural conflict.

Selected follow-ups:

I think this could lead to immortality basically allowing for limited growth of dna structures but still offering unlimited lifespan. In short this also prevents cancer aswell.


Telomerase is a ribonuceloprotein complex responsible for maintaining telomeres and protecting chromosomal integrity. The human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is expressed in ∼90% of cancer cells where it confers the capacity for limitless proliferation. Along with its established role in telomere lengthening, telomerase also serves noncanonical extra-telomeric roles in oncogenic signaling, resistance to apoptosis, and enhanced DNA damage response. We report a new class of natural-product-inspired covalent inhibitors of telomerase that target the catalytic active site.

Though hardly conclusive, this study strongly suggests that boosting NAD+ levels in humans could have incredible health benefits.

That’s where Basis comes in.

Created by Elysium Health, Basis is a proprietary formulation of crystalline nicotinamide riboside and pterostilbene, which the human body converts into NAD+. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, it was demonstrated that, on average, Basis increases NAD+ levels by 40 percent. These elevated NAD+ levels won’t necessarily stop the aging process. But they will certainly maximize cellular health, boost energy, and support healthy sleep. This in turn should allow people who are in good health to maintain it longer, and thus age better.

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem say they have developed a way to accurately predict the behavior of cancer cells, which will advance diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

The new diagnostic tool uses AI machine learning combined with nanoinformatics (observing nanomaterials) to classify cancer cell behavior in individual patient biopsies, potentially paving the way for personalized monitoring of the progression of the disease and the impact of treatments.

The study was led by Hebrew University doctoral student Yoel Goldstein and Prof. Ofra Benny from its School of Pharmacy in the Faculty of Medicine, working with Prof. Tommy Kaplan, the head of the Department of Computational Biology at the School of Engineering and Computer Science.

A groundbreaking way of measuring fluid buildup in the body allows chronic heart failure patients to monitor their condition and treat it independently with a physician-approved response.

Tel Aviv-based startup Vectorious has created a tiny pressure sensor that is implanted directly into the heart. It is the only sensor in the world that measures the pressure in the left atrium (one of the heart’s two upper chambers) and is able to identify increases in that pressure caused by a buildup of fluid in the body.

This data on the left atrial pressure (LAP) is then transmitted to an app for the patient and their doctor.