Biotech/medical – Lifeboat News: The Blog

Nov 21
2019

A giant, superfast AI chip is being used to find better cancer drugs

But in the last few years, AI has changed the game. Deep-learning algorithms excel at quickly finding patterns in reams of data, which has sped up key processes in scientific discovery. Now, along with these software improvements, a hardware revolution is also on the horizon.

Yesterday Argonne announced that it has begun to test a new computer from the startup Cerebras that promises to accelerate the training of deep-learning algorithms by orders of magnitude. The computer, which houses the world’s largest chi p, is part of a new generation of specialized AI hardware that is only now being put to use.

“We’re interested in accelerating the AI applications that we have for scientific problems,” says Rick Stevens, Argonne’s associate lab director for computing, environment, and life sciences. “We have huge amounts of data and big models, and we’re interested in pushing their performance.”

Nov 21
2019

Neuroscientists Transplant Human Neurons Into a Mouse Brain

The brain cortex, the outside layer of our brain often referred to as grey matter, is one of the most complex structures found in living organisms. It gives us the advanced cognitive abilities that distinguish us from other animals.

Neuroscientist Professor Pierre Vanderhaeghen (VIB-KU Leuven, Université libre de Bruxelles) explains what makes the human brain so unique: “One remarkable feature of human neurons is their unusually long development. Neural circuits take years to reach full maturity in humans, but only a few weeks in mice or some months in monkeys.”

“This long period of maturation allows much more time for the modulation of brain cells and circuits, which allows us to learn efficiently for an extended period up until late adolescence. It’s a very important and unique feature for our species, but what lies at its origin remains a mystery.”

Nov 21
2019

Looking at Parkinson’s Potential Links to the Gut Microbiome

Columnist Mary Beth Skylis shares some recent research that narrows in on the question of whether Parkinson’s disease is connected to the gut microbiome.

Nov 21
2019

7-Ketocholesterol Drives Atherosclerosis

A particularly harmful byproduct of oxidized cholesterol appears to be a primary cause of atherosclerosis and a therapeutic target ripe for the taking. A new review takes a look at 7-ketocholesterol and its role in aging and disease.

A new review exploring 7-ketocholesterol

We recently reported on the launch of Underdog Pharma, a new startup biotech company that was spun off from many years of research at SENS Research Foundation and is focused on the problem of 7-ketocholesterol.

Nov 21
2019

Scans show how the brain is able to rewire itself after half of it is removed

The brain scans of six patients who’ve had half of their brain removed to treat severe epilepsy have left doctors in awe.

Nov 21
2019

DNA Analysis of Ancient Rome Reveals a Cosmopolitan Megacity

Roman citizens came from Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa and beyond. The ancient metropolis was a bone fide melting pot.

Nov 21
2019

‘Shocking’ spike of HPV-related cancer in younger men worries researchers

They found 68,809 cases of anal cancer and 12,111 deaths from the disease.

The vast majority of these cases are associated with the human papillomavirus, but about three-quarters of American adults don’t know HPV causes the disease, a recent study, also led by Deshmukh, found.

He called the findings “shocking.”

Nov 21
2019

Inflammation linked with Alzheimer’s, reduced cognition and brain fog

Several newly published studies are reporting evidence affirming a growing hypothesis that links inflammation with cognitive deficits. As well as associating inflammation with the cognitive deficits seen in conditions such as bipolar disorder and Alzheimer’s, some research is even suggesting low-grade systemic inflammation in healthy subjects can result in mental sluggishness.

For some time patients suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease have reported mild cognitive deficits in association with their disease. Despite a number of correlational studies finding connections between inflammation and cognitive performance, homing in on any clear causal links has been a little tricky for scientists.

“Scientists have long suspected a link between inflammation and cognition, but it is very difficult to be clear about the cause and effect,” explains Ali Mazaheri, from the University of Birmingham. “For example, people living with a medical condition or being very overweight might complain of cognitive impairment, but it’s hard to tell if that’s due to the inflammation associated with these conditions or if there are other reasons.”

Nov 21
2019

A drone just flew a kidney to a transplant patient for the first time ever. It won’t be the last

A custom-made aerial drone delivered a kidney to a Baltimore hospital, where it was transplanted into a patient who had been on dialysis for eight years.

Nov 21
2019

Smart contacts: The future of the wearable you won’t even see

The notion of wearing lenses over our eyes to correct our vision dates back hundreds of years, with some even crediting Leonardo da Vinci as one of the first proponents of the idea (though that remains somewhat controversial). Material science and our understanding of the human eye have come a long way since, while their purpose has remained largely the same. In the age of wearable computers, however, scientists in the laboratories of DARPA, Google, and universities around the world see contact lenses not just as tools to improve our vision, but as opportunities to augment the human experience. But how? And why?

As a soft, transparent disc of plastic and silicone that you wear on your eyeball, a contact lens may seem like a very bad place to put electronics. But if you look beneath the surface, the idea of a smart contact lens has real merit, and that begins with its potential to improve our well-being.