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Category: biotech/medical – Page 314

Dr. Ian Simon, PhD — Director, Office of Long COVID Research and Practice, U.S. HHS

Leading A Government-Wide Response To Long COVID — Dr. Ian Simon, Ph.D. — Director, Office of Long COVID Research and Practice, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Dr. Ian Simon, Ph.D. is the Director for the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice (https://www.hhs.gov/longcovid/index.html), in the Office of Science and Medicine, in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health \& Human Services.

The Office of Science and Medicine harnesses the power of collaboration, scientific analysis, data-driven innovation, and emerging technologies for advancing initiatives across the Department, including not just Long COVID, but in the areas of behavioral health, health equity, kidney disease, infection-associated chronic conditions, mother-infant dyad, sickle cell disease, and traumatic brain injury.

Previously Dr. Simon was the Assistant Director for Health Strategy and Biopreparedness at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he led pandemic prevention and biosecurity policy priorities. Most recently, he was the Senior Advisor to the Director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Prior to working at NIAID, Dr. Simon was the Assistant Director of the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) Science and Technology Policy Institute. In that role, he specialized in developing policy initiatives including bioeconomy, STEM education, pandemic preparedness, biosecurity, and international S\&T cooperation.

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‘Game-changing’ study of blood proteins will help fight disease

“Proteins are the molecular machinery that helps the body to function — and malfunction. Their role in disease is crucial, but rarely simple. Knowing which are associated with a particular disease can help doctors and scientists to spot it earlier and narrow down potential treatments,” writes Tom Whipple in The Times, as he describes the potential impact of a new study from UK Biobank that is the world’s largest exploration of all the proteins in the human body.

Thermo Fisher’s Olink Proteomics Explore HT platform, which enables precise analysis of proteins in the human body, will play a key role in the work. Researchers will use our technology to study the role proteins play in many types of diseases. Their findings will fuel the discovery of new protein biomarkers that could predict, diagnose and treat diseases. The study “has the potential to transform healthcare by the end of this decade,” says Dr. Chris Whelan, who is leading a group of pharmaceutical companies working on the project.

‘Treasure trove’ of samples provided by UK volunteers has the potential to transform healthcare by the end of this decade, say scientists.

Nanoparticles Reverse Parkinson’s in Mice by Healing Damaged Dopamine Cells

Stimulating dopamine-producing brain cells wirelessly with gold nanoparticles has proven effective at treating mice with Parkinson’s disease, even reversing a portion of their neurological damage.

Researchers from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China (NCNST) say it’s a significant step forward for using brain simulation to tackle Parkinson’s in humans, a neurodegenerative condition that affects more than 10 million people worldwide.

Deep inside the brains of those with the condition, dopamine-producing neurons take a major hit as insoluable clumps of a protein called alpha-synuclein accumulate, gradually depriving patients of an ability to control their movements.

New AI-based antitoxins achieve 100% survival against cobra venom

Snakebites affect 1.8 to 2.7 million people annually, causing around 100,000 deaths and three times as many permanent disabilities, according to the World Health Organization. Victims are predominantly in regions with fragile healthcare systems, such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Traditional antivenoms derived from animal plasma come with significant drawbacks: high costs, limited efficacy, and serious side effects.

The diversity of snake venoms further complicates treatment, as current antivenoms often target specific species. However, advances in toxin research and computational tools are now driving a new era in snakebite therapy.

Baker’s team, in collaboration with Timothy Patrick Jenkins from Denmark’s Technical University (DTU), harnessed AI to design proteins that bind to and neutralize three-finger toxins—among the deadliest components of cobra venom. These toxins are notorious for evading the immune system, rendering conventional treatments ineffective.

Stanford Study Reveals Fiber’s Hidden Anti-Cancer Superpowers

Fiber is a crucial component of a healthy diet, yet fewer than 10% of Americans consume the recommended daily amount. However, new research from Stanford Medicine may provide a compelling reason to increase intake of fiber-rich foods like beans, nuts, cruciferous vegetables, and avocados.

The study, recently published in Nature Metabolism

Nature Metabolism is a peer-reviewed journal published by the Nature Portfolio, focusing on high-impact research in metabolic biology. The journal covers a broad range of topics including cellular metabolism, systemic metabolism, disease, physiology, and metabolic interactions. It aims to provide insights into how metabolism influences health, disease, and aging, and serves as a platform for fundamental and translational research in metabolic science.

A Deep Dive into Awareness and Perceptions of Potential Benefits and Harms of Multi-Cancer Detection Tests

More than half of cancer deaths involve cancers that have no recommended screening tests, including highly deadly cancers like ovarian and pancreatic cancer.1 Multi-cancer detection (MCD) tests are a new type of blood test designed to detect multiple cancers. Despite limited evidence on their benefit, some MCD tests are currently available to the public as cancer screening tools and many more are in development.

Research is underway to try to address the many unanswered questions about cancer screening with MCD tests. To learn more about the uncertainties related to public and clinician perceptions of MCD tests, program officials at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), led by Goli Samimi, Ph.D., M.P.H., Program Director in the Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Research Group in the Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP), decided to ask them directly. NCI facilitated focus groups with practicing primary care physicians (PCPs) and laypersons to learn about their awareness and knowledge of MCD tests and their thoughts on the benefits, harms, uncertainties, and acceptability of using this emerging technology.

“More rigorous data on MCD tests is needed to inform the development of national guidelines for use as cancer screening tools,” said Lori Minasian, M.D., FACP, Deputy Director, DCP, NCI. “We need to know more about people in the community who will be consumers of MCD tests and the professionals responsible for administering tests, interpreting results, and determining next steps.”

Immune Cell Dysfunction Causes Aging: Matt Yousefzadeh, PhD

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State-of-the-Art Review Examines LAAO as Therapy For Stroke Prevention in Patients With AFib

The utility of left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) as a therapy for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the focus of a State-of-the-Art Review published Jan. 8 in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology.

Jalaj Garg, MBBS, FACC, et al., discuss the procedure’s journey to becoming a mainstream approach for stroke prevention, advancements in LAAO devices over the past two decades, and domains requiring additional scientific inquiry. The authors describe the LAA as an “important therapeutic target” in treating patients with AFib, as the LAA is “the most common site for thrombus formation and an important source of non-pulmonary vein triggers.” They outline the anatomy, physiology and clinical relevance of the LAA along with the evolution of LAA exclusion techniques and devices overtime.

Acknowledging the major advancements in LAAO device technology and clinical benefits, the authors note the ACC, American Heart Association and Heart Rhythm Society have “updated recommendations to Class 2a in patients with moderate to high risk for stroke or contraindications to long-term [oral anticoagulation (OAC)], with weak recommendations (Class 2b) in patients with moderate to high risk for stroke or reasonable to continue long-term OAC.”