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Category: biotech/medical – Page 33

Electrofluidic fiber muscles could enable silent robotic systems

Muscles are remarkably effective systems for generating controlled force, and engineers developing hardware for robots or prosthetics have long struggled to create analogs that can approach their unique combination of strength, rapid response, scalability, and control. But now, researchers at the MIT Media Lab and Politecnico di Bari in Italy have developed artificial muscle fibers that come closer to matching many of these qualities.

Like the fibers that bundle together to form biological muscles, these fibers can be arranged in different configurations to meet the demands of a given task. Unlike conventional robotic actuation systems, they are compliant enough to interface comfortably with the human body and operate silently without motors, external pumps, or other bulky supporting hardware.

The new electrofluidic fiber muscles—electrically driven actuators built in fiber format—are described in a recent paper published in Science Robotics. The work is led by Media Lab Ph.D. candidate Ozgun Kilic Afsar; Vito Cacucciolo, a professor at the Politecnico di Bari; and four co-authors.

People use the same neurons to see and imagine objects, study shows

Why can images of things we have seen seem so real when we later recall them from memory? A new study led by Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators sheds light on the answer. The research shows that the same brain neurons are activated when we imagine something and when we perceive something. The research, led by Cedars-Sinai, is the first to provide a detailed understanding of the shared mechanism that underlies visual perception and creation of mental images in the human brain. It was published in the journal Science.

“We generate a mental image of an object that we have seen before by reactivating the brain cells we used to see it in the first place,” said Ueli Rutishauser, Ph.D., director of the Center for Neural Science and Medicine and professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University, and the study’s joint senior author.

“Our study revealed the code that we use to re-create the images.”

AI diffusion models tailor drug molecules to custom-fit protein targets, speeding drug development and evaluation

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have developed a bold new approach to drug development and discovery that could dramatically accelerate the creation of new medicines. UVA’s Nikolay V. Dokholyan, Ph.D., and colleagues have developed a suite of artificial intelligence-powered tools, called YuelDesign, YuelPocket and YuelBond, that work together to transform how new drugs are created. The centerpiece, YuelDesign, uses a cutting-edge form of AI called diffusion models to design new drug molecules tailored to fit their protein targets exactly, even accounting for the way proteins flex and shift shape during binding.

A companion tool, YuelPocket, identifies exactly where on a protein a drug can attach, while YuelBond ensures the chemical bonds in designed molecules are accurate. Together, the approach is poised to improve both how new drugs are designed and how quickly and efficiently existing drugs can be evaluated for new purposes.

“Think of it this way: Other methods try to design a key for a lock that’s sitting perfectly still, but in your body, that lock is constantly jiggling and changing shape. Our AI designs the key while the lock is moving, so the fit is much more realistic,” said Dokholyan, of UVA’s Department of Neurology. “This could make a real difference for patients with cancer, neurological disorders and many other conditions where we desperately need better drugs targeting these wiggly proteins but keep hitting dead ends.”

How surface chemistry impacts the performance of malaria nets

Insecticide-treated bed nets remain one of the most effective tools in malaria prevention, acting both as a physical barrier and as an insecticidal surface that kills or disables mosquitoes before they can transmit disease. New research by a multidisciplinary research team from the University of Liverpool and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) uses surface science to assess how well malaria nets perform.

Published in Science Advances, the focus of the study was the phasing out of PFAS coatings, a group of synthetic fluorinated coating chemicals that have been valued for stability and performance. However, their environmental persistence and potential health risks have made their removal an important priority. The paper is titled “Multimodal platform for ITN efficacy: Surface chemistry, bioavailability, and mosquito behavior.”

To understand the impact of removing PFAS, the team developed a novel multimodal evaluation platform combining chemical analysis, advanced surface imaging, and mosquito behavioral tracking.

How the blood-brain barrier opens: Two proteins may guide future drug delivery

The cells that line the blood vessels in our brains are highly selective. By deciding which molecules are allowed in and out of our most important organ, the barrier these cells form is critical for keeping us alive. But how the brain chooses what passes beyond this barrier has been difficult to decipher.

Now, a team led by Janelia Research Campus Group Leader Jiefu Li has developed a new method to examine the proteins lining the inside surface of blood vessels. The technique enables them to uncover two proteins and pathways that play a role in opening and closing the blood-brain barrier—a first step in starting to understand how this important interface works. The study is published in the journal Science.

Uncovering how the blood-brain barrier functions could help scientists figure out what happens when it goes awry, contributing to conditions like multiple sclerosis, encephalitis, and dementia. It could also help researchers develop better ways to deliver medicines that treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, which are often blocked from entering the brain.

Without the right tests, the best medicines make no difference

A new analysis from UC San Francisco argues that diagnostics—medical tests that match patients to the appropriate treatment—are being overlooked both in the United States and around the world. This is slowing progress against major diseases, despite rapid advances in targeted therapies and precision health.

The authors note that nearly half of the world’s population lacks adequate access to diagnostics. These tests receive less investment for research and development, as well as lower insurance reimbursement than drugs, and this is creating barriers to innovation.

“Most people can easily understand how a new drug or surgery might help a patient,” said Kathryn Phillips, Ph.D., a professor of Health Economics in the School of Pharmacy at UC San Francisco and the lead author of the study, which appears in Science. “But the tests that guide medical decisions are just as critical.”

Novel gene-based therapy helps nerves heal better after severe injury

Peripheral nerve injuries, often caused by traumatic events such as car accidents, falls or battlefield injuries, can leave patients with long-term weakness, numbness or loss of function. Despite surgery and advances in understanding and treating nerve injuries, many patients don’t get all their movement or feeling back.

Researchers at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and College of Engineering developed a new way to improve healing after severe nerve injuries by helping the body grow new blood vessels where the nerve is repairing itself. The new approach combines nerve graft surgery with tissue nanotransfection (TNT), a novel non-viral gene therapy developed at The Ohio State University.

Scientists used TNT to deliver three specific genes (Etv2, Fli1 and Foxc2) that tell cells to help form new blood vessels. These genes were applied via a very quick electrical pulse to nerve grafts used during surgery in mice with severe nerve injuries.

Your DNA has a secret “second code” that decides which genes get silenced

However, research is increasingly showing that these so-called synonymous codons are not truly equal. Some codons make mRNA molecules more stable and easier for cells to translate into proteins, making them more efficient. Others, considered non-optimal, lead to weaker translation and are more likely to be broken down. Until now, scientists have not fully understood how human cells recognize and respond to these less efficient codons.

Scientists Search for the Cell’s “Quality Control” System

To investigate this question, a research team from Kyoto University and RIKEN, led by Osamu Takeuchi and Takuhiro Ito, carried out a series of experiments aimed at uncovering how cells handle codon efficiency.

AI can design and run thousands of lab experiments without human hands. Humanity isn’t ready for the new risks this brings to biology

Faster protein engineering could mean faster responses to emerging infections and cheaper drugs.

The dual-use problem

Researchers have raised concerns that these same AI tools could be misused, a challenge known as the dual-use problem: Technologies developed for beneficial purposes can also be repurposed to cause harm.

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