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Category: biotech/medical – Page 421

AI-powered algorithm enables personalized age transformation for human faces

Researchers at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of Maryland recently developed MyTimeMachine (MyTM), a new AI-powered method for personalized age transformation that can make human faces in images or videos appear younger or older, accounting for subjective factors influencing aging.

This algorithm, introduced in a paper posted to the arXiv preprint server, could be used to broaden or enhance the features of consumer-facing picture-editing platforms, but could also be a valuable tool for the film, TV and entertainment industries.

“Virtual aging techniques are widely used in (VFX) in movies, but they require good prosthetics and makeup, often tiresome and inconvenient for actors to wear regularly during shooting,” Roni Sengupta, the researcher who supervised the study, told Tech Xplore.

Scientists Have Discovered a Cancer “Fingerprint,” Revolutionizing Early Detection

Different types of cancer have distinct molecular “fingerprints” that can be identified in the early stages of the disease with remarkable accuracy. Small, portable scanners can detect these fingerprints within just a few hours, according to a study published today in Molecular Cell.

Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona made this breakthrough, paving the way for non-invasive diagnostic tests that could identify various types of cancer more quickly and at earlier stages than current methods allow.

The study centers around the ribosome, the protein factories of a cell. For decades, ribosomes were thought to have the same blueprint across the human body. However, researchers discovered a hidden layer of complexity – tiny chemical modifications which vary between different tissues, developmental stages, and diseases.

Greenland Shark’s 400-year life tied to unique DNA repair mechanisms

Sharks differ from one another, so there are no other examples within the kingdom. Only this shark. All the same, researchers intend to analyze the Greenland shark’s DNA further and compare it to other sharks and fish to continue to unravel this mystery.

Scientists are exploring ways to prolong human life.

“The goal is to have better DNA repair,” an expert told CNN, and scientists have to study all the animals with an unusually long lifespan to determine which ones would “more easily adapt to human use.”

BOMBSHELL: Australian drug regulator knows DNA fragments in mRNA vaccines can enter nucleus and integrate into genome, internal emails show

Internal emails from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) reveal that the regulator withheld knowledge of DNA contamination risks relating to the modRNA vaccines from the public, presenting a picture of certainty on safety where there is none.

Released under Freedom of Information (FOI), the cache of emails shows that high-level TGA staff knew elements of the modRNA vaccines can enter the cell nucleus and integrate into the genome, despite the agency’s official line that such events are not possible.

However, TGA personnel appear more preoccupied with “allaying fears in the public” than with investigating the potential risks.

ARPA-H launches new program aimed at extending the healthspan of Americans

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new funding opportunity through the launch of the PROactive Solutions for Prolonging Resilience, or PROSPR, program. The big question that drives the program is, “What if we had therapies to extend healthspan and prevent the onset of age-related diseases?”

ARPA-H PROSPR Program Manager Andrew Brack, Ph.D., says, “the ultimate goal is to extend healthspan—meaning the number of years aging adults live healthy lives and enjoy overall well-being by compressing the frailty and disability that comes with aging, into a shorter duration of time near the end of life.” The PROSPR program builds on foundational work by the National Institute of Aging and will work with industry and regulators to accelerate the testing and availability of new therapeutics targeted at healthspan.

This commitment by ARPA-H is not only an investment in national health, but an impactful economic investment. The number of people 65 and older accounts for 18% of the U.S. population and is projected to increase to 23% by 2054. Considering their increased care needs relative to younger ages, health care costs will increase by 75% if nothing is done to prevent the progressive loss of physical functioning during aging, according to a Pew Research Center Study. It is estimated that increasing the average American healthspan would lessen health care costs due to a combination of fewer medical needs, less reliance on assistance by others, and increased potential for individuals and their family caregivers to remain in the workforce. Because of these and other factors, it is estimated that extending healthspan by one year in only 10 percent of the aging population would reduce costs of U.S.

New UCLA Research: Omega-3 Rich Diet Could Be Key to Slowing Cancer Progression

A UCLA study found that a diet low in omega-6 and high in omega-3 fatty acids, along with fish oil supplements, can significantly slow the growth of prostate cancer cells in men opting for active surveillance, potentially reducing the need for future aggressive treatments.

Researchers from UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have found new evidence that dietary changes may slow cancer cell growth in men with prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance—a treatment approach that involves closely monitoring the cancer without immediate medical intervention.

Prostate Cancer and Dietary Intervention.

Neuralink Rival’s Biohybrid Implant Connects to the Brain With Living Neurons

While companies like Neuralink have recently provided some flashy demos of what could be achieved by hooking brains up to computers, the technology still has serious limitations preventing wider use.

Non-invasive approaches like electroencephalograms (EEGs) provide only coarse readings of neural signals, limiting their functionality. Directly implanting electrodes in the brain can provide a much clearer connection, but such risky medical procedures are hard to justify for all but the most serious conditions.

California-based startup Science Corporation thinks that an implant using living neurons to connect to the brain could better balance safety and precision. In recent non-peer-reviewed research posted on bioarXiv, the group showed a prototype device could connect with the brains of mice and even let them detect simple light signals.

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