The biological cycle of our existence seems relatively straightforward: we’re born, we live, we die. The end.
But when you examine existence at the cellular level, things get a bit more interesting. You, me, and all of the 108 billion or so Homo sapiens who’ve ever walked the Earth have all been our own constellation of some 30 trillion cells. Each of our bodies is a collective organism of living human cells and microbes working in cooperation to create what our minds view as “life.” However, a growing number of new studies have found that, at least for some cells, death isn’t the end. Instead, it’s possibly the beginning of something new and wholly unexpected.
A growing snowball of research concerning a new class of AI-designed multicellular organisms known as “xenobots” is gaining scientific attention for their apparent autonomy. In September 2024, Peter Noble, Ph.D., a microbiologist from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, along with Alex Pozhitkov, Ph.D., a bioinformatics researcher at the City of Hope cancer center, detailed this research on the website The Conversation.
In an international collaboration, researchers have made an important breakthrough in the therapeutic delivery of microRNAs against Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease with no cure, to date.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder characterized by the progressive loss of muscle mass, due to mutations in the dystrophin gene. Without the corresponding functional protein, muscles cannot function or repair themselves properly, resulting in the deterioration of skeletal, heart, and lung muscles. Because the dystrophin gene is located on the X chromosome, it mainly affects males, while females are usually carriers.
Researchers have developed a strategy to treat muscular dystrophy, which uses nanoparticles as vehicles to transport therapeutical microRNAs to muscle stem cells. Once inside the muscle stem cells, the nanoparticles release the microRNA to stimulate the production of muscle fibers.
A large study of 18,740 dementia patients found that those taking antidepressants experienced faster cognitive decline compared to those who were not medicated.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), particularly escitalopram, citalopram, and sertraline, were associated with the greatest deterioration.
Mirtazapine, which works differently from SSRIs, had a milder impact on cognitive function.
While depression itself can worsen dementia symptoms, it remains unclear whether the decline is due to the medication or the underlying condition.
Researchers emphasize the need for more individualized treatment approaches to balance mental health benefits with potential cognitive risks.
Future studies will explore whether specific dementia types or biomarkers influence antidepressant effects.
LMU researchers have shown that a particular type of immune cell acts more flexibly than previously thought—with the potential for new therapeutic approaches.
As part of the innate immune system, dendritic cells are the body’s first line of defense against infections. They detect pathogens and coordinate the immune response. An international team led by Professor Barbara Schraml from LMU’s Biomedical Center has now carried out an extensive study of a new type of dendritic cell and uncovered its important role in the body’s immune response. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
As the researchers demonstrate, dendritic cells that are marked by expression of the transcription factor RORγt—so-called RORγt+dendritic cells (DCs)—are found in many tissues. Moreover, they have been conserved across many species in the course of evolution, which suggests they have essential functions.
Controlling Sepsis, ARDS And Other Life Threatening Inflammatory Diseases — Prof. Dr. Niels Riedemann, MD, Ph.D. — CEO, InflaRx
Prof. Dr. Niels Riedemann, MD, Ph.D. is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of InflaRx (https://www.inflarx.de/Home/About-Inflarx/Team~Niels-C.-Riedemann~.h… a biopharmaceutical company focused on applying its proprietary anti-C5a and C5aR inhibitors to the treatment of life-threatening or debilitating inflammatory diseases with high unmet medical need.
Prof. Dr. Riedemann has over 15 years of experience in the biotech industry and drug development, as well as over 20 years of experience in complement immunology research. He founded InflaRx in 2007 and has served as Chief Executive Officer since inception of the company. He has been instrumental in and led numerous private and public financing rounds of the company and has been the responsible lead for its Nasdaq IPO in 2017. He is named inventor on several internationally granted core patents of InflaRx.
As physician, Prof. Dr. Riedemann was appointed Vice Director (“Leitender Oberarzt”) of Intensive Care Medicine, and led a 50-bed University ICU unit for over 6 years at Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany until 2015. Before that, he received his board certification as General Surgeon upon completion of his surgical fellowship at MHH (Hannover Medical School, Germany) in 2007 where he also received his habilitation (equivalent to Ph.D.) and where he still holds an Adjunct Professorship (APL Professor). He spent three years as postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan, USA until 2003. He received his medical training at Albert Ludwig University (ALU), Freiburg, Germany, and Stanford University, USA and graduated as Dr. med. (equivalent to M.D.) from ALU in 1998.
Prof. Dr. Riedemann’s research has been awarded with several national and international awards. He has received extensive extra-mural funding and published over 60 peer reviewed scientific publications in highly ranked journals. He has served as a member on a Board of Directors and a Scientific Advisory Board of two large scientific governmental funded programs. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Health Politics working group of Bio-Deutschland and he serves as member of the board of trustees for the German Sepsis Foundation.
Researchers from the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre and University College London have found that gene therapy improved visual acuity and preserved retinal structure in young children with AIPL1-associated severe retinal dystrophy. This is the first human trial of gene supplementation therapy targeting this condition.
Retinal dystrophy caused by biallelic variants in the AIPL1 gene leads to severe visual impairment from birth, with progressive degeneration and limited treatment options. Previous studies of early-onset rod-cone dystrophies, including AIPL1-related forms, highlighted a critical window for intervention during early childhood, when some photoreceptor structure remains intact. Prior research using Aipl1-deficient mouse models and human retinal organoids demonstrated partial restoration of photoreceptor function through gene therapy.
In the study, “Gene therapy in children with AIPL1-associated severe retinal dystrophy: an open-label, first-in-human interventional study,” published in The Lancet, researchers administered a single subretinal injection of a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector (rAAV8.hRKp. AIPL1) carrying the AIPL1 gene to one eye of each child to assess the safety and efficacy of gene supplementation therapy in improving visual function and preserving retinal structure.
The symptoms of schizophrenia vary greatly from person to person. A new study appearing in the American Journal of Psychiatry shows how these differences manifest themselves in the structure of the brain.
Schizophrenia is a complex mental health condition that affects perception, thought and emotions. This complexity is reflected in the individual manifestations of the disease: for some patients, perceptual disturbances are the main problem, while for others, cognitive impairments are more prevalent.
“In this sense, there is not one schizophrenia, but many, each with different neurobiological profiles,” says Wolfgang Omlor, first author of the study and senior physician at the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich.
What if a simple vial of synthetic blood could save millions of lives? From cutting-edge laboratories to the frontlines of disaster zones, scientists are revolutionizing medicine with the development of artificial blood. In this episode of Beyond the Veil, we take you on a journey into the world of groundbreaking innovations like ErythroMer, a shelf-stable synthetic red blood cell, and lab-grown blood cells that could transform healthcare as we know it.
Join us as we explore: 🔬 The intricate science behind replicating blood\’s vital functions. 💡 How Dr. Allan Doctor and his team are making synthetic red blood cells a reality with ErythroMer. 🩸 The NHS’s revolutionary trial of lab-grown red blood cells. 🌍 The potential to save lives in remote areas, on battlefields, and even during space exploration. 🚀 The hurdles, breakthroughs, and future implications of artificial blood research.
💉 This isn\’t just a story about science; it\’s a tale of perseverance, hope, and the determination to rewrite the rules of medicine.
Sources and Research Cited in this Episode: 📖 The Long Quest for Artificial Blood — New Yorker. 🔗 https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/02… Challenges in Hemoglobin-Based Oxygen Carriers — LabMed 🔗 https://www.labmed.theclinics.com/article/.… 👉 Subscribe to Beyond the Veil for more deep dives into the mysteries of science, medicine, and technology. Together, let’s explore what lies beyond the edge of discovery. #ArtificialBlood #SyntheticBlood #MedicalInnovation #BeyondTheVeil.
Identifying and delineating cell structures in microscopy images is crucial for understanding the complex processes of life. This task is called “segmentation” and it enables a range of applications, such as analyzing the reaction of cells to drug treatments, or comparing cell structures in different genotypes.
It was already possible to carry out automatic segmentation of those biological structures, but the dedicated methods only worked in specific conditions and adapting them to new conditions was costly. An international research team led by Göttingen University has now developed a method for retraining the existing AI-based software Segment Anything on over 17,000 microscopy images with over 2 million structures annotated by hand.
The new model is called Segment Anything for Microscopy and it can precisely segment images of tissues, cells and similar structures in a wide range of settings. To make it available to researchers and medical doctors, they have also created μSAM, user-friendly software to “segment anything” in microscopy images. The work is published in Nature Methods.
