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Category: biotech/medical – Page 456

AI ‘early warning’ system shows promise in preventing hospital deaths, study says

The study, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found a 26 per cent reduction in non-palliative deaths among patients in St. Michael’s Hospital’s general internal medicine unit when the AI tool was used.

“We’ve seen that there is a lot of hype and excitement around artificial intelligence in medicine. We’ve also seen not as much actual deployment of these tools in real clinical environments,” said lead author Dr. Amol Verma, a general internal medicine specialist and scientist at the hospital in Toronto.

Research cracks the Autism Code, making the Neurodivergent Brain Visible

Model grounded in biology reveals the tissue structures linked to the disorder. A researcher’s mathematical modeling approach for brain imaging analysis reveals links between genes, brain structure and autism.

A multi-university research team co-led by University of Virginia engineering professor Gustavo K. Rohde has developed a system that can spot genetic markers of autism in brain images with 89 to 95% accuracy.

Their findings suggest doctors may one day see, classify and treat autism and related neurological conditions with this method, without having to rely on, or wait for, behavioral cues. And that means this truly personalized medicine could result in earlier interventions.

Fighting Cancer From Within: GUMC Spotlights Efforts to Reprogram Immune System to Slow Tumor Growth

A Sept. 17 Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) seminar highlighted research on a revolutionary approach to cancer treatment: utilizing the body’s natural immune system to combat tumor growth rather than directly targeting cancer cells.

Alejandro Villagra, an associate professor in the department of oncology at the Georgetown University School of Medicine (GUSOM), shared his research in a talk hosted by the department of microbiology and immunology. The lecture focused on Villagra’s research on the manipulation of macrophages, a type of white blood cell active in the immune system, to combat the growth of cancerous tumors.

“Some people assume cancer research is about killing cancer directly,” Villagra told The Hoya. “We are focusing on the mechanisms we already have in order to kill cancer. So, these treatments, rather than the normal conception of killing the tumor, helps galvanize the immune system to indirectly kill cancer.”

Optogenetic rejuvenation of mitochondrial membrane potential extends C. elegans lifespan

Year 2022 Solar powered mitochondria could enable humans to use light to recharge their mitochondria and extend life also their bodies would be recharged by fuel from the sun.

Using light to optogenetically power mitochondria, this study shows that opposing the age-related decline in mitochondrial membrane potential leads to increased healthspan and lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans. This result points to mitochondrial charge as a fundamental regulator of biological aging.

New brain organoid model replicates human cortical domains

The group of Jürgen Knoblich at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, has developed a new method that allows scientists to cultivate brain organoids with distinct cortical areas and front-to-back patterning.

Together with collaborators at the Human Technopole and the University of Milan-Bicocca, they report a method that gives scientists a deeper look into human-specific brain development and disorders. The study was published in Nature Methods on September 18.

Brain organoids are extensively used to study development. Derived from , the 3D models allow scientists to study unique properties of the human brain. Researchers use cortical organoids to answer fundamental questions such as how the human brain can grow to its large size or how the human brain’s long-range connections form.