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Category: biotech/medical – Page 50

The University of Bayreuth’s Biomaterials research group has, for the first time, successfully applied the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool to spiders. Following the genetic modification, the spiders produced red fluorescent silk.

The findings of the study have been published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Spider silk is one of the most fascinating fibers in the field of materials science. In particular, its dragline thread is extremely tear-resistant, while also being elastic, lightweight and biodegradable. If scientists succeed in influencing production in vivo—in a living animal—and thereby gain insights into the structure of the dragline thread, it could pave the way for the development of new silk functionalities for a wide range of applications.

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An annual blood test could prevent around half of cancer cases from reaching an advanced stage, new research suggests.

Scientists are currently trying to determine the effectiveness of simple blood tests in detecting cancer before symptoms appear, and whether such early detection improves survival rates.

The NHS is currently trialling such tests, including the Galleri test and miONCO-Dx test, with experts predicting a nationwide rollout of a universal cancer screening program within the next decade.

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The new findings could help improve vaccine effectiveness in some immunocompromised patients. Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have uncovered a critical, previously underappreciated role for B cells in vaccine protection. Best known for producing antibodies, B cells also guide other immune cells, specifically CD8 T cells, teaching them how to mount lasting defenses after vaccination.

The study was recently published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

“Think of CD8 T cells as rookie firefighters,” said lead author Jared Klarquist, PhD, assistant research professor of immunology and microbiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “B cells teach the class on pacing. Without them, the rookies rush in, fight hard, and quit. They don’t save anything for the next fire.”

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RIKEN chemists have hit upon a fast and easy way to combine so-called nanobelts of carbon with sulfur-containing functional groups. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.

This new material has intriguing properties that make it promising for use in novel optoelectronic devices.

Ever since their discovery in 1991, carbon nanotubes—tiny hollow cylinders made entirely from carbon atoms—have been attracting a lot of interest, being used in applications ranging from electronics to medicine.

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Introduction One thing newcomers to machine learning (ML) and many experienced practitioners often don’t realize is that ML doesn’t extrapolate. After training an ML model on compounds with µM potency, people frequently ask why none of the molecules they designed were predicted to have nM potency. If you’re new to drug discovery, 1nM = 0.001µM. A lower potency value is usually better. It’s important to remember that a model can only predict values within the range of the training set. If we’ve trained a model on compounds with IC50s between 5 and 100 µM, the model won’t be able to predict an IC50 of 0.1 µM. I’d like to illustrate this with a simple example. As always, all the code that accompanies this post is available on GitHub.

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2024, for all of its challenges, has seen a remarkable amount of scientific discoveries by Israeli researchers across various disciplines.

From novel approaches to treating cancer to unraveling the intricacies of the human gut biome, these findings not only expand our understanding of the world but also pave the way for groundbreaking advancements in the future.

Let’s delve into 24 of the most fascinating discoveries made by Israeli scientists in 2024.

Take a look at these groundbreaking discoveries by Israeli researchers that are shaping our understanding of the world and its complexities.

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