Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: biotech/medical – Page 654

Joint US-China gene therapy trials restore hearing in 5 kids, a first

The findings revealed that out of six children subjected to the gene therapy, five exhibited restored hearing and enhanced speech recognition.

Furthermore, the remaining incidents were ephemeral and had no lasting impact, showing that the detected adverse effects were just short and did not raise long-term issues.

“We are the first to initiate the clinical trial of OTOF gene therapy. It is thrilling that our team translated the work from basic research in animal model of DFNB9 to hearing restoration in children with DFNB9,” said Yilai Shu, lead study author from the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, in a press release.

In another notable event, an 11-year-old boy has become the first to undergo gene therapy in the United States to address congenital deafness.

US FDA approves world’s first AI-powered skin cancer detecting device

FDA approved the device by DermaSensor last week.

In a recent pioneering development, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted marketing authorization to the DermaSensor, an artificial intelligence-powered hand-held device designed for the early detection of skin cancers such as melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma.

Predominantly tailored for use by primary care physicians, DermaSensor uses elastic scattering spectroscopy to look at cellular and subcellular characteristics of suspicious skin lesions.

This breakthrough technology is aimed at empowering healthcare providers with an innovative tool for more accurate and timely diagnosis.

Scientists Develop Artificial Muscle Device That Produces Force 34 Times Its Weight

Soft robots, medical devices, and wearable devices are now common in our daily routines. Researchers at KAIST have created a fluid switch that employs ionic polymer artificial muscles. This switch functions with ultra-low power while generating a force 34 times its own weight. Fluid switches are designed to direct the flow of fluid, guiding it in specific directions to initiate different movements.

KAIST (President Kwang-Hyung Lee) announced on the 4th of January that a research team under Professor IlKwon Oh from the Department of Mechanical Engineering has developed a soft fluidic switch that operates at ultra-low voltage and can be used in narrow spaces.

Critical Enzyme For Breaking Down Fat Byproducts Slows The Aging Process

The journey of aging brings with it an unavoidable reality for many: an increased accumulation of body fat.

Though much of society seems mostly focused on the aesthetics of being overweight, doctors look past any cosmetic concerns to focus on the health implications of fat byproducts in the body.

Fatty acids are one of the molecular building blocks that make up fats. Though essential for various bodily functions, excessive amounts of fatty acids in the body can be harmful, shortening a person’s health span and life span by increasing their risk of chronic disease, disrupting metabolic processes and promoting inflammation.

Stanford’s Revolutionary Universal Memory: The Dawn of a Fast, Ultra-Efficient Memory Matrix

Stanford researchers have developed a new phase-change memory that could help computers process large amounts of data faster and more efficiently.

We are tasking our computers with processing ever-increasing amounts of data to speed up drug discovery, improve weather and climate predictions, train artificial intelligence, and much more. To keep up with this demand, we need faster, more energy-efficient computer memory than ever before.

Innovations in Memory Technology.

CRISPR off-switches: A path towards safer genome engineering?

Using CRISPR, an immune system bacteria use to protect themselves from viruses, scientists have harnessed the power to edit genetic information within cells. In fact, the first CRISPR-based therapeutic was recently approved by the FDA to treat sickle cell disease in December 2023. That therapy is based on a highly studied system known as the CRISPR-Cas9 genetic scissor.

However, a newer and unique platform with the potential to make large-sized DNA removals, called Type I CRISPR or CRISPR-Cas3, waits in the wings for potential therapeutic use.

A new study from Yan Zhang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Chemistry at the University of Michigan Medical School, and her collaborators at Cornell University develops off-switches useful for improving the safety of the Type I-C/Cas3 gene editor. The study, “Exploiting Activation and Inactivation Mechanisms in Type I-C CRISPR-Cas3 for 3 Genome Editing Applications,” is published in the journal Molecular Cell.