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Category: biotech/medical – Page 82

Muscle-inspired sheet-like robot navigates the tightest spaces

A POSTECH research team has developed a thin, flexible robotic actuator inspired by human muscle proteins. As thin as paper, yet capable of generating strong forces, this robot can maneuver through tight spaces and manipulate objects, making it suitable for a wide range of applications—from surgical robots to industrial equipment. The study has been published in Nature Communications.

Most conventional robots are built with rigid metal components, giving them strength but limiting their ability to perform delicate motions or operate in confined environments.

In the medical field, there is a growing need for robots that can assist with surgeries inside the . In industrial settings, flexible robots are needed for tasks like inspecting complex machinery or cleaning narrow pipelines. However, technologies that combine both flexibility and strength have been lacking—until now.

In vitro anti-cancer efficacy and phyto-chemical screening of solvent extracts of Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth

Kigelia africana is a medicinal plant growing naturally in many parts of Africa. In Kenya, a water concoction of the plant is used to treat breast and prostate cancers. Laboratory data on its anti-cancer activity and active principles is limited, hence no scientific rationale for its medicinal use. This study reports on in-vitro toxic activities of dichloromethane and methanol extracts of the plant against human breast cancer cells and phytochemical screening of the two extracts.

Scientists develop microscopic ‘swimming’ discs that could help clean polluted waters: ‘Pave the way for applications’

A team of researchers has created small swimmers that can harvest energy from their surroundings and convert it into movement. The discs, about twice as wide as a human hair, are amazingly partly made from dried food dye, according to a news release from New York University.

The fascinating project includes experts from Harvard, the University of Chicago, and elsewhere.

“The essential new principles we discovered — how to make microscopic objects swim on command using simple materials that undergo phase transitions when exposed to controllable energy sources — pave the way for applications that range from design of responsive fluids, controlled drug delivery, and new classes of sensors, to name a few,” lead researcher Juan de Pablo, from NYU, said in the summary.

Newly discovered ‘sixth sense’ links gut microbes to the brain in real time

In a breakthrough that reimagines the way the gut and brain communicate, researchers have uncovered what they call a “neurobiotic sense,” a newly identified system that lets the brain respond in real time to signals from microbes living in our gut.

The new research, led by Duke University School of Medicine neuroscientists Diego Bohórquez, Ph.D., and M. Maya Kaelberer, Ph.D., published in Nature, centers on neuropods, tiny sensor cells lining the colon’s epithelium. These cells detect a common microbial protein and send rapid messages to the brain that help curb appetite.

But this is just the beginning. The team believes this neurobiotic sense may be a broader platform for understanding how the gut detects microbes, influencing everything from eating habits to mood—and even how the brain might shape the microbiome in return.

First-Of-Its-Kind Vagus Nerve Implant Gets FDA Approval As A Therapy For Rheumatoid Arthritis

The existing treatment options include biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, which some patients find hard to tolerate, and around 50 percent of patients discontinue their therapies within two years. SetPoint’s goal is to provide an alternative that can effectively manage autoimmune conditions without suppressing the immune system.

Its FDA approval follows a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study that followed 242 patients. It showed that the therapy was well-tolerated with a low level of serious adverse events related to it (1.7 percent). It also provides a long-term solution for patients living with this chronic disease.

“The approval of the SetPoint System highlights the potential of neuroimmune modulation as a novel approach for autoimmune disease, by harnessing the body’s neural pathways to combat inflammation,” said the study’s principal investigator, Dr Mark Richardson, Director of Functional Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Neurosciences at Harvard Medical School, in a statement. “After implantation during a minimally invasive outpatient procedure, the SetPoint device is programmed to automatically administer therapy on a predetermined schedule for up to 10 years, simplifying care for people living with RA.”

Phase I/II trial of iPS-cell-derived dopaminergic cells for Parkinson’s disease

After transplantation into the brain of patients with Parkinson’s disease, allogeneic dopaminergic progenitors derived from induced pluripotent stem cells survived, produced dopamine and did not form tumours, therefore suggesting safety and potential clinical benefits for Parkinson’s disease.

Shroud of Turin image matches low-relief statue—not human body, 3D modeling study finds

The Shroud of Turin is a famous artifact with obscure origins. How and when it was made has long been the subject of debate among many scientists, historians and religious leaders, alike. The two most prominent theories are that it was either created as a work of art during the medieval period or that it was a piece of linen that was actually wrapped around the body of Jesus Christ after his death over 2000 years ago.

Radiocarbon dating done in a 1989 study on the Shroud of Turin dated it around 1,260 to 1,390 AD, consistent with the medieval theory. Later, in 2005, Raymond Rogers argued that the tested sample from the came from an area that had been repaired, and was thus newer than the original cloth. And more recently, in 2022, a single thread from the shroud material was tested with a new—and somewhat controversial—method based on Wide Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS), which claimed that the shroud dated back to the first century AD. If those results are reliable, this dates the cloth much closer to the time of Jesus.

Yet another study examined the blood patterns on the shroud and deemed them inconsistent with what would be expected with a deceased man lying flat. In fact, the authors stated that these blood patterns were “totally unrealistic.” This led to the idea that the blood might have been added to the shroud in a more artistic manner after its creation.

Plastic pollution ‘grave and growing’ health threat: Lancet

Plastic pollution is a “grave, growing and under-recognized danger” to health that is costing the world at least $1.5 trillion a year, experts warned in a report on Monday.

The new review of the existing evidence, which was carried out by leading health researchers and doctors, was published one day ahead of fresh talks opening in Geneva aiming to seal the world’s first treaty on plastic pollution.

“Plastics cause disease and death from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding US$1.5 trillion annually,” said the review in The Lancet medical journal.

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