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Category: biotech/medical – Page 973

How immunity contributes to aging and neurodegeneration

As we age, our bodies undergo various changes that can impact our overall health and make us more susceptible to diseases. One common factor in the aging process is low-grade inflammation, which contributes to age-related decline and impairment. However, the precise pathways responsible for this inflammation and their impact on natural aging have remained elusive until now.

A new study led by Andrea Ablasser at EPFL now shows that a molecular signaling pathway called cGAS/STING plays a critical role in driving and functional decline during aging. By blocking the STING protein, the researchers were able to suppress in senescent cells and tissues, leading to improvements in tissue function.

The findings are published in the journal Nature.

Scientists Discover Potential New Function of CRISPR-Cas System

Microorganisms leverage the CRISPR-Cas system as a defense mechanism against viral intrusions. In the realm of genetic engineering, this microbial immune system is repurposed for the targeted modification of the genetic makeup.

Under the leadership of Professor Dr. Alexander Probst, microbiologist at the Research Center One Health Ruhr at the Research Alliance Ruhr a research team has now discovered another function of this specialised genomic sequence: archaea – microorganisms that are often very similar to bacteria in appearance – also use them to fight parasites.

The team has recently published their findings in Nature Microbiology.

AI-powered brain implant restores a paralyzed man’s ability to feel and move

An AI-powered brain implant helps a quadriplegia patient regain sensations and movement for the first time after a diving accident in 2020. Can this implant work for other paralysis patients?

Scientists at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research have re-established the connection between the brain, body, and spinal cord of a person living with quadriplegia (paralysis of all four limbs and trunk) due to a diving accident in 2020.

They installed an implant inside the patient’s brain. The implant comprises five microchips and uses an AI program to convert the patient’s thoughts into actions. The brain implant lets the patient feel sensations and move some of his body parts.

Aging process slows when older mice share circulatory system of young

A process of surgically joining the circulatory systems of a young and old mouse slows the aging process at the cellular level and lengthens the lifespan of the older animal by up to 10%.

Published in the journal Nature Aging, a study led by researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, found that the longer the animals shared circulation, the longer the anti-aging benefits lasted once the two were no longer connected.

The findings suggest that the young benefit from a cocktail of components and chemicals in their blood that contributes to vitality, and these factors could potentially be isolated as therapies to speed healing, rejuvenate the body, and add years to an older individual’s life.

Giant alien-like virus structures with arms and tails found in the US

If there’s one thing the Covid pandemic taught us, it’s that viruses shouldn’t be underestimated.

People are, therefore, taking note after scientists discovered a whole new range of giant virus-like particles (VLP) that have taken on “previously unimaginable shapes and forms.”

The microscopic agents, resembling everything from stars to monsters, were found in just a few handfuls of forest soil.

Brain Organoids and Robotics / AI — Sanford Stem Cell Symposium

A model of human cortical development could be used to instruct novel computational learning approaches. Alysson Muotri, Phd, Sujeeth Bharadwaj, PhD, Weiwei Yang, and Gabrial Silva, MSc, PhD, discuss the promise, the problems, and the potential when biology and artificial intelligence meet. Recorded on 10/14/2021. [3/2022] [Show ID: 37556]

00:00 Start.
00:17 Introduction — Alysson Muotri, PhD, UC San Diego.
11:51 An Information Theoretic Approach to Learning — Sujeeth Bharadwaj, PhD, Microsoft.
30:44 An Alternate Approach to Collectively Solving Intelligence: Machine Learning to Artificial Intelligence — Weiwei Yang, Microsoft.
47:54 Organoids May Have Just the Right Amount of Complexity to Make Sense of the Brain — Gabriel Silva, MSc, PhD, UC San Diego.

Please Note: Knowledge about health and medicine is constantly evolving. This information may become out of date.

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Organoids revolutionize research on respiratory infections

Biofilms are highly resistant communities of bacteria that pose a major challenge in the treatment of infections. While studying biofilm formation in laboratory conditions has been extensively conducted, understanding their development in the complex environment of the human respiratory tract has remained elusive.

A team of researchers led by Alexandre Persat at EPFL have now cracked the problem by successfully developing organoids called AirGels. Organoids are miniature, self-organized 3D tissues grown from to mimic actual body tissues and organs in the human body. They represent a paradigm shift in the field, enabling scientists to replicate and study the intricate environments of organs in the laboratory.

Developed by Tamara Rossy and her colleagues, the AirGels are bioengineered models of human lung tissue that open up new possibilities in . They revolutionize research by accurately emulating the physiological properties of the airway mucosa, including mucus secretion and ciliary beating. This technology allows scientists to study airway infections in a more realistic and comprehensive manner, bridging the gap between in vitro studies and clinical observations.

An electrogenetic interface to program mammalian gene expression by direct current

Thoughts?

Wearable electronic devices are playing a rapidly expanding role in the acquisition of individuals’ health data for personalized medical interventions; however, wearables cannot yet directly program gene-based therapies because of the lack of a direct electrogenetic interface. Here we provide the missing link by developing an electrogenetic interface that we call direct current (DC)-actuated regulation technology (DART), which enables electrode-mediated, time-and voltage-dependent transgene expression in human cells using DC from batteries. DART utilizes a DC supply to generate non-toxic levels of reactive oxygen species that act via a biosensor to reversibly fine-tune synthetic promoters.

For the first time researchers restore feeling and lasting movement in man living with quadriplegia

In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, bioelectronic medicine researchers, engineers and surgeons at Northwell Health’s The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research have successfully implanted microchips into the brain of a man living with paralysis, and have developed artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to re-link his brain to his body and spinal cord.

This double neural bypass forms an electronic bridge that allows information to flow once again between the man’s paralyzed body and to restore movement and sensations in his hand with lasting gains in his arm and wrist outside of the laboratory. The research team unveiled the trial participant’s groundbreaking progress four months after a 15-hour open-brain surgery that took place on March 9 at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH).

“This is the first time the brain, body and have been linked together electronically in a paralyzed human to restore lasting movement and sensation,” said Chad Bouton, professor in the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes, vice president of advanced engineering at Northwell Health, developer of the technology and principal investigator of the clinical trial.

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