Lifeboat Foundation

To combat the issue of space debris, Australia’s EOS Space and Japan’s EX-Fusion will develop a laser system to remove it from Earth’s orbit.

EX-Fusion, a startup based in Osaka, is attempting to remove tiny pieces of space debris by firing laser beams from the ground.

Dubbed the chemical’ Reactome,’ the system is claimed to be trained using a dataset that includes 39,000 pharmaceutically relevant reactions.

The innovative system merges automated experiments with AI, offering accelerated insights into chemical interactions for a quicker drug design process.

The future of Oklahoma City’s skyline as AO Architects presents plans for a supertall skyscraper in the Boardwalk at Bricktown development.

AO Architects sets the stage for a transformative addition to Oklahoma City with a proposed supertall skyscraper that can be the second tallest in the US.

New research from UBC reveals how these tiny birds switch gears mid-air and the insights for future autonomous flying tech.

Hovering or cruising? Hummingbirds show us their flight strategies, hinting at potential applications for next-gen autonomous vehicles.

Unravel the mysteries of quantum mechanics with a pioneering experiment rolling through a curvy ramp in the dark and pushing the boundaries of our understanding.

An experiment proposed by physicists to unlock macroscopic quantum secrets in complete darkness. Explore the potential of quantum superposition.

These AI chips contribute to running complex machine-learning tasks and augmenting existing AI models.

In the last year, Chinese military groups, government-backed AI research institutes, and universities bought small amounts of Nvidia computer chips.

Job replacement has been a key risk factor with advancement in AI-related tech.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) posits that the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the global job market stands at 40%, with advanced economies anticipated to bear the brunt of this transformation.

Using #AI to define the chemical “reactome”—the important functional sites in small molecules.

High-throughput experimentation (HTE) has great utility for chemical synthesis. However, robust interpretation of high-throughput data remains a challenge. Now, a flexible analyser has been developed on the basis of a machine learning-statistical analysis framework, which can reveal hidden chemical insights from historical HTE data of varying scopes, sizes and biases.

face_with_colon_three Year 2021

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) is an important molecule that functions as a co-enzyme in numerous metabolic processes. Generated both through de novo synthesis and via salvage pathways, NAD⁺ is the substrate for a variety of NAD⁺-consuming enzymes. Among them is CD38, a cell surface ecto-enzyme widely expressed on different types of cells and endowed with the function of cADP-ribose synthases/NAD⁺ glycohydrolase. Surface CD38 expression is increased in different hematological and solid tumors, where it cooperates with other ecto-enzymes to produce the immunosuppressive molecule adenosine (ADO). Few studies have explored the correlation of NAD⁺ levels with T-cell mediated anti-tumor response in preclinical models. We therefore discuss these novel findings, examining the possible contribution of NAD⁺ depletion, along with ADO production, in the immunosuppressive activities of CD38 in the context of human tumors. Lastly, we discuss the use of pharmacological inhibitors of CD38 and supplementation of different NAD⁺ precursors to increase NAD⁺ levels and to boost T cell responses. Such molecules may be employed as adjuvant therapies, in combination with standard treatments, for cancer patients.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) and its reduced/phosphorylated forms (NADH, NADP⁺ and NADPH) are key molecules in cellular metabolism and energy production, acting as hybrid-accepting and hybrid-donating co-enzymes in different biological reactions. NAD⁺ and NADH are then inter-converted by hybrid transfer and not consumed. NAD⁺ can be generated de novo starting from tryptophan, which is converted to N-formylkynurenine by indoleamine dioxygenase or tryptophan dioxygenase. Other enzymes are involved in converting N-formylkynurenine to nicotinic acid mononucleotide (NaMN), which is adenylated by adenyl-transferases to generate nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide (NaAD), finally converted to NAD⁺ by NAD⁺ synthetase. NAD⁺ can also be obtained through different salvage pathways, starting from nicotinic acid (Na) which is converted to NaMN by Na phosphoribosyltransferase (Naprt) or starting from nicotinamide (Nam) and nicotinamide riboside (NR).