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New biomarkers for aging is good news for researchers!

“Given the high volume of data being generated in the life sciences, there is a huge need for tools that make sense of that data. As such, this new method will have widespread applications in unraveling the molecular basis of age-related diseases and in revealing biomarkers that can be used in research and in clinical settings. In addition, tools that help reduce the complexity of biology and identify important players in disease processes are vital not only to better understand the underlying mechanisms of age-related disease but also to facilitate a personalized medicine approach. The future of medicine is in targeting diseases in a more specific and personalized fashion to improve clinical outcomes, and tools like iPANDA are essential for this emerging paradigm,” said João Pedro de Magalhães, PhD, a trustee of the Biogerontology Research Foundation.

The algorithm, iPANDA, applies deep learning algorithms to complex gene expression data sets and signal pathway activation data for the purposes of analysis and integration, and their proof of concept article demonstrates that the system is capable of significantly reducing noise and dimensionality of transcriptomic data sets and of identifying patient-specific pathway signatures associated with breast cancer patients that characterize their response to Toxicol-based neoadjuvant therapy.

The system represents a substantially new approach to the analysis of microarray data sets, especially as it pertains to data obtained from multiple sources, and appears to be more scalable and robust than other current approaches to the analysis of transcriptomic, metabolomic and signalomic data obtained from different sources. The system also has applications in rapid biomarker development and drug discovery, discrimination between distinct biological and clinical conditions, and the identification of functional pathways relevant to disease diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately in the development of personalized treatments for age-related diseases.

Continue reading “BGRF scientists publish seminal paper and announce project to develop biomarkers of aging” | >

SENS makes official comment on the excellent news about Mitochondrial repair from UCLA and Caltech.

So the big news is progress has been made on Mitochondrial repair. Our resident expert at the SENS Research Foundation, Dr. Matthew O’Connor of the MitoSENS project had this to say about the exciting news:

“New work from UCLA and Caltech has shown that a genetic pathway can be harnessed to selectively remove mutant mitochondria from the muscles of fruit flies. This work from Kandul et al is exciting because it raises the possibility of someday finding a way to control this genetic pathway in such a way to selectively delete mutant mitochondria. Further they did it in live flies in a tissue (muscle) where we are especially concerned about the impact of mitochondrial DNA mutations. Our ability to selectively control genetic pathways in non-genetically engineered animals (such as humans) is, however, extremely limited so it may be a long time before any clinical benefits can be realized from this research.” — Dr. Matthew O’Connor SRF

#aging #crowdfundthecure

Continue reading “Turning back the aging clock” | >

Terahertz (THz) radiation is used today most prominently for security screening at the airport. It’s the machine you stand in with your hands up as it swings its scanning arms in front and behind you. In medicine, terahertz imaging has the potential to help diagnoze certain types of cancer and to monitor a variety of health parameters to aid in assessment of overall health. Because of the extremely short length of terahertz waves, this imaging modality has a lot of limitations, including shallow penetration into tissues, and that prevents it from being used more widely. Yet, since it’s non-ionising, it’s probably safe and may even replace dangerous X-rays for some applications.

Currently, terahertz imaging is very poor at scanning curved surfaces even though it can peer a few millimeters deep into some tissues. To overcome this, researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a flexible and even wearable terahertz scanner that can image curved 3D surfaces such as our skin.

Made of 23 carbon nanotube detectors that work as a unified imaging array, their device can be wrapped around a finger, for example. Because carbon nanotubes are able to absorb a wide range of terahertz radiation, there’s no need for planar antennas.

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Tesla completed its $2.6 billion acquisition of SolarCity this week, and, to celebrate, the company has announced a major solar energy project: wiring up the whole island of Ta’u in American Samoa. Previously, the island ran on diesel generators, but over the past year Tesla has installed a microgrid of solar energy panels and batteries that will supply “nearly 100 percent” of power needs for Ta’u’s 600 residents.

The project seems intended to show off the potential benefits of the SolarCity acquisition, with Ta’u’s microgrid comprised of 5,328 solar panels from SolarCity and Tesla, along with 60 Tesla Powerpacks batteries for storage. But buying SolarCity remains a risky move for Tesla, with the purchase including billions of dollars of debt for a company that’s far from profitable (SolarCity spends $6 for every $1 it makes in sales). Nevertheless, Tesla CEO Elon Musk describes the acquisition as “blindingly obvious” — a necessary step in his so-called “Master Plan” to integrate clean energy generation and storage.

The project in Ta’u shows the benefit of this. It was funded by American Samoan and US authorities (including the Department of Interior), and Tesla says it will offset the island’s use of more than 109,500 gallons of diesel per year, as well as the expense of shipping that fuel in. Confusingly, the “Factoring in the escalating cost of fuel, along with transporting such mass quantities to the small island, the financial impact is substantial,” said Tesla in a blog post.

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A video of a chimpanzee ‘playing in virtual reality’ has garnered mixed reactions across the internet as viewers remain torn on whether it is harmless fun, or if it edges on animal cruelty.

In the video, the chimpanzee named Sugriva can be seen wearing an HTC Vive headset and swatting at the air as he follows objects on the screen – an experience many humans can relate to.

But, VR is known to cause a slew of side effects, from dizziness to disorientation, and experts argue that the chimp doesn’t understand what’s happening, and may keep the headset on even if he is uncomfortable as result of his training in captivity.

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BOSTON (CBS) – It’s expected to be the hot holiday gift of the season: virtual reality headsets. We know it’s a cool new experience but there’s still a lot we don’t know about the technology, especially when it comes to kids.

The headset completely immerses users in a new 3D virtual world. “I felt like I was actually there.” said one first-time user. “There’s no age limit to this,” said another virtual reality fan.

But there actually is an age limit. Many of the top selling brands warn against kids using the device. Oculus Rift and Samsung VR Gear say it’s not for kids under 13. Sony PlayStation is recommended for kids 12 and up. And the HTC Vive is less specific, just saying it’s not for young children.

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