AI was the key that unlocked these brain “neighborhoods.” They could also light the way to curing disorders like Alzheimer’s.
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Novel Therapy Developed for Aggressive Melanoma Subtype
Neuroblastoma RAS viral oncogene homolog (NRAS)-mutant melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer that develops because of a RAS genetic mutation within the cells. It is a common mutation in melanoma and accounts for 15–20% of melanoma diagnoses. An individual has greater risk of melanoma when exposed to the sun for extended periods of time. Additionally, individuals may have family history of melanoma that would increase their risk. It is important to regularly visit the dermatologist to confirm pigmented or non-pigmented moles are not cancerous. To evaluate each mole doctor’s access the change in shape, color, size, and unusual growth as time progresses.
Melanoma, specifically the NRAS subtype, can grow rapidly and spread to other areas of the body. Symptoms may also include change in nail appearance, eye issues, and mouth sores. While dependent on the stage of cancer, treatment usually includes drugs that target the NRAS pathway. Immunotherapeutic approaches include a checkpoint inhibitor treatment that activates immune cell response. Other forms of treatment include surgery and combination therapy. Scientists are working to learn more about NRAS melanoma and how to develop better treatments. Recent work has shown particular promise of treating NRAS melanoma in the lab and clinic.
A recent article in Cancer Immunology Research, by Dr. Keiran Smalley and others, demonstrated that blocking the RAS pathway in NRAS-mutated melanoma cells limit tumor growth and expansion. Smalley is a Professor and Scientific Director in the Donald A. Adam Comprehensive Melanoma Research Center of Excellence at Moffitt Cancer Center. His work focuses on understanding melanoma and the immune response after therapeutic treatment. In addition, Smalley is interested in using computational biology and other techniques to not only assess therapeutic benefit but develop novel treatments specific to mutated melanoma cells.
Batteries with water-based electrolytes offer more energy using new cathode
The innovation is claimed to be ideal for cold-climate electronics, wearable devices, and grid storage.
Researchers have demonstrated that aqueous zinc-ion batteries can offer long-term cycling stability and higher energy density with a new method.
Researchers from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Shenzhen University used a different type of cathode that delivers exceptional performance in aqueous zinc-ion batteries across a wide temperature range.
They developed a novel K⁺ and C3N4 co-intercalated NH4V4O10 (KNVO-C3N4) cathode to use in aqueous zinc-ion batteries.
Nobel winner’s lab notches another breakthrough: AI-designed antibodies that hit their targets
Researchers from Nobel Laureate David Baker’s lab and the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design (IPD) have used artificial intelligence to design antibodies from scratch — notching another game-changing breakthrough for the scientists and their field of research.
“It was really a grand challenge — a pipe dream,” said Andrew Borst, head of electron microscopy R&D at IPD. Now that they’ve hit the milestone of engineering antibodies that successfully bind to their targets, the research “can go on and it can grow to heights that you can’t imagine right now.”
Borst and his colleagues are publishing their work in the peer-reviewed journal Nature. The development could supercharge the $200 billion antibody drug industry.
Fake or the real thing? How AI can make it harder to trust the pictures we see
A new study has revealed that artificial intelligence can now generate images of real people that are virtually impossible to tell apart from genuine photographs.
Using AI models ChatGPT and DALL·E, a team of researchers from Swansea University, the University of Lincoln and Ariel University in Israel, created highly realistic images of both fictional and famous faces, including celebrities.
They found that participants were unable to reliably distinguish them from authentic photos—even when they were familiar with the person’s appearance.
