Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a 3D human colon model integrated with bioelectronics to aid in colorectal cancer research and drug discovery. The “3D in vivo mimicking human colon” enables precision, personalized medicine and offers a more ethical, accurate and cost-effective alternative to traditional animal testing.
In a paper published recently in the journal Advanced Science, researchers in UC Irvine’s Samueli School of Engineering outline their creation of an approximately 5-by-10-millimeter replica that incorporates essential structural features of a colon, including liminal curvature, multilayered cellular organization and the spontaneous formation of cryptlike indentations.
“The three-dimensional shapes, curves and crypts in our 3D-IVM-HC model are central to maintaining more realistic cell behavior even at a scaled-down size,” said senior author Rahim Esfandyar-pour, UC Irvine assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science.
A study led by Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (FL, USA) seeks to understand how AI can improve breast cancer screening. The Pragmatic Randomized Trial of Artificial Intelligence for Screening Mammography (PRISM) trial will examine hundreds of thousands of mammograms to “assess AI’s true impact”
Despite huge investments in research, breast cancer remains a leading cause of mortality in US women. Routine mammography has increased the diagnosis of early-stage cancer, but the increased incidence of false positives can lead to unnecessary testing, anxiety and higher costs.
“As the first major randomized trial of AI in breast cancer screening in the US, this study represents a pivotal step,” commented Jose Net, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and co-principal investigator of the study. “Our goal is to rigorously and objectively assess AI’s impact, identifying who benefits and who may not.”
Discover how Artificial Intelligence in Cancer Drug Discovery accelerates target identification, drug design, biomarkers, and clinical trials.
Rajshekhar Gaji was staring at something that should not exist. Under his microscope, parasites that should have been thriving were instead dying—completely unable to survive without a protein his lab had managed to switch off.
“It was an amazing day,” said Gaji, assistant professor of parasitology at the Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. That moment of discovery could eventually help the 40 million Americans walking around with a microscopic parasite permanently residing in their brains.
The findings are published in the journal mSphere.
An experimental gene therapy developed by researchers at UCLA, University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital has restored and maintained immune system function in 59 of 62 children born with ADA-SCID, a rare and deadly genetic immune disorder.
Severe combined immunodeficiency due to adenosine deaminase deficiency, or ADA-SCID, is caused by mutations in the ADA gene, which creates an enzyme essential for immune function. For children with the condition, day-to-day activities like going to school or playing with friends can lead to dangerous, life-threatening infections. If untreated, ADA-SCID can be fatal within the first two years of life.
The current standard treatments— bone marrow transplant from a matched donor or weekly enzyme injections—come with limitations and potential long-term risks.
Boston Children’s Hospital, along with Broad Clinical Labs and Roche Sequencing Solutions, has demonstrated that rapid genomic sequencing and interpretation are achievable in a matter of hours. This milestone not only sets a Guinness World Records for the fastest human whole genome sequencing to date but represents a significant clinical development that would expedite more precise treatments for critically ill babies in the NICU.
The team’s pilot data are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Current clinically available rapid genomic sequencing options take days (from sample receipt to report) at best, yet many critical care decisions in the NICU need to occur within a matter of hours. While there have been prior demonstrations of genome-sequencing within hours, none up to now have been scalable or feasible for routine use.