Lifeboat Foundation

Many intractable diseases are the result of a genetic mutation. Genome editing technology promises to correct the mutation and thus new treatments for patients. However, getting the technology to the cells that need the correction remains a major challenge. A new study led by CiRA Junior Associate Professor Akitsu Hotta and in collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited as part of the T-CiRA Joint Research Program reports how lipid nanoparticles provide an effective means for the delivery to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in mice.

Last year’s Nobel Prize for Chemistry to the discoverers of CRISPR-Cas9 cemented the impact of genome editing technology. While CRISPR-Cas9 can be applied to agriculture and livestock for more nutritious food and robust crops, most media attention is on its medical potential. DMD is just one of the many diseases that researchers foresee a treatment using CRISPR-Cas9.

“Oligonucleotide drugs are now available for DMD, but their effects are transient, so the patient has to undergo weekly treatments. On the other hand, CRISPR-Cas9 effects are long lasting,” said Hotta.

An artificial intelligence system developed in John Dabiri’s lab could one day swim and navigate autonomously underwater even more effectively than living creat… See more.

New AI uses reinforcement learning to efficiently navigate oceans.

Continue reading “Engineers Teach AI to Navigate Ocean with Minimal Energy” »

WASHINGTON/DALLAS/BEIJING (Financial Times) — The US will put SenseTime, the Chinese artificial intelligence company that specializes in facial recognition software, on an investment blacklist on Friday, the same day that it prices its Hong Kong initial public offering.

In the history of space exploration, a handful of missions have set new records for ruggedness and longevity. On Mars, the undisputed champion is the Opportunity rover, which was slated to run for 90 days but remained in operation for 15 years instead! In orbit around Mars, that honor goes to the 2001 Mars Odyssey, which is still operational 20 years after it arrived around the Red Planet.

In deep space, the title for the longest-running mission goes to the Voyager 1 probe, which has spent the past 44 years exploring the Solar System and what lies beyond. But in Earth orbit, the longevity prize goes to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), which is once again fully operational after experiencing technical issues. With this latest restoration of operations, Hubble is well on its way to completing 32 years of service.

The issue began at 01:46 A.M. EDT (10:46 P.M. PDT) on October 23^rd, when NASA reported that the venerated space telescope was sending error codes, which indicate the loss of a specific synchronization message. This message provides timing information that Hubble’s instruments use to respond to data requests and commands correctly. The same error codes were issued two days later, indicating multiple losses of synchronization messages and triggering Hubble to enter safe mode.

Amid growing international concern about China’s human rights record, an unofficial tribunal in London has ruled China has committed genocide against the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.

Erbakit Otarbay is one of an estimated one million Kazakhs, Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities held in China’s detention camps as part of a mass incarceration programme. He gave evidence in the tribunal.

Continue reading “Held in chains for using WhatsApp — BBC News” »

Gene therapy is a powerful developing technology that has the potential to address myriad diseases. For example, Huntington’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder, is caused by a mutation in a single gene, and if researchers could go into specific cells and correct that defect, theoretically those cells could regain normal function.

A major challenge, however, has been creating the right “delivery vehicles” that can carry genes and molecules into the cells that need treatment, while avoiding the cells that do not.

Now, a team led by Caltech researchers has developed a gene-delivery system that can specifically target brain cells while avoiding the liver. This is important because a gene therapy intended to treat a disorder in the brain, for example, could also have the side effect of creating a toxic immune response in the liver, hence the desire to find delivery vehicles that only go to their intended target. The findings were shown in both mouse and marmoset models, an important step towards translating the technology into humans.

A world-famous artificial intelligence humanoid robot that has previously spoken at the United Nations is becoming NFTs.

Elon Musk Just DESTROYED Apple: In a recent tweet, billionaire Elon Musk publicly destroyed Apple by mocking them for launching a $19 fiber cloth. He further went on to suggest that his followers should instead buy his newly launched Tesla Cyberwhistle instead!

Many times, to set them apart from the competition, luxury brands like Apple sell products at outlandish prices. Take the thousand dollar pro display stand launched in 2019 for example. What made Elon go against one of the world’s topmost tech giants?

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