Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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There are several physiological reasons why biological organisms sleep. One key one concerns brain metabolism. In our article we discuss the role of metabolism in myelin, based on the recent discovery that myelin contains mitochondrial components that enable the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) via oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). These mitochondrial components in myelin probably originate from vesiculation of the mitochondrial membranes in form from mitochondrial derived vesicles (MDVs). We hypothesize that myelin acts as a proton capacitor, accumulating energy in the form of protons during sleep and converting it to ATP via OXPHOS during wakefulness. Empirical evidence supporting our hypothesis is discussed, including data on myelin metabolic activity, MDVs, and allometric scaling between white matter volume and sleep duration in mammals.

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Capitalizing on the flexibility of tiny cells inside the body’s smallest blood vessels may be a powerful spinal cord repair strategy, new research suggests.

In mouse experiments, scientists introduced a specific type of recombinant protein to the site of a spinal cord injury where these cells, called pericytes, had flooded the lesion zone. Once exposed to this protein, results showed, pericytes change shape and inhibit the production of some molecules while secreting others, creating “cellular bridges” that support regeneration of axons—the long, slender extensions of nerve cell bodies that transmit messages.

Researchers observed axon regrowth in injured mice that received a single treatment injection of the growth-factor protein, and the animals also regained movement in their hind limbs. An experiment involving suggests the results are not restricted to mice.

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A team of researchers from the University of Chicago, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, has identified a novel oncometabolite that accumulates in tumors and impairs immune cells’ ability to fight cancer.

The study, published in Nature Cell Biology, highlights how the metabolic environment of tumors influences the function of T cells, which are critical immune cells responsible for eliminating cancer. The finding opens new possibilities for improving cancer immunotherapy by targeting .

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A new way to deliver disease-fighting proteins throughout the brain may improve the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders, according to University of California, Irvine scientists. By engineering human immune cells called microglia, the researchers have created living cellular “couriers” capable of responding to brain pathology and releasing therapeutic agents exactly where needed.

The study, published in Cell Stem Cell, demonstrates for the first time that derived from induced pluripotent stem cells can be genetically programmed to detect disease-specific brain changes—like in Alzheimer’s disease—and then release enzymes that help break down those toxic proteins. As a result, the cells were able to reduce inflammation, preserve neurons and synaptic connections, and reverse multiple other hallmarks of neurodegeneration in mice.

For patients and families grappling with Alzheimer’s and related diseases, the findings offer a hopeful glimpse at a future in which microglial-based cell therapies could precisely and safely counteract the ravages of neurodegeneration.

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A NIMS research team has developed an approach capable of accurately and rapidly predicting the degradation behavior of electrocatalysts used in water electrolyzers by employing data assimilation—a method commonly employed in weather forecasting.

After analyzing only 300 hours of experimental data, this approach accurately predicted the degradation of an electrocatalytic material occurring after approximately 900 hours of water electrolysis. This approach is able to accelerate and simplify the comparison of degradation properties among various electrocatalytic materials, potentially facilitating investigations into their degradation mechanisms and expediting the development of more efficient, economical and durable electrocatalytic materials.

The work is published in the journal ACS Energy Letters.

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Results of a randomized, controlled clinical trial in Japan among more than 170 children aged 1 to 6 who underwent surgery show that by using EEG readings of brain waves to monitor unconsciousness, an anesthesiologist can significantly reduce the amount of the anesthesia administered to safely induce and sustain each patient’s anesthetized state.

On average, the patients experienced significant improvements in several post-operative outcomes, including quicker recovery and reduced incidence of delirium.

“I think the main takeaway is that in kids, using the EEG, we can reduce the amount of anesthesia we give them and maintain the same level of unconsciousness,” said study co-author Emery N. Brown, Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Medical Engineering and Computational Neuroscience at MIT and an anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. The study appears in JAMA Pediatrics.

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A team of researchers at Q-CTRL, a quantum infrastructure software-maker based in Sydney, Australia, has announced the successful demonstration of its newly developed quantum navigation system called “Ironstone Opal.”

The group has written a paper describing how their system works and how well it tested against currently available backup GPS systems and has posted it on the arXiv preprint server.

With the advent and subsequent reliance on GPS by private and and aircraft for navigation, governments have come to understand how vulnerable such systems can be. Outages can lead to drivers being stranded, pilots scrambling to use outdated systems and difficulties deploying military assets. Because of that, scientists around the world have been looking for reasonable backup systems, or even possible alternatives to GPS.

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