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Umbilical cord blood transplant with pooled stem cell product shows 96% survival and no GVHD in leukemia patients

A new way of using umbilical cord blood for treating blood diseases could make the treatment more accessible to patients who need a stem cell transplant. A Phase II clinical trial of patients undergoing a cord blood transplant plus a stem cell product derived from pooled cord blood units showed that 27 of 28 patients (96%) with leukemias and GVHD survived at least one year and none of the patients experienced severe acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease, which are common complications of stem cell transplantation.

The results have been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

“This is the first time transplant patients received cells from what amounts to nine different human beings,” said the study’s principal investigator, Filippo Milano, MD, Ph.D., who is first author of the study and directs the Cord Blood Program at Fred Hutch Cancer Center.

New quantum algorithm solves “impossible” materials problem in seconds

A new quantum-inspired algorithm has cracked a problem so massive that conventional supercomputers struggle to even approach it. Researchers used the method to simulate extraordinarily complex quantum materials known as quasicrystals, opening the door to powerful new quantum devices and ultra-efficient electronics. The work could help scientists design advanced topological qubits and materials for future quantum computers.

Closing the gap between animal movement and robotic control

Animals move with a level of precision and adaptability that robots struggle to match. In Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, researchers are developing a new AI-driven approach to uncover how brains and bodies work together. By turning complex biological systems into models that can be tested and refined, the team seeks to understand and replicate animal performance in robotic systems.

One focus of The Biohybrid and Organic Robotics Lab are neuromechanical models that simulate how neural signals and physical movement continuously inform one another. These models are powerful, but difficult to build because, with countless parameters, even the smallest miscalculation can lead to large gaps between simulated behavior and what researchers observe in real animals.

“Biological systems are incredibly complex,” said Camila Fernandez, Ph.D. Candidate in the department of mechanical engineering. “We’re trying to model something where everything affects everything, and it’s not always clear which piece we need to adjust when outcomes don’t match predictions.”

Mitochondrial fission helps immune cells kill bacteria and could counter resistance

Alternative therapies that aid the body’s immune system to fight bacteria have shown promise in addressing the global threat of antibiotic resistance. University of Queensland researchers have found when under attack, the body’s immune cells activate a cellular process called mitochondrial fission to kill invading bacteria. Their study is published in the journal Science Immunology.

Dr. James Curson, from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience, said mitochondrial fission was a critical process in which mitochondria within cells split into smaller units to support the body’s response to stresses, including infections.

“Some bacteria have evolved strategies to stop activation of the mitochondrial fission process—allowing the invading pathogens to survive, and the infection to persist,” Dr. Curson said.

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