Li et al. present a microLED-based mesoscale optogenetic system for centimeter-scale, million-pixel primate cortical stimulation. Optogenetically evoked saccades with accurate retinotopic organization remain stable for over a year, demonstrating precise, robust, and durable neuromodulation and charting a path toward next-generation optical brain-computer interfaces and visual prostheses.
Recent advances in biomolecular archaeology have revealed that ancient objects can retain the molecular fingerprints of past aromatic practices. These molecules provide unprecedented insight into ancient perfumery, medicine, ritual, and daily life.
In a publication in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, an interdisciplinary research team led by archaeo-chemist Barbara Huber (Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Tübingen), shows how museums can use this molecular evidence to engage audiences with the sensory worlds of the past. The team combined their expertise to create a new workflow for converting biomolecular data into accessible, visitor-ready olfactory recreations.
“This research represents a significant shift in how scientific results can be shared beyond academic publications,” explains Huber.
Kevin Perrott founded OpenCures, has been an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta, co-founded Oisin Biotechnologies, and ran a gym.
Living organisms are made up of hundreds of thousands of cells that cooperate to create the organs and systems that breathe, eat, move, and think. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a new way to track how and when cells touch each other to work together in these ways. In a study published in January in Cell Reports Methods, researchers from The University of Osaka reported the development of fluorescent markers for monitoring cell communication under a microscope.
Cells communicate with each other by making cell-to-cell contacts, and fluorescent markers are often used to visualize these contacts. The most commonly used marker for this purpose is green fluorescent protein (GFP). GFP can be divided into two halves that are expressed on different cells. When the cells touch, the two halves come together to form a complete GFP, letting off a fluorescent signal.
“Split GFP is useful for detecting the formation of stable connections between cells,” says lead author of the study Takashi Kanadome. “But because it takes time for the rejoined GFP to emit its signal and the association is irreversible, this approach cannot be used to detect dynamic cell–cell interactions in real-time.”
2024 This is a first of its kind univversal covid 19 vaccine that would allow for a one time shot that is good for current versions of the virus and future versions aswell.
A universal recombinant adenovirus type-5 (Ad5) vaccine against COVID19 (Ad-US) was constructed, and immunogenicity and broad-spectrum of Ad5-US were evaluated with both intranasal and intramuscular immunization routes. The humoral immune response of Ad5-US in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were evaluated by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus based pseudovirus neutralization assay, and angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2)-binding inhibition assay. The cellular immune response and Th1/Th2 biased immune response of Ad5-US were evaluated by the IFN-γ ELISpot assay, intracellular cytokine staining, and Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) profiling of Th1/Th2 cytokines. Intramuscular priming followed by an intranasal booster with Ad5-US elicited the broad-spectrum and high levels of IgG, IgA, pseudovirus neutralizing antibody (PNAb), and Th1-skewing of the T-cell response. Overall, the adenovirus type-5 vectored universal SARS-CoV-2 vaccine Ad5-US was successfully constructed, and Ad5-US was highly immunogenic and broad spectrum. Intramuscular priming followed by an intranasal booster with Ad5-US induced the high and broad spectrum systemic immune responses and local mucosal immune responses.
According to the World Health Organization, as of March 15, 2024, over 774 million COVID-19 cases and almost 7 million related deaths had been reported globally. A total of 13.59 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been reportedly administered globally, leading to a vaccination rate of 69.7%. At present, at least 24 types of COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized for emergency use in various countries. According to the list of global COVID-19 candidate vaccines published on the WHO website, a total of 183 candidate vaccines are in clinical development and 199 candidate vaccines are in the preclinical evaluation stage as of April 8, 2023. Recombinant protein subunit vaccines account for the greatest proportion of vaccines in clinical development (59 vaccines, 32%), followed by RNA vaccines (43 vaccines, 24%).
“Despite greater white matter degeneration and reduced cortical thickness, APOE ε4 carriers exhibited preserved deep brain volumes and better self-reported well-being. This study highlights the complex interplay between genetic factors and neurodegenerative processes. Our future research aims to provide more natural history data of EPM1 and correlate long-term phenotypic data with additional geno-phenotypic analyses.”
Read this original article from Epileptic Disorders at doi.org/10.1002/epd2.70112.
Objective Progressive myoclonic epilepsy type 1 (EPM1) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by biallelic variants in the cystatin B (CSTB) gene. Despite a progressive course, phenotype severity varies among patients, even within families. We studied the potential role of APOE ε4 in modifying phenotypic diversity in EPM1, given its established association with neurodegeneration, particularly in Alzheimer’s disease.
A team led by UCL researchers with Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and Moorfields Eye Hospital, found B cells—alongside T cells—play a key role in arthritis-related eye disease (JIA uveitis), a condition that can cause long-term vision loss in children. The study challenges how the disease has been previously understood, and could open the door to new treatments that help protect children’s sight.
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common form of arthritis in children under the age of 16, affecting around one in every 1,000 children in the UK. Approximately 30% of patients with JIA also develop uveitis—an inflammatory condition of the eye that is potentially sight-threatening.
Although some treatments are available today for the condition, up to a third of affected children still experience some degree of permanent vision loss by the time they reach adulthood.
A UCLA research team has identified the best design for a promising new type of immunotherapy that could be mass-produced to treat multiple solid tumors. The study focused on engineered invariant natural killer T cells, or NKT cells—powerful immune cells with a unique ability to infiltrate solid tumors—and systematically compared four targeting systems, called chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs, that direct these cells to attack cancer.
The study was published in the journal Blood Immunology & Cellular Therapy.
CAR-T cell therapies have revolutionized treatment for certain blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, but these successes haven’t extended to solid tumors, which make up the vast majority of cancers. Solid tumors build dense protective barriers that block therapeutic cells from reaching the cancer and display varied targets that allow cancer cells to escape detection.