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Category: biotech/medical – Page 145

Former Scripps Research assistant professor awarded 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

How very cool!

Shimon Sakaguchi is honored for his revolutionary discovery of regulatory T cells—revealing how “immune tolerance” impacts autoimmune diseases, cancer and more.

LA JOLLA, CA— Former Scripps Research assistant professor Shimon Sakaguchi has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his groundbreaking discovery of peripheral immune tolerance, a mechanism of the immune system that prevents autoimmune diseases and sheds light on how cancer escapes immune detection.

Sakaguchi, who was an assistant professor at Scripps Research from 1989 to the prize with Mary E. Brunkow of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle and Fred Ramsdell of Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco. They are being recognized for their contributions to uncovering several key functions of the immune system, according to the Nobel Prize committee.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Early Cancer Diagnosis

Diagnosing cancer at an early stage increases the chance of performing effective treatment in many tumour groups. Key approaches include screening patients who are at risk but have no symptoms, and rapidly and appropriately investigating those who do. Machine learning, whereby computers learn complex data patterns to make predictions, has the potential to revolutionise early cancer diagnosis. Here, we provide an overview of how such algorithms can assist doctors through analyses of routine health records, medical images, biopsy samples and blood tests to improve risk stratification and early diagnosis. Such tools will be increasingly utilised in the coming years.

Goodbye To Screws And Plates, Scientists Developed 3-Minute ‘Bone Glue’ That Repairs Broken Bones Naturally

Chinese scientists have unveiled a groundbreaking bio-adhesive, popularly known as “Bone-02,” that can bond fractured bones within just three minutes. This innovation was inspired by the adhesive properties of oysters, which can attach firmly to wet surfaces, a concept now translated into medical science.

Unlike traditional implants such as metal plates or screws, the new bone glue is completely bioabsorbable. As the bone naturally heals, the adhesive is gradually absorbed by the body, effectively eliminating the need for secondary surgery to remove any hardware.

Reports from early clinical trials indicate that the glue provides an impressive bonding strength exceeding 400 pounds (around 180 kg) and achieves stable fixation even in wet, blood-rich surgical environments. This could revolutionize the way fractures are treated in orthopedic surgery.

‘Google Maps’ approach provides cell-by-cell tumor mapping for more personalized lung cancer treatment

Researchers have developed a way to predict how lung cancer cells will respond to different therapies, allowing people with the most common form of lung cancer to receive more effective individualized treatment.

The research, published Oct. 10 in Nature Genetics, was led by Thazin Aung, Ph.D., in the laboratory of Yale School of Medicine’s David Rimm, MD, Ph.D., in collaboration with scientists at the Frazer Institute at the University of Queensland. Researchers studied the tumors of 234 patients with (NSCLC) across three cohorts in Australia, the United States, and Europe.

“Using AI and spatial biology, we mapped NSCLC, cell-by-cell, to understand and predict its response to ,” Aung says. “This ‘Google Maps’ approach can pinpoint areas within tumors that are both responsive and resistant to therapies, which will be a gamechanger for lung cancer treatment. Rather than having to use a trial-and-error approach, oncologists will now know which treatments are most likely to work with new precision medicine tools.”

China’s AI Hospital with 14 Robotic Doctors — The Future of Medicine!

In a monumental leap for healthcare innovation, China has opened the world’s first fully AI-powered hospital, staffed by 14 artificial intelligence “doctors” capable of diagnosing, treating, and managing up to 10,000 virtual patients per day.

This revolutionary facility, developed by Tsinghua University, is called the Smart Hospital of the Future — and it may represent the most advanced experiment in AI-driven medicine the world has ever seen.

Designed as a testbed for AI medical systems, the hospital blends robotics, machine learning, natural language processing, and big data analytics to simulate full-spectrum care at lightning speed — with zero fatigue, no paperwork errors, and real-time updates from global medical databases.

Bandages Made From Living Fungi Could Be The Future of Wound Healing

Fungi are best known for returning dead, organic matter to the Earth, but materials scientists are exploring whether they could someday help our bodies repair, in the form of special hydrogels.

To play a role in biomedical settings, a hydrogel needs a multilayered structure like our own skin, cartilage and muscles. While some engineers are working on synthetic versions that mimic biology, University of Utah scientists have found a hydrogel that literally has a life of its own.

Marquandomyces marquandii is a common species of soil mold, and a promising candidate for the job. This fungus has had a bit of an identity crisis, being misclassified as Paecilomyces marquandii until it was reassigned to its own genus in 2020. Soon, it may be able to add the role of ‘bio-integrated hydrogel’ to its resume.

Scientists Discover Stem Cells That Could Regenerate Teeth and Bone

Researchers at Science Tokyo have identified two separate stem cell lineages responsible for forming tooth roots and the alveolar bone that anchors teeth in the jaw.

By using genetically modified mice and lineage-tracing methods, the team uncovered how specific signaling pathways direct stem cells to specialize during tooth development. Their findings provide valuable insight that could help advance the field of regenerative dentistry in the future.

Unlocking the skin’s natural healing power for regenerative medicine

Our skin protects us from everyday mechanical stresses, like friction, cuts, and impacts. A key part of this function—standing as a bulwark against the outside world—is the skin’s amazing ability to regenerate and heal. But where does this healing ability begin?

In a new study published in Nature Communications, an interdisciplinary team led by the laboratories of Kaelyn Sumigray, Ph.D., and Stefania Nicoli, Ph.D., discovered that, during the earliest stages of embryonic development, contribute to forming a protective skin layer that accelerates healing as the embryo grows.

Their findings reveal one of the earliest steps in how skin stem cells learn to repair tissue—knowledge that could help engineer improved for transplantation.

Novel antibiotic targets IBD—and AI predicted how it would work before scientists could prove it

Researchers at McMaster University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made two scientific breakthroughs at once: they not only discovered a brand-new antibiotic that targets inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), but also successfully used a new type of AI to predict exactly how the drug works. To their knowledge, this is a global first for the AI.

Detailed in the journal Nature Microbiology, the discovery unveils a promising new treatment option for millions of people affected by Crohn’s disease and other related conditions, while also showcasing important new applications for AI in drug discovery research.

“This work shows that we’re still just scratching the surface as far as AI-guided drug discovery goes,” says Jon Stokes, an assistant professor in McMaster’s Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences and principal investigator on the new study.

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