George Church and other scientists argue the right time to build comprehensive biosecurity is before something goes wrong, not after.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 27
Antibody Therapy Eradicates Traces of Multiple Myeloma in Preliminary Trial
Treatment with an immune and cancer cell-targeting antibody therapy eradicates residual traces of the blood cell cancer multiple myeloma, according to interim results from a clinical trial conducted by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
None of the 18 patients who completed up to six cycles of treatment with the antibody linvoseltamab had detectable disease on highly sensitive tests. This preliminary success suggests linvoseltamab, a bispecific antibody, could allow patients to avoid bone marrow transplants, which involve intense, high-potency chemotherapy. It also points to the long-term possibility of improving patients’ odds against this disease.
Lead researcher Dickran Kazandjian, M.D., a Sylvester physician and professor in the Myeloma Division at the Miller School, presented updated results today at the American Society of Hematology meeting in Orlando. Dr. Kazandjian conducted the research in collaboration with C. Ola Landgren, M.D., Ph.D., director of Sylvester Myeloma Institute.
“These patients received modern and effective, up-front treatment that eliminated 90% of their tumor,” said Dr. Kazandjian. “Usually, patients like these would receive high-dose chemotherapy and transplant. Instead, we give them a treatment with the drug linvoseltamab.”
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers are investigating ways to eradicate residual traces of multiple myeloma.
Stanford AI Experts Predict What Will Happen in 2026
After years of fast expansion and billion-dollar bets, 2026 may mark the moment artificial intelligence confronts its actual utility. In their predictions for the next year, Stanford faculty across computer science, medicine, law, and economics converge on a striking theme: The era of AI evangelism is giving way to an era of AI evaluation. Whether it’s standardized benchmarks for legal reasoning, real-time dashboards tracking labor displacement, or clinical frameworks for vetting the flood of medical AI startups, the coming year demands rigor over hype. The question is no longer “Can AI do this?” but “How well, at what cost, and for whom?”
Learn more about what Stanford HAI faculty expect in the new year.
Increasing Postpartum Use of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists
Postpartum prescription of GLP-1RAs in Denmark increased between 2018 and 2024, with semaglutide accounting for most prescriptions since 2023.
Most users had overweight or obesity, and only 23% had a diabetes diagnosis, suggesting weight reduction as the main reason for use.
This study uses data from the Danish Medical Birth Register to examine postpartum use of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists.
Control of aging-associated neurodegeneration via hypothalamic extracellular vesicles containing parathymosin
Jung, Yu, Choi et al. reveal a critical neuroprotective role of PTMS, while loss of this protein causes severe neurodegeneration. Hypothalamic neural stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles carrying PTMS protect neurons by preventing DNA damage and offer therapeutic benefits against aging-related neurodegenerative and Alzheimer’s-like conditions in animal models.
Prediabetes rates soar among children with overweight as maternal weight rises
The prevalence of prediabetes has increased significantly in recent years among Finnish children living with overweight or obesity, a recent study by Tampere University and the University of Eastern Finland shows. In the early 2000s, 11% of those studied had prediabetes, whereas 20 years later, the prevalence of prediabetes was 50%. The prevalence of obesity remained unchanged during the study period, but prediabetes became more common among children, which could, in part, be due to a simultaneous increase in maternal overweight.
The study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, included 602 children aged 6 to 16 who had been assessed for overweight or obesity in primary health care or specialized health care in Tampere between 2002 and 2020. The study also included a control group of 483 children aged 7–16, which had been drawn from the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) study, underway at the University of Eastern Finland.
According to the study, 34% of children who had been assessed for overweight or obesity had prediabetes, and 1% had type 2 diabetes. In the control group, 7% had prediabetes, while type 2 diabetes was not observed. Prediabetes was more common in older children and those in more advanced stages of puberty. Its prevalence was also associated with fatty liver disease and acanthosis nigricans, a skin condition often linked to overweight and disturbances in glucose metabolism.
Disappointment alters brain chemistry and behavior
From work meetings to first dates, it’s essential to adjust our behavior for success. In certain situations, it can even be a matter of life or death. So how do we switch our behavior when situations change? Published in Nature Communications, neuroscientists describe the neural basis of behavioral flexibility in mice, with insights which may help us understand a wide variety of diseases and disorders, from addiction to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) to Parkinson’s disease.
“The brain mechanisms behind changing behaviors have remained elusive, because adapting to a given scenario is very neurologically complex. It requires interconnected activity across multiple areas of the brain,” explains a co-author. “Previous work has indicated that cholinergic interneurons—brain cells that release a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine—are involved in enabling behavioral flexibility. Here, we were able to use advanced imaging techniques to see neurotransmitter release in real time and delve into the fundamental mechanisms behind behavioral flexibility”
In their investigations, the researchers trained mice in a virtual maze, teaching them the correct route to receive a reward. They then switched the route, leading to an unexpected loss of reward for the mice, and observed the effects of this disappointing change using two-photon microscopy.
Molecular difference in autistic brains may explain signaling imbalance
Yale School of Medicine (YSM) scientists have discovered a molecular difference in the brains of autistic people compared to their neurotypical counterparts.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition associated with behavioral differences including difficulties with social interaction, restrictive or intense interests, and repetitive movements or speech. But it’s not clear what makes autistic brains different.
Now, a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry has found that the brains of autistic people have fewer of a specific kind of receptor for glutamate, the most common excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain. The reduced availability of these receptors may be associated with various characteristics linked to autism.
AI-powered knowledge graph links heart images to genes and drug predictions
Knowledge graphs are a powerful tool for bringing together information from biological databases and linking what is already known about genes, diseases, treatments, molecular pathways and symptoms in a structured network. Until now, they have lacked detailed, individual-level information about how the affected organ actually looks and functions.
The latest research, led by postdoctoral researcher Dr. Khaled Rjoob and group leader Professor Declan O’Regan from the Computational Cardiac Imaging Group at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, has advanced this technology by adding imaging data to a knowledge graph for the first time. CardioKG provides a detailed view of the heart’s structure and function which dramatically improves the accuracy of predicting which genes are linked to disease and whether existing drugs could treat them.
The work is published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research.
Stiffer colon could signal risk of early-onset colorectal cancer
Increased stiffness of the colon, spurred by chronic inflammation, may encourage the development and progression of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC), a study co-led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggests. The findings, published in Advanced Science, could lead to new ways to prevent and treat this deadly subset of CRC.
“We consider this study a significant advancement toward identifying those at risk of early-onset CRC and finding new ways to treat them,” said Emina Huang, M.D., M.B.A., Professor of Surgery in the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery and Executive Vice Chair of Research for Surgery at UT Southwestern. She is also Professor of Biomedical Engineering and in the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.
UT Southwestern partnered with researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas on the study.