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Category: biotech/medical – Page 67

Gemini 2.5 Pro Could Be the Reasoning Breakthrough AI Needed

Is Gemini 2.5 Pro the AI breakthrough that will redefine machine intelligence? Google’s latest innovation promises to solve one of AI’s biggest hurdles: true reasoning. Unlike chatbots that regurgitate data, Gemini 2.5 Pro mimics human-like logic, connecting concepts, spotting flaws, and making decisions with unprecedented depth. This isn’t an upgrade—it’s a revolution in how machines think.

What makes Gemini 2.5 Pro unique? Built on a hybrid neural-symbolic architecture, it merges brute-force data processing with structured reasoning frameworks. Early tests show it outperforms GPT-4 and Claude 3 in complex tasks like legal analysis, medical diagnostics, and ethical dilemma navigation. We’ll break down its secret sauce: adaptive learning loops, context-aware problem-solving, and self-correcting logic that learns from mistakes in real time.

How will this impact you? Developers can build AI that understands instead of just parroting, businesses can automate high-stakes decisions, and educators might finally have a tool to teach critical thinking. But there’s a catch: Gemini 2.5 Pro’s \.

Coming to a Brain Near You: A Tiny Computer

Brain-computer interfaces are already letting people with paralysis control computers and communicate their needs, and will soon enable them to manipulate prosthetic limbs without moving a muscle.

The year ahead is pivotal for the companies behind this technology.

Fewer than 100 people to date have had brain-computer interfaces permanently installed. In the next 12 months, that number will more than double, provided the companies with new FDA experimental-use approval meet their goals in clinical trials. Apple this week announced its intention to allow these implants to control iPhones and other products.

Emerging non-viral vectors for gene delivery

The development of COVID-19 vaccines has sparked widespread interest. mRNA-based therapies are rapidly gaining attention owing to their unique advantages in quickly developing vaccines and immunotherapy for various ailments [1, 2]. Given that most human diseases stem from genetic factors, gene therapy represents a promising modality for addressing various inherited or acquired disorders by replacing faulty genes or silencing genes [3]. Gene therapy encompasses the targeted exploitation of genetic material, which includes gene replacement through DNA or mRNA [4, 5]; gene silencing utilizing siRNA or miRNA [6], and CRISPR-Cas9 based gene editing [7].

However, achieving safe and efficient gene delivery to specific cells requires overcoming multiple biological barriers, including extracellular obstacles such as enzyme degradation, serum protein interactions, electrostatic repulsion of genes and cell membranes, and innate immune system, as well as intracellular obstacles such as endosomal escape, transport barriers, precise release [8]. Therefore, gene vectors require several characteristics such as high gene condensation; favorable serum stability to avoid non-specific serum protein interactions, endonuclease degradation, and renal clearance; achieved specific targeting cell or tissues; effective transport into the cytoplasm thereby facilitating gene transfection (mRNA, siRNA and miRNA); precise gene release and scheduling, and nuclear localization that enables DNA transcription. Comprehensive exploration of transfection mechanisms can aid in the development of high-performance gene vectors [9, 10].

Gene vectors generally include viral vectors and non-viral vectors. Presently, approximately 70% of clinical gene therapy trials employ viral vectors, which include retroviruses, lentiviruses, adenoviruses, and adeno-associated viruses. Due to their exceptional infectivity, virus-based vectors typically exhibit excellent gene transfection capabilities. However, the clinical safety of viral vectors has been questioned due to their propensity to stimulate immunogenic reactions and induce transgene insertion mutations. Moreover, viral vectors possess several limitations, including low gene loading capacity, inability to deliver large-sized genes, complicated preparation procedures, and the patient cannot be repeatedly administered [4]. In contrast, non-viral vectors, particularly lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) and cationic polymers, have demonstrated robust gene loading capacity, heigh safety and practicability, simplicity preparation [10, 11]. Consequently, non-viral vectors are exhibiting tremendous potential for further clinical development and application. Our review primarily highlights the significant potential of non-viral vectors, particularly lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), highly branched poly(β-amino ester) (HPAE), single-chain cyclic polymer (SCKP), poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers, and polyethyleneimine (PEI). We intend to provide a detailed examination of the latest research progress and existing limitations of non-viral gene vectors over recent years.

Functional Biomaterials for Drug Delivery

Gene therapy is a technique that rectifies defective or abnormal genes by introducing exogenous genes into target cells to cure the disease. Although gene therapy has gained some accomplishment for the diagnosis and therapy of inherited or acquired cardiovascular diseases, how to efficiently and specifically deliver targeted genes to the lesion sites without being cleared by the blood system remains challenging. Based on nanotechnology development, the non-viral vectors provide a promising strategy for overcoming the difficulties in gene therapy. At present, according to the physicochemical properties, nanotechnology-based non-viral vectors include polymers, liposomes, lipid nanoparticles, and inorganic nanoparticles. Non-viral vectors have an advantage in safety, efficiency, and easy production, possessing potential clinical application value when compared with viral vectors. Therefore, we summarized recent research progress of gene therapy for cardiovascular diseases based on commonly used non-viral vectors, hopefully providing guidance and orientation for future relevant research.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) leads to almost a third of all deaths worldwide, resulting from atherosclerotic plaque leading to hemadostenosis and blood flow restriction (Park et al., 2020; Tsao et al., 2022). Despite progress in medical technology, CVD is still a major cause of death (Yang et al., 2023). Conventional treatment strategies for CVD include anticoagulation, antiplatelet, thrombolytics, hypolipidemic drugs, and invasive therapies like vascular bypass grafting and stent transplantation (Zhu et al., 2021). However, small molecule drug therapy in conventional treatment strategies is characterized by short half-life and low bioavailability, and long-term use of certain drugs may also lead to side effects such as drug resistance and potential hematological toxicity (Missri, 1979; Fu et al., 2014). Surgical treatment, on the other hand, is more pro-traumatic, requires a longer recovery time, and has a high risk of postoperative complications.

AI Discovers Suspected Trigger of Alzheimer’s, And Maybe a Treatment

Artificial intelligence is a broad term encompassing many different subtypes, from apps that can write poetry to algorithms that are able to spot patterns that would otherwise get missed – and now AI modeling has just played a major role in an Alzheimer’s study.

Brain structure changes in people who work long hours

If you need an excuse to turn off the laptop over the weekend or rein in overtime, scientists have found that working extended hours actually changes parts of the brain linked to emotional regulation, working memory and solving problems. While we know the toll that “overwork” takes physically and mentally, the precise neurological impact has not been well understood.

An international team of researchers including scientists from Korea’s Chung-Ang University assessed 110 healthcare workers – 32 who worked excessive hours (52 or more per week) and 78 who clocked less than 52 hours per week, or what would be considered closer to standard hours in the field. Voxel based morphometry (VBM) to assess gray matter and atlas-based analysis was then applied to MRI scans of each individual’s brain, identifying volume and connectivity differences.

When the scientists adjusted the results to account for age and sex, they found that, in the overworked cohort, the imaging showed a significant difference in brain volume in 17 different regions of the organ – including the middle frontal gyrus (MFG), insula and superior temporal gyrus (STG). Atlas-based analysis identified that, in the overworked individuals, there was 19% more volume in the left caudal MFG. The MFG – part of the brain’s frontal lobe – is the heavy lifter when it comes to executive functioning like emotional regulation, working memory, attention and planning, while the STG’s main task is auditory and language processing. The insula, meanwhile, is key in pain processing and other sensory signaling.

Better than stitches: Researchers develop biocompatible patch for soft organ injuries

University of California, Los Angeles and University of California, San Diego researchers developed an injectable sealant for rapid hemostasis and tissue adhesion in soft, elastic organs.

Formulated with methacryloyl-modified human recombinant tropoelastin (MeTro) and Laponite silicate nanoplatelets (SNs), the engineered hydrogel demonstrated substantial improvements in tissue adhesion strength and hemostatic efficacy in preclinical models involving lung and arterial injuries.

Injuries to such as lungs, heart, and complicate surgical closure due to their constant motion and elasticity. Sutures, wires, and staples are mechanically fixed, risking when applied to tissues that expand and contract with each breath or heartbeat. Existing hemostatic agents, including fibrin-based sealants, aim to stem blood flow but may trigger intense coagulation responses in patients with clotting disorders.