Lifeboat Foundation

Research reveals how antibodies affect brain receptors in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis, a condition often misdiagnosed as schizophrenia.

The disease, vividly described in Susannah Cahalan’s memoir “Brain on Fire,” can lead to severe neurological symptoms similar to those of mental health disorders. The study underscores the importance of personalized medicine and improved diagnostics to accurately treat and diagnose this rare disease.

The startling diagnosis of susannah cahalan.

A new study shows that using DNA analysis for newborn screening can detect far more serious, yet treatable, health conditions than traditional methods. The study, called GUARDIAN, is one of the first large-scale projects to use genome sequencing for newborns, and early results suggest that this approach could greatly improve medical care for children.

Early findings from a study on newborn screening reveal that DNA analysis detects significantly more preventable or treatable serious health conditions than traditional screening methods. Most parents offered the option of genome sequencing prefer it.

The study, called GUARDIAN, is among the first large-scale research projects globally to use genome sequencing for newborn screening. It is also the first to release preliminary results.

Over the past decade or so, computer scientists have developed increasingly advanced computational techniques that can tackle real-world tasks with human-comparable accuracy. While many of these artificial intelligence (AI) models have achieved remarkable results, they often do not precisely replicate the computations performed by the human brain.

Researchers at Tibbling Technologies, Broad Institute at Harvard Medical School, The Australian National University and other institutes recently tried to use AI to mimic a specific type of computation performed by circuits in the neocortex, known as “winner-take-all” computations.

Their paper, published on the bioRxiv preprint server, reports the successful emulation of this computation and shows that adding it to transformer-based models could significantly improve their performance on image classification tasks.

Finding ways to connect the human body to technology could have broad applications in health and entertainment. A new “electric plastic” could make self-powered wearables, real-time neural interfaces, and medical implants that merge with our bodies a reality.

While there has been significant progress in the development of wearable and implantable technology in recent years, most electronic materials are hard, rigid, and feature toxic metals. A variety of approaches for creating “soft electronics” has emerged, but finding ones that are durable, power-efficient, and easy to manufacture is a significant challenge.

Continue reading “‘Electric Plastic’ Could Merge Technology With the Body in Future Wearables and Implants” »

Estrogen, the major female ovarian hormone, can trigger nerve impulses within milliseconds to regulate a variety of physiological processes. At Baylor College of Medicine, Louisiana State University and collaborating institutions, researchers discovered that estrogen’s fast actions are mediated by the coupling of the estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) with an ion channel protein called Clic1.

Clic1 controls the fast flux of electrically charged chloride ions through the cell membrane, which neurons use for receiving, conducting and transmitting signals. The researchers propose that interacting with the ER-alpha-Clic1 complex enables estrogen to trigger fast neuronal responses through Clic1 ion currents. The study appears in Science Advances.

“Estrogen can act in the brain to regulate a variety of physiological processes, including female fertility, sexual behaviors, mood, reward, stress response, cognition, cardiovascular activities and body weight balance. Many of these functions are mediated by estrogen binding to one of its receptors, ER-alpha,” said co-corresponding author Dr. Yong Xu, professor of pediatrics—nutrition and associate director for basic sciences at the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor.

Science And Engineering For Humanity — Dr. David Agus, MD — Founding Director & Co-CEO, Ellison Institute of Technology.

Dr. David B. Agus (https://davidagus.com/) is one of the world’s leading doctors and pioneering biomedical researchers.

Continue reading “Dr. David B. Agus, MD — Founding Director & Co-CEO, Ellison Institute of Technology” »

Dr. Onik had pioneered a new therapy called intra-tumor immunotherapy.

After a metastatic prostate cancer diagnosis, Dr. Gary Onik used his own technique to destroy his tumors. Five years post-recovery, his intra-tumor immunotherapy has treated nearly 200 patients with every kind of tumor.

Scientifically reviewed by: Amanda Martin, DC, in November 2024. Written by: Laurie Mathena.

Continue reading “Wellness Profile: Dr. Gary Onik” »

In this episode of the Longevity Optimization Podcast, Dr. DeGray discusses groundbreaking research in aging and longevity, focusing on combination therapies, the hallmarks of aging, and the potential of stem cell and gene therapies. He emphasizes the importance of rejuvenation over merely slowing aging and explores the role of the immune system in health. The conversation also touches on biological age testing, lifestyle factors, and the future of gene therapy in enhancing longevity.

Aubrey de Grey is a British biomedical gerontologist and the founder of the SENS Research Foundation. He is a leading advocate for regenerative medicine, focusing on reversing the effects of aging by repairing cellular damage. Known for his bold vision of life extension, de Grey believes that with advanced therapies, humans could significantly extend their lifespan. He is the co-author of Ending Aging, and his work continues to shape the future of longevity science.

Continue reading “Exploring Aging and Aging Interventions with Aubrey de Grey” »

Newly published research from Colorado State University answers fundamental questions about cellular connectivity in the brain that could be useful in the development of treatments for neurological diseases like autism, epilepsy or schizophrenia.