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Category: biotech/medical – Page 9

New quantum sensing method measures three light properties at once with high precision

A new method for measuring three different properties of light, at the same time, has been developed using an interferometry-based quantum sensing scheme capable of simultaneously estimating multiple parameters of an optical network.

The approach could help advances in the fields of medicine and astronomy, for example, to improve the precision and scope of quantum measurements across applications ranging from biological imaging to gravitational wave detection.

To date, it has only been possible to measure each parameter individually. However, research published in The European Physical Journal Plus has demonstrated, for the first time, that three independent optical parameters can be measured in a single “view” with ultimate quantum precision, without the need to examine each one of them individually.

High-speed imaging tracks live brain cell activity in awake mice

A research team from the School of Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has achieved a breakthrough in brain imaging by developing the world’s first technology to capture high-resolution images of the brains of awake experimental mice in a nearly noninvasive manner.

By eliminating the need for anesthesia, this innovation enables scientists to study in its fully functional state. The advancement promises deeper insights into human brain function in both healthy and diseased conditions, opening new frontiers in neuroscience research.

The study was recently published in Nature Communications in a paper titled “Rapid adaptive optics enabling near-noninvasive high-resolution brain imaging in awake behaving mice.”

Sperm molecules can predict IVF success

The sperm is not a passive supplier of genetic material to the egg. A study from Linköping University, Sweden, shows that certain molecules that come with the sperm, so-called micro-RNA, contribute to the development of the embryo several days after conception. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, may in the long term, contribute to better diagnosis and treatment of involuntary childlessness.

“It seems that sperms can help with embryo development by bringing other molecules with them, in addition to DNA. These molecules aid in starting embryo development. So you can say that the sperm, or the male part of conception, has a greater significance than was previously understood,” says Anita Öst, professor of cell and at Linköping University, who led the study.

Many couples are affected by involuntary childlessness, or infertility. About one in six people suffer from infertility. For some, it is possible to become pregnant through what is known as in vitro fertilization, IVF, which takes place outside the body. The fertilized eggs are then transferred to the uterus and hopefully lead to pregnancy. Embryo quality is one of the major limiting factors for successful IVF treatment. Improved early embryo quality assessment could increase chances that IVF treatment leads to pregnancy.

A scalpel that can diagnose? Scientists unveil a ‘Lab-on-a-Scalpel’ for real-time surgical insights

Imagine a surgeon in the middle of a complex operation, able to get instant biochemical feedback not from a lab down the hall, but from the very tool in their hand. This vision is now one step closer to reality thanks to researchers at the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (UCT Prague).

The team, led by Professor Zdeněk Sofer, has developed and validated a “Lab-on-a-Scalpel” concept, a surgical tool with an integrated diagnostic sensor. They published their findings in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

This innovation addresses a critical challenge in surgery: the time lag between sample collection and lab results. During invasive procedures, a patient’s biochemical profile can change rapidly, but traditional testing methods are too slow to provide the real-time data needed for immediate, informed decisions.

Congenital heart disease mutation linked to kidney damage

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have shown that a genetic mutation that causes congenital heart disease also contributes to kidney damage and developmental defects. Identifying this early cause of kidney damage could enable clinicians to diagnose and address kidney problems much sooner than current practices allow. The research was published on November 3 in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a common cause of death in childhood and affects 1 out of every 1,000 births. The disease occurs when the heart doesn’t form correctly before birth, causing leaky valves, defective vessels, or holes in the heart. While some cases of CHD can be remedied, children with life-threatening complications often require surgery or even a heart transplant. More than 25% of patients also end up developing problems with other organs, which severely compromise life expectancy.

“Research has shown that children diagnosed with CHD almost always have kidney problems by age 4,” said Samira Musah, the Alfred M. Hunt Faculty Scholar Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Duke University, and the senior author of the study. “Given the shared developmental origin of the heart and kidney, I wondered if a genetic mutation tied to CHD also causes the observed in affected patients.”

Protein linked to cancer found to play key role in wound healing

When doctors detect elevated levels of SerpinB3 in a blood test, it can signal that something is seriously wrong, from hard-to-treat cancers to severe inflammatory conditions.

SerpinB3 is a that often reveals when the body’s barrier tissues, like the skin or lungs, are under serious stress from cancer or chronic illness.

But new research from Arizona State University shows that SerpinB3, long recognized as a disease marker, also has a natural role in the body: helping to heal wounds.

Antibody therapy foils pancreatic cancer’s sugar-based disguise to reawaken immune system

Pancreatic cancer is notoriously hard to treat and often resists the most advanced immunotherapies. Northwestern Medicine scientists have uncovered a novel explanation for that resistance: Pancreatic tumors use a sugar-based disguise to hide from the immune system. The scientists also created an antibody therapy that blocks the sugar-mediated “don’t-attack” signal.

For the first time, the team identified how this sugar trick works and showed that blocking it with a monoclonal antibody reawakens immune cells to attack cancer cells in preclinical mouse models.

“It took our team about six years to uncover this novel mechanism, develop the right antibodies and test them,” said study senior author Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen, associate professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Triggering cell death in metastatic melanoma may pave the way for new cancer treatments

Metastatic melanoma cells that have spread to lymph nodes survive by relying on a protein called ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1)—a surprising metabolic dependency that could open the door to a new class of cancer treatments, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The researchers say the study, published in Nature, not only highlights the therapeutic potential of drugs that inhibit FSP1, but also offers new ways to understand cancer and its vulnerabilities.

Ferroptosis is a form of cell death driven by excessive lipid oxidation in cell membranes. When this occurs, the cell’s structural integrity collapses, leading to death. Cancer cells rely heavily on antioxidant proteins like FSP1 to prevent ferroptosis.

PCSK9 inhibitor lowers risk of first heart attack and stroke in high-risk adults

Researchers from Mass General Brigham have unveiled the results of a large clinical trial that found that adding the drug evolocumab to patients’ treatment significantly reduced the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in those who are at high risk. Results were presented today at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

“The results of this trial offer hope for preventing a , , or other cardiovascular event in patients who are at high risk,” said corresponding author Erin Bohula, MD, a cardiologist in the Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute. “Our findings reflect the promise of prevention strategies and reflect our ongoing commitment to conducting rigorous clinical trials to advance patient care with the goal of saving lives and improving quality of life.”

PCSK9 inhibitors, such as evolocumab, are designed to reduce LDL cholesterol, a major risk factor for cardiovascular events. Previous studies have found that PCSK9 inhibitors can prevent subsequent cardiovascular events in patients who have previously had a heart attack or stroke, but the current study—known as The Effect of EVolocumab in PatiEntS at High CArdiovascuLar RIsk WithoUt Prior Myocardial Infarction or Stroke (VESALIUS)-CV trial—is the first to study the drug’s preventive effects in people who have not previously had a heart attack or stroke.

Mutations Lurking in Alternative Proteins May Cause Disease

Although the genetic cause of many diseases have been identified, it’s estimated that as many as 70% of patients with a rare disorder do not know what causes their disease. Millions of people live with rare diseases, and scientists are still searching for the answers to these medical mysteries. Now researchers have developed a different method for analyzing patient genetic data, which may provide clues. These findings, which were reported in Molecular Cell, have highlighted that multiple proteins can often be produced from one gene; the cell can simply interpret the sequence in different ways.

In a basic genetics lesson, a student will learn that proteins are encoded by genes, and that different genes make different proteins. But in reality, the same gene sequence may encode for multiple proteins, and it can be up to the molecular machinery of the cell to decide which of those gene sequences ends up transcribed into a protein. In fact, most genes can code for more than one protein.

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