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Category: health

Highly Scalable, Wearable Surface‐Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

The last two decades have witnessed a dramatic growth of wearable sensor technology, mainly represented by flexible, stretchable, on-skin electronic sensors that provide rich information of the wearer’s health conditions and surroundings. A recent breakthrough in the field is the development of wearable chemical sensors based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) that can detect molecular fingerprints universally, sensitively, and noninvasively. However, while their sensing properties are excellent, these sensors are not scalable for widespread use beyond small-scale human health monitoring due to their cumbersome fabrication process and limited multifunctional sensing capabilities. Here, a highly scalable, wearable SERS sensor is demonstrated based on an easy-to-fabricate, low-cost, ultrathin, flexible, stretchable, adhesive, and biointegratable gold nanomesh. It can be fabricated in any shape and worn on virtually any surface for label-free, large-scale, in situ sensing of diverse analytes from low to high concentrations (10–106 × 10−9 m). To show the practical utility of the wearable SERS sensor, the sensor is tested for the detection of sweat biomarkers, drugs of abuse, and microplastics. This wearable SERS sensor represents a significant step toward the generalizability and practicality of wearable sensing technology.

Two classes of FOXA1 mutations found to drive prostate cancer and therapy resistance

A new study from the University of Michigan Rogel Health Cancer Center, published in Science, sheds light on how two distinct classes of mutations in the FOXA1 gene—commonly altered in prostate cancer—drive tumor initiation formation and therapeutic resistance.

FOXA1, a key transcription factor that facilitates binding to DNA, is mutated in 10–40% of hormone-dependent prostate cancers. While common, the exact ways these mutations alter cancer cells have remained elusive—until now.

Rogel researchers, including Arul Chinnaiyan, M.D., Ph.D., S.P. Hicks Endowed Professor of Pathology and Urology, and Abhijit Parolia, Ph.D., Rogel Fellow and Assistant Professor of Pathology, used mouse models to understand the mechanisms underlying two major classes of FOXA1 mutations.

SGLT-2 Inhibitors and Serious Liver Events in Patients With Cirrhosis

This retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from TriNetX, a multi-institutional health research network. Using the TriNetX platform, we accessed deidentified electronic health records from over 212 million patients across 120 major health care organizations.9 The built-in analytic functions of TriNetX enable patient-level analyses while ensuring that only population-level data are reported.

This study was approved by WCG Clinical, which granted a waiver to TriNetX as a federated network and was deemed exempt from informed consent owing to the use of existing, non–human participant data that were deidentified per the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy rule. The study followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) reporting guideline.

We included patients with cirrhosis (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision [ICD-10] codes K74.6 and K74.69), who were taking furosemide (RxNorm [National Library of Medicine] code 4603) and spironolactone (RxNorm code 9997) between January 2013 and July 2021. For patients receiving an SGLT-2 inhibitor (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical code A10BK), the index event was defined as the date on which they were concurrently prescribed spironolactone, furosemide, and an SGLT-2 inhibitor. For the control group, the index event was the date on which they were prescribed concurrent spironolactone and furosemide but not an SGLT-2 inhibitor. Each patient was followed up for 3 years from the index event, with follow-up ending on July 11, 2024.

Intestinal bacterium allows microbiome-mediated protection against pathogens

The totality of bacteria, viruses and fungi that exist in and on a multicellular organism forms its natural microbiome. The interactions between the body and these microorganisms significantly influence both, the functions and health of the host organism. Researchers assume that the microbiome plays an important role in the defense against pathogens, among other things.

Rewriting DNA- from Fiction to Reality

Gene therapy—once something out of science fiction—is now being used in real hospitals to treat real people. Gene editing has become a conversation of not only treating rare diseases but also about access, fairness, and how much control we should have over our biology.

Genes are sections of DNA that act like instruction manuals telling our cells how to build proteins. Proteins perform vital function like energy use, cellular communications, immunity and cell repair. So when people say “We are what our genes make us,” it’s because these gene-coded proteins guide our growth, health, and behaviour.

Sometimes, typos appear in these instruction manuals. They are called genetic mutations. While many mutations are harmless, some affect the protein made from the mutated gene and disrupt how the cell functions. Some cause serious diseases like cystic fibrosis, muscular atrophy or certain cancers.

From Mammoth Revival to Human Fertility with Dr. Eriona Hysolli | Singularity University

Join us for an exclusive 1-hour conversation with Dr. Eriona Hysolli, the visionary scientist bridging de-extinction technology and the future of human reproduction. Recognized by Time100 Next for her groundbreaking work reviving the woolly mammoth, Dr. Hysolli brings a unique perspective to reproductive biotechnology that you won’t find anywhere else.

In this informal Q&A session, we’ll explore how cutting-edge technologies originally developed for species conservation are now revolutionizing human fertility treatments. Dr. Hysolli will share insights on:
The latest breakthroughs in synthetic embryos and artificial wombs.
How in vitro gametogenesis could transform infertility treatment.
Lessons from mammoth de-extinction that apply to human reproductive health.
The intersection of genome engineering and fertility solutions.
Near-term commercial applications in reproductive biotechnology.

Drawing from her pioneering work at Yale, George Church’s lab at Harvard, and as Head of Biological Sciences at Colossal Biosciences, Dr. Hysolli offers a rare glimpse into technologies that could redefine human reproduction within the next decade.

The session will feature a moderated discussion followed by audience Q&A. Whether you’re an investor, entrepreneur, healthcare professional, or simply fascinated by the future of fertility, this conversation will provide essential insights into one of biotechnology’s most promising frontiers.

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/1Wq6gwm.

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Implantable bioelectronics and wearable sensors for kidney health and disease

Advances in biosensor technology have the potential to enable continuous, non-invasive monitoring of kidney health through wearable and implantable systems. Non-invasive microfluidic systems have demonstrated utility in the detection of kidney-relevant biomarkers in peripheral body fluids such as sweat, interstitial fluid, tears and saliva, whereas implantable systems permit the direct measurement of biophysical tissue properties including tissue oxygenation, perfusion and temperature.

Heavy Drinkers Face Higher Risk of Brain Lesions And Alzheimer’s Markers

Alcohol is notoriously bad for health, and a recent study might add “long-term effects on brain health” to the growing list of ways drinking can cause harm.

The research, led by scientists at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, investigated the impact of regular drinking by examining brain autopsy data from 1,781 individuals, correlating findings with their reported drinking habits.

After adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical variables, like smoking and physical activity, the team found that the heaviest drinkers had a 133 percent higher risk of developing vascular brain lesions compared to non-drinkers.