The FDA has approved two new gene therapies for sickle cell disease, a ‘functional cure’ for many patients.
A beating heart makes for a formidable surgical arena, but a new robotic catheter could someday equip surgeons to operate in the cardiac environment with greater ease.
The device, designed by a team of physicians and engineers at Boston University, possesses shape-shifting capabilities that allow it to be maneuvered through complex anatomy while maintaining enough stability to accomplish surgical objectives within the heart.
In a study published in Science Advances, the authors demonstrated the robot’s ability to assist with two mock cardiac procedures using animal tissue. The study authors suggest that, with further development, the robotic catheter could make many common heart surgeries far safer and less taxing on the body.
I describe the mechanisms by which different wavelengths of light impact the cells, tissues and organs of the human body, and how specifically timed light exposure of specific wavelengths can be used to improve sleep, enhance alertness, modulate hormone levels, and improve mood. I also explain the use of ultraviolet and infrared phototherapies to relieve pain increase testosterone and estrogen levels; improve skin health, appearance and wound healing; and how red light can be used to offset age-related vision loss and provide neuroprotection. Throughout the episode, I describe the mechanisms of light-based therapies and actionable tools that people can use positively impact mental and physical health.
Dr Carole Hooven is Co-director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and an author. Testosterone is a hell of a drug. It causes many things to happen in both men and women. But it’s dividing opinion even more than it’s dividing the sexes. This isn’t great for calming conversations, bridging differences or finding common ground however it’s a fascinating topic to dig into. Expect to learn what it’s like for women who go on testosterone to feel what male sex drive is like, why male deer in Scotland grow antlers and fight their best friends for a few months every year, whether maternal instinct is a myth, why testosterone even exists at all, the differences between male and female orgasms, whether sex is a spectrum and much more…
A new Seattle biotech organization will be funded to the tune of $75 million to research “DNA typewriters,” self-monitoring cells that could upend our understanding of biology. The collaboration between the University of Washington, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative and the Allen Institute is already underway.
Called the Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology, the joint initiative will combine the expertise of the two well-funded research outfits with that of UW Medicine, working in what UW’s Jay Shendure, scientific lead for the project, called “a new model of collaboration.”
The Hub (not to be confused with the HUB, or Husky Union Building, on UW’s campus) aims to strike a balance between a disinterested intellectual academic approach and a development-focused commercial approach. The $75 million will fund the organization for five years, with the option to renew then.
University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered how Lactobacillus, a bacterium found in fermented foods and yogurt, helps the body manage stress and may help prevent depression and anxiety.
The findings open the door to new therapies to treat anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions.
UVA researcher Alban Gaultier and collaborators say the discovery is notable because it pinpoints the role of Lactobacillus, separating it out from all the other microorganisms that naturally live in and on our bodies.
A common truism among statisticians is that “the data don’t lie.” However, recent findings by Italian researchers may make those who study data think twice before making such assumptions.
Giuseppe Giannaccare, an eye surgeon at the University of Cagliari in Italy, reports that ChatGPT has conjured reams of persuasive phony data to support one surgical eye procedure over another.
“GPT-4 created a fake dataset of hundreds of patients in a matter of minutes,” Giannaccare said. “This was a surprising—yet frightening—experience.”
IN THIS EPISODE OF THE HUMAN UPGRADE™…you’ll learn how much control you can actually have over your brain. There’s a new way of accessing your meat operating system that adds an important element that’s been missing from the brain training conversation. Moha Bensofia joins the show to explain a new piece of neurotech called Mendi. He shares the benefits of getting more blood to the front of your brain. Mendi uses neurofeedback to provide visual feedback based on your brain activity.
A headset measures the activity while you play a fun brain-training mobile game. The system uses fNIRS technology to measure blood flow and oxygenation in the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. The brain training game requires focus and calmness, which increases activity and control of your brain’s pathways.
These three gene therapy stocks should get huge boosts over the long term from the use of gene editing techniques to treat diseases.
FDA has authorized the Invitae Common Hereditary Cancers Panel, a blood test that detects inherited genetic changes that increase the risk of some cancers.
