Lifeboat Foundation

Scientists from Denmark and China have estimated germline mutation rates across vertebrates by sequencing and comparing genetic samples from 151 mother, father, and offspring trios from 68 species of mammals, fishes, birds and reptiles. A bioinformatics pipeline was designed to read, analyze and compare the genome mutations that occur yearly and between generations in each species.

The research was published March 1, 2023, in the journal Nature.

Knowing the germline mutation rate could allow a greater understanding of evolutionary drivers and be used to estimate when a species first arose. Despite the variety of evolutionary paths seen in 68 different species, researchers found the germline mutation rate to be relatively conserved.

Biocomputers powered by human brain cells may be the futuristic result of a new field called “organoid intelligence.” Scientists envision brain organoids, grown in labs using human cells, that could lead to advances in medicine and computing.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is unarguably the most exciting field in robotics. And humanoid robots, robots resembling the human body in shape, are one of the most popular forms of AI. However, a lot of work, finances, and research are put into making these humanoid robots.

The field is already crowded with a number of companies with interesting projects, such as Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot and Tesla’s much-hyped Optimus prototype designed to be “general purpose.”

This week, an AI Robotics startup, Figure, has unveiled Figure 1, the world’s first commercially viable general-purpose humanoid robot. The company says this humanoid will have the ability to think, learn, and interact with its environment.

“People on metformin have 30% lower rates of almost every kind of cancer. It delays cognitive decline. Even people with diabetes who are obese and have more disease to start with but are on metformin have lower mortality rates than people without diabetes who aren’t on the drug.”

What he says is born out in numerous studies. Overall, this safe, super-cheap, decades-old drug not only treats diabetes, but it also seems to delay and compress the years of chronic illness associated with the final stage of life and extend what geroscientists call the “healthspan.”

Metformin is just one of many medications, including other old ones and some brand new inventions, that academic researchers and biotech startups are exploring to slow, stop, or perhaps even reverse aging.

Researchers hope KRAS test can serve renewed function as soon as possible Scientists have found an existing gene test frequently used on the NHS can also shed light on whether a bowel cancer patient will respond positively or negatively to chemotherapy. Researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research, Imperial College London and the Netherlands Cancer Institute have found the KRAS test can have use beyond its current function of predicting how patients will react to cancer drug cetuximab.

As a survival mechanism, some tumors, particularly many solid tumors, have evolved to express the ligands capable of turning off the immune response. While immune regulation benefits us under normal conditions, any hindrance of the immune response in the presence of cancer can become detrimental. Understanding these biological processes has led to the development of a promising immunotherapeutic modality: the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI). ICIs work by blocking the signals that dampen the immune response.

One prominent checkpoint pathway consists of programmed death 1 (PD1), located on immune cells, and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), expressed on tumor cells. The FDA has approved numerous ICIs to block the interaction of PD-1 and PD-L1 for patients with various solid tumors, including skin, lung, and liver cancers.

Predicting the patients most likely to benefit from PD-1/PD-L1 interventions remains a high priority. Depending on the type of cancer, different tests can predict a patient’s likelihood of responding to ICIs. In some cancers, a readout used to access ICI responsiveness is a patient’s tumor mutational burden (TMB), an estimate of how many mutations appear in the cancer genome. However, better predictive models could help identify more patients who could benefit from these therapies.

At just 40 years old, Kristen Fortney has spent more than half of her life thinking about the science of aging. But why?

“When I get asked this question I usually blame it on reading too much science fiction,” the CEO and co-founder of the clinical-stage biotech BioAge Labs said with a laugh. “My co-founder, Eric Morgen, and I have been talking about aging since high school.”

Every year, a huge number of people get sick and die from influenza (flu). The good news is, protecting yourself from flu is easy and safe. Just get your flu vaccine!

More information: https://www.who.int/health-topics/influenza-seasonal#tab=tab_1

Backed by Google Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners and more, Chroma Medicine announced the closing of a $135 million Series B financing Wednesday.