Lifeboat Foundation

The immune system provides an integral defense against cancer growth and progression. Activating an anti-tumor immune response relies on several biological steps that can ultimately result in the elimination of tumor cells. T cell activation, a process requiring three “signals,” is required for optimal anti-tumor immunity.

T cells, immune cells generated in the thymus, have a programmed affinity for a specific particle foreign to the body. T cells must become specially “trained” to recognize this foreign protein, known as an antigen. After leaving the thymus, T cells circulate throughout the body in search of their antigen.

Antigen presenting cells (APCs) comprise another category of immune cells required for effective anti-tumor immunity. APCs also circulate the body, where they locate, process, and “present” pieces of antigen on their surface. A surface molecule called a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) holds the antigen on the outside of the APC.

The Kia EV3 — the new all-electric compact SUV revealed Thursday — illustrates a growing appetite among global automakers to bring generative AI into their vehicles.

The automaker said the Kia EV3 will feature a new voice assistant that is built off ChatGPT, the text-generating AI chatbot developed by OpenAI. The Kia EV3, and its AI assistant, will first come to market in Korea in July 2024, followed by Europe in the second half of the year. Kia expects to expand sales of the vehicle into other regions following the European launch. It will eventually come to the United States, although the automaker did not provide a date.

This isn’t, however, a pure OpenAI affair. Kia had its hands in the development of the voice assistant too.

A recent article in Cell Reports Medicine, by Dr. Felipe Andrade, uncovers insights into lupus symptoms. More specifically, how these symptoms can range in severity among individuals. Andrade is a principal investigator and Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and specializes in rheumatology. His work focuses on the mechanisms of systemic autoimmune disease and the role of proteins that mediate this mechanism.

Lupus is an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks its own tissues and cells. A chronic inflammatory disease, lupus affects about 1.5 million Americans. While the cause of lupus is unknown, there are several subsets including, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), cutaneous lupus, drug-induced lupus, and neonatal lupus. The most common subset is SLE with symptoms that include muscle/joint pain, fever, rashes, chest pain, hair loss, fatigue, mouth sores, kidney issues, and others. Unfortunately, there is no cure for lupus, but medication and lifestyle changes help moderate the symptoms. Medication that prevents or reduces inflammation are usually prescribed with other therapies that target pain and protect tissue damage.

Andrade and others explored the underlying mechanism that drives lupus. Researchers conclude that immune proteins, known as interferons, are elevated in lupus and can cause lupus-related symptoms including rashes, chest pain, fatigue, and soreness. Interferons help regulate inflammation and attract immune cells to the site of infection. In a healthy immune system interferon helps fight off infection. However, in the context of lupus, the protein helps to prolong inflammation that causes deterioration of tissues and cells.

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Medical technology has come a long way, with a whole heap of procedures becoming possible in ways that wouldn’t have been dreamed of by doctors a generation or two ago.

Still, there are always new ideas coming to the forefront, as demonstrated by the concept of BrainBridge, a fake start-up designed to look like it could complete a full human head transplant sooner than you might think.

Continue reading “Fake video showing ‘world’s first head transplant system’ could actually be a glimpse into the future” »

Current AI training methods burn colossal amounts of energy to learn, but the human brain sips just 20 W. Swiss startup FinalSpark is now selling access to cyborg biocomputers, running up to four living human brain organoids wired into silicon chips.

The human brain communicates within itself and with the rest of the body mainly through electrical signals; sights, sounds and sensations are all converted into electrical pulses before our brains can perceive them. This makes brain tissue highly compatible with silicon chips, at least for as long as you can keep it alive.

Continue reading “Living brain-cell biocomputers are now training on dopamine” »

Sensory hypersensitivity in mice with the Grin2b gene mutation found in patients is related to hyperactivity of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and hyperconnectivity between the ACC and other brain regions. Credit: Institute for Basic Science.

Director Kim Eunjoon states, “This new research demonstrates the involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which has been known for its deep association with cognitive and social functions, in sensory hypersensitivity in autism.”

The hyperactivity of the ACC was also associated with the enhanced functional connectivity between the ACC and other brain areas. It is believed both hyperactivity and the hyperconnectivity of the ACC with various other brain regions are involved with sensory hypersensitivity in Grin2b-mutant mice.

Enhanced neuron growth in the hippocampus, achieved through exercise or genetic methods, aids mice in forgetting strong, maladaptive memories, offering potential for new treatments for PTSD or drug addiction.

Researchers at the University of Toronto, Canada, and Kyushu University, Japan, discovered that enhancing neuron production and subsequently altering neural connections in the hippocampus—through exercise or genetic intervention—enables mice to forget memories associated with trauma or drugs. The findings, reported in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, could offer a new approach to treating mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or drug addiction.

PTSD is a mental health condition that can be triggered by experiencing or seeing a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, serious accident, or attack. Worldwide, around 3.9% of the general population has PTSD, with symptoms including vivid flashbacks and avoidance behaviors, such as staying away from places or pushing away people that remind them of the traumatic event.

Our guest in this episode is Dr. Mark Kotter. Mark is a neurosurgeon, stem cell biologist, and founder or co-founder of three biotech start-up companies that have collectively raised hundreds of millions of pounds: bit.bio, clock.bio, and Meatable.

In addition, Mark still conducts neurosurgeries on patients weekly at the University of Cambridge.

Continue reading “Stem cells, lab-grown meat, and potential new medical treatments, with Mark Kotter” »

The human genome is massive, and it contains many highly repetitive sequences that confounded researchers for years. Many of these repeats were simply written off as junk DNA that had no function. However, new research is revealing that many of these regions are much more important than we thought. Some of the repetitive portions of the genome are known to be human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). These sequences originated from viruses that infected human germ cells millions of years ago and affected our evolution. About eight percent of our genome is thought to be made up of HERVs. These HERVs have also been associated with a variety of psychiatric disorders, although the connection is unclear.

A new study reported in Nature Communications has suggested that HERVs are making a significant but unappreciated contribution to the development of psychiatric disorders, and that they may help explain a genetic component of these disorders that is thought to exist but has not yet been identified.