Archive for the ‘biotech/medical’ category: Page 970
Jun 19, 2022
Stress accelerates aging of immune system, new research shows
Posted by Kelvin Dafiaghor in categories: biotech/medical, health
Stress – whether it’s job strain, emotional wrangles or health worries – is something we all experience. However, a new study from USC shows stress accelerates aging of the immune system, potentially increasing a person’s risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and illness from infections such as COVID-19 [1].
Longevity. Technology: The new research, which has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help explain disparities in age-related health, including the unequal toll of the pandemic, and identify possible points for intervention.
“As the world’s population of older adults increases, understanding disparities in age-related health is essential. Age-related changes in the immune system play a critical role in declining health,” said lead study author Eric Klopack, a postdoctoral scholar in the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. “This study helps clarify mechanisms involved in accelerated immune aging [2].”
Jun 18, 2022
Scientists serendipitously discover rare cluster compound
Posted by Michael Taylor in categories: biotech/medical, materials
Scientists at Kyoto University’s Institute for Cell-Material Sciences have discovered a novel cluster compound that could prove useful as a catalyst. Compounds, called polyoxometalates, that contain a large metal-oxide cluster carry a negative charge. They are found everywhere, from anti-viral medicines to rechargeable batteries and flash memory devices.
The new cluster compound is a hydroxy-iodide (HSbOI) and is unusual, as it has large, positively charged clusters. Only a handful of such positively charged cluster compounds have been found and studied.
“In science, the discovery of new material or molecule can create a new science,” says Kyoto University chemist Hiroshi Kageyama. “I believe that these new positively charged clusters have great potential.”
Jun 18, 2022
Saudi Arabia Pledges $1 Billion a Year to Anti-Aging Research
Posted by Joe Bennett in categories: biotech/medical, finance, life extension
The Beginnings of a biotechnology revolution in Saudi Arabia?
The Saudi royal family, led by king Salman bin Abdulaziz have announced the formation of a non-profit research foundation which intends to spend $1 billion of the countries considerable annual oil revenue on supporting anti-aging research. If such funding materialises, it will make Saudi Arabia the single greatest financial contributor to longevity research.
The Saudi royal family aims to distribute this funding through a non-profit organisation called the Hevolution Foundation 0, which was founded by Dr Mehmood Khan, formerly of the Mayo Clinic. In a formal introduction to the Hevolution Foundation, Dr Khan had the following to say.
Jun 18, 2022
Rapid Ebola diagnosis may be possible with new technology
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: biotech/medical, health
A new tool can quickly and reliably identify the presence of Ebola virus in blood samples, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and colleagues at other institutions.
The technology, which uses so-called optical microring resonators, potentially could be developed into a rapid diagnostic test for the deadly Ebola virus disease, which kills up to 89% of infected people. Since it was discovered in 1976, Ebola virus has caused dozens of outbreaks, mostly in central and west Africa. Most notable was an outbreak that began in 2014 and killed more than 11,000 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia; in the U.S., the virus caused 11 cases and two deaths. A rapid, early diagnostic could help public health workers track the virus’ spread and implement strategies to limit outbreaks.
Jun 18, 2022
As monkeypox panic spreads, doctors in Africa see a double standard
Posted by Quinn Sena in category: biotech/medical
Doctors and infectious-disease experts across the continent have worked to contain monkeypox outbreaks for years. Few seemed to care, or even notice, until people in the West started getting sick.
Jun 18, 2022
New Ebola outbreak declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: biotech/medical, health
The health authorities of the African nation declared a new outbreak of Ebola after a case was confirmed in Mbandaka, a city in the north-western Equateur Province, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Saturday.
Jun 18, 2022
Making Mind Reading Possible: Invention Allows Amputees To Control a Robotic Arm With Their Mind
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: biotech/medical, cyborgs, robotics/AI
A University of Minnesota research team has made mind-reading possible through the use of electronics and AI.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have created a system that enables amputees to operate a robotic arm using their brain impulses rather than their muscles. This new technology is more precise and less intrusive than previous methods.
Jun 18, 2022
Scientists cut the risk of organ transplant rejections
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: biotech/medical, genetics
A new approach to the organ transplant procedure devised by researchers at Stanford University and their collaborators minimizes the risk of organ rejection, ScienceAlert reported. Moreover, the technique does not require the organ recipient to remain immune-compromised after the procedure.
The first successful solid organ transplant was that of a kidney in 1954, and the world has not looked back. Modern medicine is now able to transplant eyes, liver, kidneys as well as heart, procedures which are saving lives the world over. To tide over the shortages of organs that are available for transplantation, companies are even rearing genetically modified pigs to be safely transplanted in the future.
Continue reading “Scientists cut the risk of organ transplant rejections” »
Jun 17, 2022
Krabbe Disease Successfully Treated With Gene Therapy in Preclinical Animal Model
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, neuroscience
Circa 2020
Gene therapy shows promise for clinical benefit in demyelinating, neurodegenerative disease.
Krabbe disease is an aggressive, incurable pediatric neurodegenerative disease caused by mutations in the galactosylceramidase (GALC) gene. Deficiency of the GALC protein activity leads to cytotoxic accumulation of a cellular metabolite called psychosine, which compromises normal turnover of myelin in the central and peripheral nervous system (CNS, PNS). The ensuing damage leads to progressive disease, including paralysis, loss of sensory functions and death, in the developing infant. The incidence of Krabbe disease is estimated at 1 in 100,000 live births.
