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Category: biotech/medical

Winter virus season so far is not too bad, but doctors worry about suffering to come

It may feel like you are surrounded by sniffles and coughs, but flu season activity is still low in many parts of the U.S.

New government data posted Friday shows that as of last week, flu activity was high in four states—Colorado, Louisiana, New Jersey and New York—and minimal or low in most others. Severity indicators are increasing but are still within the boundaries of a “mild” season, said officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A number of diseases tend to peak in the winter, thanks to indoor gatherings that help germs spread. The list includes not only colds and flu but also norovirus—a highly infectious cause of vomiting and diarrhea. Norovirus cases have generally been trending up in the last month.

Video NeuroImage: Stereotypic Motor Behaviors in a Patient With Pantothenate Kinase–Associated Neurodegeneration

A 24-year-old woman with pantothenate kinase–associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) presented with a 5-year history of psychiatric symptoms followed by prominent stereotypic motor behaviors, including repetitive touching of her mouth and leg, object manipulation, and tip-toe walking (Video 1). Examination revealed severe depression and anxiety, mild speech dysfluency, and the stereotypic movements. Previous symptomatic treatments provided limited benefit. Brain magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the pathognomonic “eye-of-the-tiger” sign, indicative of iron deposition in the bilateral globus pallidus (Figure). Genetic testing identified compound heterozygous variants in the PANK2 gene: a known pathogenic variant (c.401AG) and a novel likely pathogenic variant (c.1465CG).

New Discovery: This Molecule Could Beat Rapamycin in Longevity

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Dive into the future of longevity research with Dr. Ben Blue, CEO of Ora Biomedical. We explore how Ora’s high-throughput “Wormbot” platform is conducting the world’s largest unbiased search for longevity interventions, moving beyond the narrow focus on established pathways like mTOR.

In this episode, we discuss:
• The ambitious Million Molecule Challenge and why it could revolutionize the field.
• Surprising discoveries already made, including molecules that outperform rapamycin.
• Ora’s strategic pivot to radiation resistance, with applications for astronauts, pilots, and human health.
• How their data-driven approach is uncovering interventions for resilience against toxins and other stresses.
• The journey from worm models to potential clinical trials and what’s next for the company.

Learn how Ora is scaling drug discovery to tackle aging and age-related diseases.

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https://twitter.com/OraBiomedical.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ora-biomedical-inc/

This video was produced by One Billion Media, an agency that specializes in YouTube virality for health brands and experts. Learn more about their work here:

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New ‘DNA cassette tape’ can store up to 1.5 million times more data than a smartphone — and the data can last 20,000 years if frozen

Scientists have discovered that over half a mile of DNA could hold over 360,000 terabytes of data.

Can you steam away prostate cancer?

Heat is one therapy to help damage and kill cancer cells, according to the National Cancer Institute. Steam offers a targeted way to deliver heat into the body, according to Abreu.

Before the procedure, physicians use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to locate the tumor cells in the patient’s prostate. During the procedure, doctors use an ultrasound and prostate mapping to guide a thin catheter through the patient’s urethra and into the area of the prostate where the tumor is located.

Once the catheter is positioned, a fine needle is deployed in the tumor. Doctors then release a quick, targeted 10-second burst of steam from the needle, and more bursts as needed, to destroy the tumor.

‘This procedure is thought to be much gentler on the body than traditional therapies and is designed to target the cancerous tissue within the prostate,’ said Abreu. ‘We are exploring if steam may be effective at destroying cancer cells without damaging the surrounding organs.’

B-roll video available for download below.

A Review of the Clinical Progress of CT1812, a Novel Sigma-2 Receptor Antagonist for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease marked by the accumulation of toxic amyloid-beta (Aβ) oligomers. These oligomers are thought to cause synaptic dysfunction and contribute to neurodegeneration. CT1812 is a small-molecule sigma-2 receptor antagonist that is currently being investigated and tested as a potential disease-modifying treatment for AD. CT1812 acts by displacing Aβ oligomers into the cerebrospinal fluid and preventing their interaction with receptors on neurons. Preclinical studies and early clinical trials of CT1812 show promising results and provide evidence for its potential to slow AD progression. This review outlines the role of Aβ oligomers in AD, CT1812’s mechanism of action, and the effectiveness and limitations of CT1812 based on preclinical and clinical studies.

Lab-grown neural circuits reveal thalamus’s key role in cortex development

A Japanese research team has successfully reproduced the human neural circuit in vitro using multi-region miniature organs known as assembloids, which are derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. With this circuit, the team demonstrated that the thalamus plays a crucial role in shaping cell type-specific neural circuits in the human cerebral cortex.

These findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Our brain’s cerebral cortex contains various types of neurons, and effective communication among these neurons and other brain regions is crucial for activating functions like perception and cognition.

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