Articles from February 2023
February 28, 2023
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A new highly accurate blood test for prostate cancer is giving doctors hope that they will soon be able to screen for the disease. Almost one in eight men in Britain will develop prostate cancer in their lives, and the disease claims 12,000 lives a year – as many as breast cancer. Yet no screening programme exists because the current method, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, is notoriously unreliable – missing cancers and resulting in many ‘false positives’.
Now scientists say they have robust results from a study of nearly 1,000 men, showing a new test which looks for prostate cancer cells in the blood is highly accurate. Last night, experts said the ‘Trublood’ test offered ‘great promise’ to improve early detection of the disease.
British medics have been working to evaluate the test, developed by Indian firm Datar Cancer Genetics. Results of the study, seeing how well it can spot cancer in 960 men – of whom 160 were known to have prostate cancer – have proven highly encouraging. It correctly spotted all 160 with the disease, without mis-identifying any of the 800 healthy men as having it.
Researchers in India collaborated with Imperial College and Guy’s Hospital in London on the study, which is published in the journal Cancer Medicine.
‘These results show great promise and suggest that it may be possible to use this test to detect the cancer in the first place,’ said Prostate Cancer UK.
Source: https://phys.org/
Categories: Uncategorized
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Tags: blood test, breast cancer, cells, Datar Cancer Genetics, Guy’s Hospital in London, Imperial College, prostate cancer, prostate-specific antigen, PSA, Trublood
February 27, 2023
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Nature has an extraordinary knack for producing composite materials that are simultaneously light and strong, porous and rigid – like mollusk shells or bone. But producing such materials in a lab or factory – particularly using environmentally friendly materials and processes – is extremely challenging. Researchers in the Soft Materials Laboratory of EPFL in Switzerland turned to nature for a solution. They have pioneered a 3D printable ink that contains Sporosarcina pasteurii: a bacterium which, when exposed to a urea-containing solution, triggers a mineralization process that produces calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The upshot is that the researchers can use their ink – dubbed BactoInk – to 3D-print virtually any shape, which will then gradually mineralize over the course of a few days.
“3D printing is gaining increasing importance in general, but the number of materials that can be 3D printed is limited for the simple reason that inks must fulfil certain flow conditions,” explains lab head Esther Amstad. “For example, they must behave like a solid when at rest, but still be extrudable through a 3D printing nozzle – sort of like ketchup.”
Amstad explains that 3D printing inks containing small mineral particles have previously been used to meet some of these flow criteria, but that the resulting structures tend to be soft, or to shrink upon drying, leading to cracking and loss of control over the shape of the final product. “So, we came up with a simple trick: instead of printing minerals, we printed a polymeric scaffold using our BactoInk, which is then mineralized in a second, separate step. After about four days, the mineralization process triggered by the bacteria in the scaffold leads to a final product with a mineral content of over 90%.” The result is a strong and resilient bio-composite, which can be produced using a standard 3D printer and natural materials, and without the extreme temperatures often required for manufacturing ceramics. Final products no longer contain living bacteria, as they are submerged in ethanol at the end of the mineralization process.
A paper on the study was recently published in the journal Materials Today.
Source: https://actu.epfl.ch/
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: 3D printable ink, bacterium, BactoInk, bio-composite, bone, CaCO3, calcium carbonate, ceramics, composite materials, mineralization, polymeric scaffold, Sporosarcina pasteurii
February 24, 2023
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A million here, times a million there. Pretty soon you’re talking about big numbers. So the chip maker Nvidia claims for its AI accelerating hardware in terms of the performance boost it has delivered over the last decade and will deliver again over the next 10 years. The result, if Nvidia is correct, will be a new industry of AI factories across the world and gigantic breakthroughs in AI processing power. It also means, ostensibly, AI models one million times more powerful than existing examples, including ChatGPT, in AI processing terms at least. CEO Jensen Huang claimed that Nvidia‘s GPUs had boosted AI processing performance by a factor of no less than one million in the last 10 years.
“Moore’s Law, in its best days, would have delivered 100x in a decade,” Huang explained. “By coming up with new processors, new systems, new interconnects, new frameworks and algorithms and working with data scientists, AI researchers on new models, across that entire span, we’ve made large language model processing a million times faster.”
Put another way: no Nvidia, no ChatGPT. The AI language model that is said to run on around 10,000 Nvidia GPUs and has captured the world’s consciousness by demonstrating something akin to its own actual consciousness in recent months wouldn’t be here without Jensen. And, of course, the team at OpenAI who actual put it into operation.
If one million times the performance in the last decade isn’t impressive enough, Huang has news for you: Nvidia‘s going to do it again.
Source: https://www.pcgamer.com/
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: AI, AI language model, AI models, AI processing, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, GPU, Nvidia, OpenAI
February 23, 2023
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Israeli scientists gave an artificial molecule they invented to 30 mice suffering from Alzheimer’s — and found that all of them recovered, regaining full cognitive abilities. They stress that this was a small sample of mice and that human testing is far off, but believe the result indicates that within a decade, their synthetic molecule could be developed into a drug for treating the degenerative disease. The peer-reviewed research, led by neuroscientists from Ben-Gurion University, was recently published in the journal Translational Neurodegeneration.
“We are taking a very different approach than efforts at Alzheimer’s medicines that we have seen so far,” Prof. Varda Shoshan-Barmatz, the lead author, told The Times of Israel. “Most are trying to address plaque that forms in the brain, but we are addressing dysfunction elsewhere. And we’re optimistic. Mice who had Alzheimer’s and received our molecule and then underwent tests had the same cognitive abilities as mice who’d never had Alzheimer’s.”
Interestingly, the molecule appears to have been effective without significantly reducing the amount of plaque, which she thinks indicates that scientists may have been overly fixated on the plaque. There is scientific literature on the dysfunction of mitochondria among people with Alzheimer’s. Mitochondria are organelles — tiny miniature organs within cells — that provide the cell with power. Scientists believe that when they malfunction and fail to produce the normal quantities of energy, it can lead to cell death, inflammation and reduced immune response.
Despite Alzheimer’s being linked to mitochondrial dysfunction, no drug candidates are currently focused on mitochondria. Drug research is mostly concerned with combatting the buildup of protein fragments between nerve cells in the brain, which are thought to be linked to Alzheimer’s. The Ben-Gurion University team set out to normalize mitochondrial activity by countering the harmful effects that occur when a protein called VDAC1 is over-produced. The protein plays a crucial role in regulating the metabolic and energetic functions of mitochondria when produced in normal quantities. But the scientists found that it is produced in huge levels in the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s, and interferes with mitochondrial activity.
“In our research, we have shifted the focus of Alzheimer’s treatments from the plaque to this protein, which is produced in the nerve cells around the plaque instead,” said Shoshan-Barmatz. “We prevent this protein from causing cell death, as the molecule interferes with its harmful effect.”
Source: https://in.bgu.ac.il/
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https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: Alzheimer's, artificial molecule, Ben-Gurion University, brain, cell, cognitive abilities, degenerative disease, drug, immune response, inflammation, mitochondria, nerve cells, organelles, plaque, protein, Translational Neurodegeneration, VDAC1
February 22, 2023
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Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines may be the hottest thing in science now, as they helped turn the tide against COVID-19. But even before the pandemic began, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center researchers had already been working to use mRNA vaccine technology to treat cancer. Vinod Balachandran a physician-scientist affiliated with the David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, is leading the only clinical trial to test mRNA vaccines for pancreatic cancer. The key to these vaccines appears to be proteins in the pancreatic tumors, called neoantigens, which alert the immune system to keep the cancer at bay.
The vaccines are custom-made for every person. The hope is that the vaccine will stimulate the production of certain immune cells, called T cells, that recognize pancreatic cancer cells. This could reduce the risk of the cancer returning after the main tumor was removed by surgery. In 8 of 16 patients studied, the vaccines activated T cells that recognize the patient’s own pancreatic cancers. These patients also showed delayed recurrence of their pancreatic cancers, suggesting the T cells activated by the vaccines may be having the desired effect to keep pancreatic cancers in check.
There has been great interest in using immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer because nothing else has worked very well. We thought immunotherapy held promise because of research we began about seven years ago. A small subset of patients with pancreatic cancer manage to beat the odds and survive after their tumor is removed. We looked at the tumors taken from these select patients and saw that the tumors had an especially large number of immune cells in them, especially T cells. Something in the tumor cells seemed to be sending out a signal that alerted the T cells and drew them in.
Source: https://www.thebrighterside.news/
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: cancer, cells, COVID-19, David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, immune cells, immune system, immunotherapy, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, messenger RNA, mRNA, neoantigens, pancreatic cancer, pancreatic tumors, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, proteins, T-cells, vaccines
February 21, 2023
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A new technological development could give people the ability to access their devices with only their minds. Precision Neuroscience is introducing its breakthrough in medical science as a benefit for those who have experienced paralysis or other forms of limited mobility.
Precision CEO and co-founder Michael Mager shared in an interview how brain-computer interface (BCI) technology converts thoughts into action. “It’s a direct communication pathway between the brain’s electrical activity and an external device, most often a computer, but it also can be like a prosthetic,” he said. BCIs have been proven to be functional for more than 15 years, but to date have only been implanted in about 40 people — which New York City-based Mager said he considered a “real shame.”
“Our fundamental goal is to change that,” he said. “To take this technology that has been proven to work and roll it out to the hundreds of thousands and eventually millions of people who could benefit enormously from it.” These developments reportedly have been a lifelong venture for Precision‘s chief science officer Ben Rapoport, who has two decades of experience developing BCIs, including during his work as a founding member at Neuralink.
Source: https://precisionneuro.io/
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https://www.foxbusiness.com/
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: BCI, brain-computer interface, minds, mobility, Neuralink, paralysis, Precision Neuroscience, thoughts
February 20, 2023
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ZeroAvia conducted a test flight of its Dornier 228 testbed hydrogen plane aircraft on last month, making aviation history with its successful completion of the low-emission flight test. The hydrogen plane took off from Cotswold Airport in the United Kingdom and flew for approximately 10 minutes in total. Although the right side engines relied on fossil fuel kerosene for their power, the left engines were powered by a combination of hydrogen fuel cells (50%) and batteries (50%).
The plane, a 19-seat Dornier 228, is the largest plane ZeroAvia has tested in the air to date. It is also the largest plane to fly that is partially powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. As such, this was not only a record flight for ZeroAvia, but for low-carbon aviation, and a significant step for zero-emission flight.
At a press conference announcing the results of the test flight, ZeroAvia founder and CEO, Val Miftakhov said, “This is putting us straight on the path to commercial launches.“
Source: https://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: batteries, Dornier 228, hydrogen, hydrogen fuel cells, low-carbon aviation, low-emission flight, plane, ZeroAvia
February 17, 2023
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Researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia have discovered the active compound from an edible mushroom that boosts nerve growth and enhances memory. Professor Frederic Meunier from the Queensland Brain Institute said the team had identified new active compounds from the mushroom, Hericium erinaceus.
“Extracts from these so-called ‘lion’s mane’ mushrooms have been used in traditional medicine in Asian countries for centuries, but we wanted to scientifically determine their potential effect on brain cells,” Professor Meunier said. “Pre-clinical testing found the lion’s mane mushroom had a significant impact on the growth of brain cells and improving memory. “Laboratory tests measured the neurotrophic effects of compounds isolated from Hericium erinaceus on cultured brain cells, and surprisingly we found that the active compounds promote neuron projections, extending and connecting to other neurons. “Using super-resolution microscopy, we found the mushroom extract and its active components largely increase the size of growth cones, which are particularly important for brain cells to sense their environment and establish new connections with other neurons in the brain.”
Co-author, UQ’s Dr Ramon Martinez-Marmol said the discovery had applications that could treat and protect against neurodegenerative cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. “Our idea was to identify bioactive compounds from natural sources that could reach the brain and regulate the growth of neurons, resulting in improved memory formation,” Dr Martinez-Marmol said.
Dr Dae Hee Lee from CNGBio Co, which has supported and collaborated on the research project, said the properties of lion’s mane mushrooms had been used to treat ailments and maintain health in traditional Chinese medicine since antiquity. “This important research is unravelling the molecular mechanism of lion’s mane mushroom compounds and their effects on brain function, particularly memory,” Dr Lee said.
The study was published in the Journal of Neurochemistry.
Source: https://www.uq.edu.au/
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: Alzheimer's, brain, brain cells, CNGBio Co, edible mushroom, Hericium erinaceus, lion's mane mushroom, memory, mushroom, nerve, neurodegenerative cognitive disorders, neuron projections, neurotrophic effects, Queensland Brain Institute, traditional Chinese medicine, University of Queensland, UQ
February 16, 2023
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At 82 years old, with an aggressive form of blood cancer that six courses of chemotherapy had failed to eliminate, “Paul” appeared to be out of options. With each long and unpleasant round of treatment, his doctors had been working their way down a list of common cancer drugs, hoping to hit on something that would prove effective—and crossing them off one by one. The usual cancer killers were not doing their job.
With nothing to lose, Paul’s doctors enrolled him in a trial set up by the Medical University of Vienna in Austria, where he lives. The university was testing a new matchmaking technology developed by a UK-based company called Exscientia that pairs individual patients with the precise drugs they need, taking into account the subtle biological differences between people.
The researchers took a small sample of tissue from Paul (his real name is not known because his identity was obscured in the trial). They divided the sample, which included both normal cells and cancer cells, into more than a hundred pieces and exposed them to various cocktails of drugs. Then, using robotic automation and computer vision (machine-learning models trained to identify small changes in cells), they watched to see what would happen. In effect, the researchers were doing what the doctors had done: trying different drugs to see what worked. But instead of putting a patient through multiple months-long courses of chemotherapy, they were testing dozens of treatments all at the same time.
The approach allowed the team to carry out an exhaustive search for the right drug. Some of the medicines didn’t kill Paul’s cancer cells. Others harmed his healthy cells. Paul was too frail to take the drug that came out on top. So he was given the runner-up in the matchmaking process: a cancer drug marketed by the pharma giant Johnson & Johnson that Paul’s doctors had not tried because previous trials had suggested it was not effective at treating his type of cancer.
It worked. Two years on, Paul was in complete remission—his cancer was gone. The approach is a big change for the treatment of cancer, says Exscientia’s CEO, Andrew Hopkins: “The technology we have to test drugs in the clinic really does translate to real patients.”
Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, cancer cells, cells, chemotherapy, complete remission, drugs, Exscientia, Johnson & Johnson, machine-learning, matchmaking technology, Medical University of Vienna, robotic automation, tissue
February 15, 2023
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Google isn’t about to let Microsoft or anyone else make a swipe for its search crown without a fight. The company announced today that it will roll out a chatbot named Bard “in the coming weeks.” The launch appears to be a response to ChatGPT, the sensationally popular artificial intelligence chatbot developed by startup OpenAI with funding from Microsoft.
Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, wrote in a blog post that Bard is already available to “trusted testers” and designed to put the “breadth of the world’s knowledge” behind a conversational interface. It uses a smaller version of a powerful AI model called LaMDA, which Google first announced in May 2021 and is based on similar technology to ChatGPT. Google says this will allow it to offer the chatbot to more users and gather feedback to help address challenges around the quality and accuracy of the chatbot’s responses.
Google and OpenAI are both building their bots on text generation software that, while eloquent, is prone to fabrication and can replicate unsavory styles of speech picked up online. The need to mitigate those flaws, and the fact that this type of software cannot easily be updated with new information, poses a challenge for hopes of building powerful and lucrative new products on top of the technology, including the suggestion that chatbots could reinvent web search.
Notably, Pichai did not announce plans to integrate Bard into the search box that powers Google’s profits. Instead he showcased a novel, and cautious, use of the underlying AI technology to enhance conventional search. For questions for which there is no single agreed-on answer, Google will synthesize a response that reflects the differing opinions.
For example, the query “Is it easier to learn the piano or the guitar?” would be met with “Some say the piano is easier to learn, as the finger and hand movements are more natural … Others say that it’s easier to learn chords on the guitar.” Pichai also said that Google plans to make the underlying technology available to developers through an API, as OpenAI is doing with ChatGPT, but did not offer a timeline.
https://www.wired.com/
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: AI, API, Artificial Intelligence, Bard, chatbot, ChatGPT, DEVELOPERS, Google, LaMDA, Microsoft, no single agreed-on answer, OpenAI, text generation, web search
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