Scientists have developed a new molecule that breaks down beta-amyloid plaques by binding to excess copper in the brain. The treatment restored memory and reduced inflammation in rats, while also proving non-toxic and able to cross the blood–brain barrier. Because it’s far simpler and potentially cheaper than existing drugs, researchers are now pursuing partnerships to begin human trials.
High-energy cosmic radiation damages cells and DNA, causing cancer, and secondary neutrons—generated especially from the planetary surfaces—can be up to 20 times more harmful than other radiations. Aluminum, the most widely used shielding material, has the drawback of generating additional secondary neutrons when below a certain thickness.
Consequently, boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs), which are lightweight, strong, and possess excellent neutron shielding capabilities, are emerging as a promising alternative.
BNNTs are ultrafine tubular only about 5 nanometers in diameter—roughly 1/20,000 the thickness of a human hair—making them extremely light and strong, with excellent thermal neutron absorption capability. However, due to limitations in fabrication technology, they have so far only been produced into thin and brittle sheet, restricting their practical applications.
Not exactly a brain chip per se by a bit of nanotech.
While companies like Elon Musk’s Neuralink are hard at work on brain-computer interfaces that require surgery to cut open the skull and insert a complex array of wires into a person’s head, a team of researchers at MIT have been researching a wireless electronic brain implant that they say could provide a non-invasive alternative that makes the technology far easier to access.
They describe the system, called Circulatronics, as more of a treatment platform than a one-off brain chip. Working with researchers from Wellesley College and Harvard University, the MIT team recently released a paper on the new technology, which they describe as an autonomous bioelectronic implant.
As New Atlas points out, the Circulatronics platform starts with an injectable swarm of sub-cellular sized wireless electronic devices, or “SWEDs,” which can travel into inflamed regions of the patient’s brain after being injected into the bloodstream. They do so by fusing with living immune cells, called monocytes, forming a sort of cellular cyborg.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infected and reprogrammed autoreactive B cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to become activated antigen-presenting cells. EBV-infected B cells in patients with SLE showed increased antigen-presenting capabilities, unlike those in healthy control individuals, and may serve as drivers of systemic autoimmune responses.
Epstein-Barr virus reprograms autoreactive B cells, possibly contributing to systemic lupus erythematosus, with infected B cells in patients showing high antigen-presenting capabilities.
Two recently published studies led by Brazilian scientists reveal the key roles of multifunctional proteins, STIP1 and Maspin, in vital cellular processes.
The results demonstrate new protein functions that help clarify how cells maintain their shape, communicate, and renew themselves. These findings contribute to new studies on cancer, embryogenesis, and potential applications in regenerative medicine.
According to one of the studies, STIP1 plays a central role in embryonic development and maintaining pluripotency, or the ability of cells to multiply and give rise to other cell types.
The ratio of two dominant groups of microbes in the human gut was higher across all three disorder groups than was typically seen in the control group.
A new, small study suggests children with autism, ADHD, and anorexia share similarly disrupted gut microbiomes, which, by some measures, have more in common with each other than with their healthy, neurotypical peers.
Led by researchers from Comenius University in Slovakia, the study used stool samples to assess the gut microbiomes of 117 children.
The exploratory study included 30 boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 21 girls with anorexia nervosa, and 14 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The remaining samples were from age-and sex-matched healthy and neurotypical children, providing a control group.
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a unique ecosystem that surrounds tumor tissues. The TME is composed of extracellular matrix, immune cells, blood vessels, stromal cells, and fibroblasts. These environments enhance cancer development, progression, and metastasis. Recent success in immune checkpoint blockade also supports the importance of the TME and immune cells residing in the tumor niche. Although the TME can be identified in almost all cancer types, the role of the TME may not be similar among different cancer types. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a pivotal role in immune homeostasis and are frequently found in the TME. Owing to their suppressive function, Tregs are often considered unfavorable factors that allow the immune escape of cancer cells.
Microrobots—tiny robots less than a millimeter in size—are useful in a variety of applications that require tasks to be completed at scales far too small for other tools, such as targeted drug-delivery or micro-manufacturing. However, the researchers and engineers designing these robots have run into some limitations when it comes to navigation. A new study, published in Nature, details a novel solution to these limitations—and the results are promising.
The biggest problem when dealing with microrobots is the lack of space. Their tiny size limits the use of components needed for onboard computation, sensing and actuation, making traditional control methods hard to implement. As a result, microrobots can’t be as “smart” as their larger cousins.
Researchers have tried to cover this limitation already. In particular, two methods have been studied. One method of microrobot control uses external feedback from an auxiliary system, usually with something like optical tweezers or electromagnetic fields. This has yielded precise and adaptable control of small numbers of microrobots, beneficial for complex, multi-step tasks or those requiring high accuracy, but scaling the method for controlling large numbers of independent microrobots has been less successful.
A previously unknown type of DNA damage in the mitochondria, the tiny power plants inside our cells, could shed light on how our bodies sense and respond to stress. The findings of the UC Riverside-led study are published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and have potential implications for a range of mitochondrial dysfunction-associated diseases, including cancer and diabetes.
Mitochondria have their own genetic material, known as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is essential for producing the energy that powers our bodies and sending signals within and outside cells. While it has long been known that mtDNA is prone to damage, scientists didn’t fully understand the biological processes. The new research identifies a culprit: glutathionylated DNA (GSH-DNA) adducts.
An adduct is a bulky chemical tag formed when a chemical, such as a carcinogen, attaches directly to DNA. If the damage isn’t repaired, it can lead to DNA mutations and increase the risk of disease.
Microscopic bioelectronic devices could one day travel through the body’s circulatory system and autonomously self-implant in a target region of the brain. These “circulatronics” can be wirelessly powered to provide focused electrical stimulation to a precise region of the brain, which could be used to treat diseases like Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and cancer.