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Category: biotech/medical – Page 1,170

BioAge announces positive topline results for clinical trial evaluating muscle atrophy

BioAge Labs, a clinical-stage biotech developing therapeutics that target the molecular causes of aging to extend healthy human lifespan, today announced positive Phase 1b clinical data for BGE-105, a highly selective, potent, orally available small-molecule agonist of the apelin receptor APJ.

BGE-105 treatment resulted in statistically significant prevention of muscle atrophy relative to placebo in healthy volunteers aged 65 or older after 10 days of strict bed rest.

Longevity. Technology: Muscle atrophy – loss of muscle mass and strength – is a universal feature of human aging that increases the risk of multiple morbidities, shortens lifespan and diminishes quality of life. Hospitalisation and periods of forced inactivity greatly accelerate this loss in older people.

Spermidine is a popular longevity supplement – and with good reason, as it has antiaging properties and can suppress inflammation and oxidation

Spermidine is a popular longevity supplement – and with good reason, as it has antiaging properties and can suppress inflammation and oxidation. Studies have shown the interestingly-named polyamine can increase lifespan in animal models, and research indicates that its decline with aging is linked to the onset of age-related diseases.

Longevity. Technology: All this background is useful if you are wondering if supplements are right for you and if so, which ones to take. However, having a professional perspective is always useful, and founder of Impact Health Dr Halland Chen MD is a Double Board-Certified doctor who is a Partnered Practitioner of spermidineLIFE. We caught up with Dr Chen to find out what it is like practising at the cutting edge of longevity medicine, and what are some of the most promising interventions he recommends to his patients.

I did a lot of things in the sports realm and I became very involved in regenerative medicine – which naturally leads to longevity. A large part of what I wanted to focus on was not just treating a symptom, but getting to the root cause. Longevity is more than antiaging and wellness – it’s about helping people heal. Nowadays, there is more we can do – it’s very much functional medicine; functional longevity, wellness… we’re focused on that.

Developmental genetics: How germ cells cut the cord from their parents

For the first cell to develop into an entire organism, genes, RNA molecules and proteins have to work together in a complex way. At first, this process is indirectly controlled by the mother. At a certain point in time, the protein GRIF-1 ensures that the offspring cut themselves off from this influence and start their own course of development. A research team from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) details how this process works in the journal Science Advances.

When a new organism starts to develop, the mother calls the shots. During fertilization, the and sperm fuse to form a single new cell. However, the course of , and thus how a new living being forms, is initially determined by the .

“Regardless of the organism, cell division is initially pre-programmed by the mother,” explains geneticist Professor Christian Eckmann from MLU. The mother’s cell provides a developmental starter set that includes the first proteins as well as the RNA molecules that serve as blueprints for further proteins. All this is necessary to jump start cell division and an organism’s development.

A genome-wide association study for overlap of 12 psychiatric disorders

A team of researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands and the Veterans Administration in the U.S. has conducted a genome-wide association study looking into genetic overlap between 12 common psychiatric disorders. The group describes profiling pleiotropic genetic incidences to 12 common psychiatric disorders in their paper published in the journal Nature Genetics.

Many years ago, psychiatrists and other preferred to think of psychiatric conditions as separate diseases, unrelated to one another. More recently, genetics findings involved in psychiatric disorders have suggested that not only are some of them related, but some have overlap, which suggests that illnesses such as might have multiple forms, giving rise to a spectrum of diseases.

In this new effort, the research team conducted a cross-examination of 12 , looking specifically for genetic overlap. Their work involved conducting a cross-trait meta-analysis to study the impact of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), genes in general, cells, pathways and tissue types that might be shared by the 12 disorders ADHD, alcoholism, anorexia, anxiety disorder, autism, bipolarism, depression, OCD, PTSD, schizophrenia and Tourette syndrome.

A new AI testing system could help unlock secrets of the human genome

The new method, called GOPHER, helps researchers to determine the best AI program to use for analyzing the human genome.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an innovative tool that can be trained to make predictions and solve problems quickly and with accuracy. However, the reasoning behind the output, or information sent out after the AI software receives input from datasets, is not yet clearly understood.

Understanding how AI creates its predictions.

Metamorworks/iStock.

Researchers have been trying to comprehend the way AI produces information and what rules and regulations the AI follows, or creates, as it processes data.

Neuralink allegedly rushes research, killing thousands of animals unnecessarily

According to an exclusive report by Reuters, Elon Musk’s Neuralink is facing a federal probe to investigate claims of unnecessary animal welfare violations.

According to an exclusive report by Reuters, the medical device company Neuralink, owned by Elon Musk, is reportedly under federal investigation for possible animal welfare violations. The investigation comes from internal staff complaints that its animal testing is being rushed, resulting in needless suffering and deaths.

However, it is important to note that Neuralink has a robust commitment to animal welfare within its organization.

Microphone-equipped toilet will detect diseases and give you advice

The microphone sensor can classify bowel diseases using machine learning.

There are many diseases that could potentially be detected through human waste. One such infection includes cholera. Cholera is a bacterial disease.

Cholera is spread through contaminated food and water. Large epidemics that spread the bacterium are related to fecal contamination of water or food. It can sometimes be spread through undercooked shellfish and other seafood-related infections, as well. is spread through contaminated food and water. Large epidemics that spread the bacterium are related to fecal contamination of water or food. It can sometimes be spread through undercooked shellfish and other seafood-related infections, as well.

Advanced “Lab on a Chip” — Scientists Have Created a Powerful, Ultra-Tiny Spectrometer

Researchers in the field of optical spectrometry have created a better instrument for measuring light. This advancement could improve everything from smartphone cameras to environmental monitoring.

The research, led by Finland’s Aalto University, developed a powerful, incredibly small spectrometer that fits on a microchip and is run by artificial intelligence. Their research was recently published in the journal Science.

The study used a relatively new class of super-thin materials known as two-dimensional semiconductors, and the result is a proof of concept for a spectrometer that could be easily integrated into a number of technologies such as quality inspection platforms, security sensors, biomedical analyzers, and space telescopes.

Implementing a MRIdian program

Join the audience for a Women in Medical Physics live webinar at 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. EST on 14 December 2022 exploring how to begin a new MR-Linac program for MRIdian in your radiation oncology department.

MRIdian is the world’s first radiation therapy system to integrate a diagnostic-quality MRI with an advanced linear accelerator and the only system with MR-guided, real-time, 3D, multiplanar soft-tissue tracking and automated beam control. MRIdian offers precise and personalized care through on-table adaptive treatments without the need for fiducials. The technological foundations of MRIdian allows for the delivery of ablative dose with tighter margins in five or fewer fractions, all while maintaining low to no toxicity. With tens of thousands of patients treated, and an ever-growing body of clinical evidence, MRIdian is leading the MRI-guided revolution in radiation therapy.