Lifeboat Foundation

Summary: A new hydrogel that acts as a gateway to transfer stem cells into the brain and facilitate repair to damaged tissue may effectively treat neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease and stroke.

Source: Australian National University

Researchers from The Australian National University (ANU), in collaboration with The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, have developed a new type of hydrogel that could radically transform how we treat Parkinson’s disease.

Continue reading “Innovative Gel Offers New Hope to Defeat Parkinson’s Disease” »

Summary: Blood tests revealed specific epigenetic biomarkers for schizophrenia. Researchers applied machine learning to analyze the CoRSIVs region of the human genome to identify the schizophrenia biomarkers. Testing the model with an independent data set revealed the AI technology can detect schizophrenia with 80% accuracy.

Source: Baylor College of Medicine.

An innovative strategy that analyzes a region of the genome offers the possibility of early diagnosis of schizophrenia, reports a team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine. The strategy applied a machine learning algorithm called SPLS-DA to analyze specific regions of the human genome called CoRSIVs, hoping to reveal epigenetic markers for the condition.

Using a technique called optogenetics, researchers added light-sensitive proteins to the man’s retina, giving him a blurry view of objects.

Polymer semiconductors—materials that have been made soft and stretchy but still able to conduct electricity—hold promise for future electronics that can be integrated within the body, including disease detectors and health monitors.

Yet until now, scientists and engineers have been unable to give these polymers certain advanced features, like the ability to sense biochemicals, without disrupting their functionality altogether.

Researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) have developed a new strategy to overcome that limitation. Called “click-to-polymer” or CLIP, this approach uses a chemical reaction to attach new functional units onto polymer semiconductors.

Chinese upstart companies and IT goliaths hope to turn country’s artificial intelligence prowess into world-leading drug innovation. Do they have an edge over Western players?

It looks like the superbug still has a lot other “surprises” for us. There was the black fungus, now we have bone death(osteonecrosis). And this can reveal itself 1 to 2 months after recovery. A painful goodbye present, perhaps?

After Mucormycosis, a new disease that causes the death of bone tissues is posing new threats for Covid-19 survivors. Three confirmed cases of ‘Bone Death’ have already been reported in Mumbai’s Hinduja Hospital. The 3 patients, under the age of 40, developed the disease 2 months after they were treated for Covid-19.

Continue reading “After Black Fungus, now ‘Bone Death’ Scare Emerges: New Post Covid Complication Explained” »

Bio-Digital Twins, Quantum Computing, And Precision Medicine — Mr. Kazuhiro Gomi, President and CEO, and Dr. Joe Alexander, MD, Ph.D., Director, Medical and Health Informatics (MEI) Lab, NTT Research.

Mr. Kazuhiro Gomi, is President and CEO of NTT Research (https://ntt-research.com/), a division of The Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, commonly known as NTT (https://www.global.ntt/), a Japanese telecommunications company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Mr. Gomi has been at NTT for more than 30 years and was involved in product management/product development activities at the beginning of his tenure. In September of 2009, Mr. Gomi was first named to the Global Telecoms Business Power100 — a list of the 100 most powerful and influential people in the telecoms industry. He was the CEO of NTT America Inc. from 2010 to 2019 and also served on the Board of Directors at NTT Communications from 2012 to 2019. Mr. Gomi received a Masters of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Keio University, Tokyo. Mr. Gomi is a member of the board at US Japan Council, a non-profit organization aimed at fostering a better relationship between the US and Japan.

Continue reading “Kazuhiro Gomi & Dr. Joe Alexander — Bio-Digital Twins, Quantum Computing, Precision Medicine — NTT” »

Is there ever really a good time to launch a startup?

That’s the question Javier Luraschi was asking and sort of answering for himself in discussing his effort to “democratize artificial intelligence” through his new company called Hal9.

And while getting a startup off the ground is challenging enough under normal circumstances, Luraschi made his move during the COVID-19 pandemic and while suffering the effects of and searching for answers to long COVID, a condition in which people experience symptoms of the illness for extended periods of time.

The hacker group posted proof of the breach at University Medical Center by sharing images of people’s drivers licenses and more. In other news, a new report says Georgia skipped infection-control inspections of hospitals during the pandemic.