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AI model learns yeast DNA ‘language’ to boost protein drug output

Industrial yeasts are a powerhouse of protein production, used to manufacture vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, and other useful compounds. In a new study, MIT chemical engineers have harnessed artificial intelligence to optimize the development of new protein manufacturing processes, which could reduce the overall costs of developing and manufacturing these drugs.

Using a large language model (LLM), the MIT team analyzed the genetic code of the industrial yeast Komagataella phaffii—specifically, the codons that it uses. There are multiple possible codons, or three-letter DNA sequences, that can be used to encode a particular amino acid, and the patterns of codon usage are different for every organism.

The new MIT model learned those patterns for K. phaffii and then used them to predict which codons would work best for manufacturing a given protein. This allowed the researchers to boost the efficiency of the yeast’s production of six different proteins, including human growth hormone and a monoclonal antibody used to treat cancer.

A potential new lymphedema target: Clearing cholesterol deposits to reduce swelling

An international team led by National University of Singapore researchers has linked secondary lymphedema to excessive cholesterol buildup inside skin and around lymphatic vessels. Excess cholesterol deposition tracked with dermal fat cell enlargement, fat cell dysfunction, cell death, and fibrosis, while cholesterol-clearing interventions reduced swelling and improved lymphatic drainage in mouse models, alongside reduced tissue cholesterol and clinical procedures that improved drainage.

Secondary lymphedema involves impaired lymphatic drainage with progressive swelling, fat expansion, inflammation, and fibrosis, often following cancer treatment, infection, or injury. Lymphatic vessels transport cholesterol from peripheral tissues back into circulation, placing cholesterol clearance inside the functional scope of normal lymphatic drainage. Lymphatic vessels also have roles in immune surveillance, tissue fluid balance, and lipid transport.

In the study, “Targeting excessive cholesterol deposition alleviates secondary lymphoedema,” published in Nature, researchers investigated whether lymphatic insufficiency alters cholesterol handling and adipose tissue architecture.

Earlier immunotherapy is spreading in cancer care: Who benefits and what are the risks?

Immunotherapy given before or after surgery is increasingly used across several cancer areas. In an article published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers at Karolinska Institutet present a comprehensive review of studies across seven tumor areas, showing how the field is moving toward earlier treatment.

For several years, immunotherapy has transformed the treatment of advanced cancer that can no longer be removed surgically. It is now used more frequently in earlier stages of disease as well—before surgery, known as neoadjuvant treatment, or after surgery, known as adjuvant treatment.

In the new article, the researchers summarize findings from studies on several cancer diagnoses, grouped into seven tumor areas: skin cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, gynecological cancer, head and neck cancer, and urological cancer.

Potential for microbial methanethiol-dependent dimethylsulfide production in different marine sediments

Guo et al. demonstrate that H2S/MeSH-dependent DMS production through the Mdd pathway is prevalent in different types of marine sediments, including pelagic deep-sea sediments, and may substantially contribute to oceanic DMS production.

Standard mental health tests may be inaccurate for highly intelligent people

The researchers found that as intelligence scores rise, the questions on common mental health surveys lose their ability to consistently measure the underlying psychological condition. These results were published in the journal Intelligence.

The concept of the “tortured genius” is a cultural staple. It suggests that high intelligence is accompanied by social isolation, existential anxiety, or other psychological difficulties. Previous research on this topic has produced conflicting results. Many large-scale studies indicate that intelligence generally correlates with better health and happiness.

However, other researchers argue that this relationship might not be a simple straight line. They propose a “nonlinear” relationship. This means intelligence could be protective up to a certain point, but extremely high levels might eventually lead to negative outcomes. This phenomenon is sometimes called the “too-much-of-a-good-thing” effect.

The Deflationary Singularity: Why Everything is Going to ZERO w/ Salim Ismail

The rapid advancement of technologies, particularly AI, is driving the world towards an economic singularity where the marginal cost of essentials approaches zero, leading to a deflationary future and a potential transformation of traditional systems and societies ##

## Questions to inspire discussion.

Education Transformation.

🎓 Q: How will AI reduce education time while improving effectiveness?

A: AI will customize education to each child’s learning style, reducing daily learning time to 1 hour per day while delivering 5 times more effective learning compared to traditional methods, with costs falling to zero within 3–5 years and breaking the university industry that currently creates massive student debt.

Healthcare Revolution.

Continue reading “The Deflationary Singularity: Why Everything is Going to ZERO w/ Salim Ismail” | >

Molecular ‘knitting machine’ for bacterial capsules mapped in 3D

Most bacteria, including many bacterial pathogens, are surrounded by an outer protective layer of sugar molecules, known as a capsule. This primarily protects the bacteria from environmental influences, but also serves as a kind of cloak of invisibility, enabling them to evade the phagocytes of our immune system. Structural biologists at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) have now used cryo-electron microscopy to visualize the central Wza-Wzc protein complex, with which sugar molecules pass from the interior of the bacterial cell to the outside, in three dimensions at the atomic level for the first time.

Their investigations also show how the channel is formed and which molecular players are involved in the active transport of sugar molecules through the channel. The researchers hope that their study will help identify target structures for potential drugs that could inhibit or completely prevent the formation of the bacterial capsule in the future. This would also make such bacterial pathogens vulnerable to attack by the immune system.

The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Center for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB) in Hamburg and has now been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Isotopes reveal how social status shaped diet in medieval England

Isotope analysis reveals that social status and wealth had a profound impact on diet in medieval England, showing that people from different social groups in medieval Cambridge ate markedly different food. The research, carried out as part of the “After the Plague” project at the University of Cambridge and published in the journal Antiquity, analyzed carbon and nitrogen isotopes preserved in bone collagen from individuals buried in Cambridge between the 10th and 16th centuries AD.

Historical documents suggest that medieval diets were dominated by grain products (bread, ale, etc.) and supplemented with dairy, eggs, fruit, and vegetables, while access to meat and fish varied widely depending on wealth, status and religious rules. However, such sources offer only a broad picture and don’t allow for a more complex, person-focused analysis of how social differences shaped real lives.

“Scholars knew that food was an important social marker in medieval England, and there are lots of textual references to different groups and classes eating differently,” says co-author of the study, Professor John Robb from the University of Cambridge. “We wanted to see if this was simply a stereotype or actually resulted in lifelong choices that affected people’s bodies.”

Silicon nanowire based angle robust ultrasensitive hyperbolic metamaterial biosensor

We design an angle-robust hyperbolic metamaterial-based biosensor structure using n-doped silicon nanowires. We examine the hyperbolic properties of the structure using effective medium theory (EMT) and analyze the resonance shift of our proposed biosensor structure, by employing the finite-difference time d.

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