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Category: biotech/medical

How pediatric brain tumors grow: Blocking a chemical messenger could offer new route to treatment

The most common type of brain tumor in children, pilocytic astrocytoma (PA), accounts for about 15% of all pediatric brain tumors. Although this type of tumor is usually not life-threatening, the unchecked growth of tumor cells can disrupt normal brain development and function.

Current treatments focus mainly on removing the tumor cells, but recent studies have shown that non-cancerous cells, such as , also play a role in brain tumor formation and growth, suggesting novel approaches to treating these cancers.

Scientists have long known that a nerve cell signaling chemical called can increase the growth of cancers throughout the body, but despite years of investigation, they haven’t figured out exactly how this happens, or how to stop it.

Elon Musk’s Secret ‘Starfall’ Programme for SpaceX Starship

SpaceX’s rumored “Starfall” program, related to its Starship initiative, aims to revolutionize in-space manufacturing, enabling advancements in various fields and reducing cargo transportation costs to unlock economic potential in space ## ## Questions to inspire discussion.

In-Orbit Manufacturing Potential.

🚀 Q: What unique advantages does in-orbit manufacturing offer? A: In-orbit manufacturing provides no gravity, perfect fluid flow, stable heat flow, and no air moving heat around, enabling growth of structures without scaffolding and benefiting industries like pharmaceuticals, advanced materials, and military logistics.

🏭 Q: Which industries could be disrupted by in-orbit manufacturing in the 2040s? A: In-orbit manufacturing could disrupt terrestrial industries in the 2040s, particularly pharmaceuticals, advanced materials, and military logistics, allowing production of high-value goods like protein crystals, retinal organoids, ZBLAN fiber, and semiconductor ingots in space.

Starfall Program.

🛰️ Q: What is SpaceX’s Starfall program? A: Starfall is a secret SpaceX program using small return pods from Starship to bring high-value goods back from orbit, potentially slashing the $40,000/kg cost of returning materials to Earth.

Continue reading “Elon Musk’s Secret ‘Starfall’ Programme for SpaceX Starship” | >

A Review on the Roles of Photoacoustic Imaging for Conventional and Novel Clinical Diagnostic Applications

Photoacoustic imaging is a promising medical imaging modality that enables the visualization of molecular functional and morphological information of biological tissues. Its clinical potential has been widely investigated for assessing and diagnosing various diseases. Currently, several research groups are developing photoacoustic imaging systems for translation from the laboratory to the clinic. In particular, the integration of photoacoustic imaging into existing diagnostic ultrasound applications, such as cancer diagnosis, has shown promising results. Additionally, recent research has explored the application of photoacoustic imaging for novel clinical uses. In this review paper, recent trials of photoacoustic imaging in both conventional and novel clinical applications are summarized and evaluated.

Induced somatic mutation accumulation during skeletal muscle regeneration reduces muscle strength

With aging, somatic mutations accumulate in cellular DNA; however, whether they drive age-related functional decline is incompletely understood. Here the authors show that these mutations can weaken muscle repair and reduce strength after injury, suggesting they play a role in age-related physical decline in mouse muscle.

Triple cardiovascular disease detection with an artificial intelligence-enabled stethoscope (TRICORDER): design and rationale for a decentralised, real-world cluster-randomised controlled trial and implementation study

Introduction Early detection of cardiovascular disease in primary care is a public health priority, for which the clinical and cost-effectiveness of an artificial intelligence-enabled stethoscope that detects left ventricular systolic dysfunction, atrial fibrillation and cardiac murmurs is unproven but potentially transformative.

Methods and analysis TRICORDER is a pragmatic, two-arm, multi-centre (decentralised), cluster-randomised controlled trial and implementation study. Up to 200 primary care practices in urban North West London and rural North Wales, UK, will be randomised to usual care or to have artificial intelligence-enabled stethoscopes available for use. Primary care clinicians will use the artificial intelligence-enabled stethoscopes at their own discretion, without patient-level inclusion or exclusion criteria.

This Rare Fungus Can Kill Cancer Cells, And We Finally Know Its Secret

The rare Antrodia cinnamomea fungus (also known as Taiwanofungus camphoratus) is only found in Taiwan, and is associated with one particular type of endangered tree. Long used for herbal medicines, the fungus has now been linked to cancer-fighting capabilities through a specific kind of sugar molecule.

Researchers from the National Taiwan University and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan discovered the link by focusing on a group of compounds produced by the fungus called sulfate polysaccharides (SPS).

SPS is a kind of sugar molecule known as a sulfated galactoglucan, which combines compounds of glucose, galactose, and sulfate into one molecule.

Scientists fed people a fat-filled milkshake — it disrupted blood flow to their brains within hours

A single indulgent meal may carry hidden risks. Scientists found that drinking a milkshake with 130 grams of fat impaired blood flow to the brain within hours, raising concerns about stroke, dementia, and how everyday diets shape brain health.

Transferrin receptor–targeted anti-amyloid antibody enhances brain delivery and mitigates ARIA

Paper on a promising Alzheimer’s immunotherapy: engineered asymmetric anti-amyloid-β antibody with a transferrin receptor binding domain for crossing the blood-brain-barrier and a mutation which mitigates harmful side effects seen in past versions of this type of treatment. #immunotherapy #alzheimers

Amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), side effects of anti-amyloid drugs seen in magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, are a major safety concern in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. We developed an antibody transport vehicle (ATV) targeting transferrin receptor (TfR) for brain delivery of anti-amyloid-β protein (anti-Aβ) using asymmetrical Fc mutations (ATVcisLALA) that mitigates TfR-related liabilities and retains effector function when bound to Aβ. Administration of ATVcisLALA:Aβ in mice exhibited broad brain distribution and enhanced parenchymal plaque target engagement. This biodistribution reduced ARIA-like lesions and vascular inflammation. Taken together, ATVcisLALA has the potential to improve the next generation of Aβ immunotherapy through enhanced biodistribution mediated by transport across the blood-brain barrier.

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