A scientific team has shown that a new brain-computer interface (BCI) can allow people with vocal tract and bodily paralysis to convey both speech and upper-body gestures simultaneously. While BCIs have facilitated one or the other in the past, this new system is the first to enable both modes of communication at once, more closely replicating natural expression.
Scientists researching Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration have been playing a difficult game. Their scientific playbook has been limited by the available resources that, while capturing loads of genes, proteins and cells, have been missing something: microproteins.
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help physicians predict treatment and survival outcomes in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with immunotherapy, according to a new study published in Nature Medicine. The study reported findings from the I3LUNG project, a large international trial aimed at improving the treatment of metastatic NSCLC by developing AI-based predictive models that can help determine the best therapeutic approach for each individual.
A scientific team has developed a laboratory model that reveals how antibody-producing plasma cells migrate, mature and survive within human bone marrow, a main location of long-lived antibody-producing plasma cells. The platform combines a lymph node-mimicking organoid with a tissue chip that mimics bone marrow, allowing scientists to observe key stages of plasma cell development that have been difficult to study in humans.
A research team has developed a recombinant, nanobody-based antivenom that offers broad protection against venom from geographically diverse cobra and king cobra species in India. The study is published in Science Translational Medicine and includes researchers at the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and collaborators at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that small populations of pancreatic cancer cells can create localized immune-protective niches that shield tumors from immune attack. The finding could open new avenues for making immunotherapy more effective against one of the deadliest forms of cancer.
Cystic fibrosis, one of the most common genetic diseases in Switzerland, promotes chronic bacterial infections by impairing the protective barrier of the airways. Scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have discovered that this dysfunction is caused by the abnormal activation of a protein, connexin 43, which disrupts cellular organization and compromises the integrity of the airways.
Not all cancer cells are the same, and neither are their responses to drugs. Finding the right drug for the right cancer cell is a long battle in drug development and in designing effective treatments. A new AI tool called ProteinTalks makes this task easier by accurately predicting whether a drug will be effective against a cancer cell line, finding new drug combinations and identifying proteins linked to drug resistance.
Pelvic organ prolapse is a common but often overlooked condition that affects millions of women. It occurs when the tissues that support the pelvic organs weaken, allowing organs such as the bladder, uterus or rectum to shift from their normal position. Doctors can assess how severe the prolapse is, but existing tools do not provide much information about what’s happening inside the tissue itself.
UCI Health, the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, is conducting a first-in-human, Phase I clinical trial using laser light to target localized but inoperable pancreatic tumors to help patients become cancer-free.