by Andrew Camilli And Minmin Yen, The Conversation In the latest of a string of high-profile cases in the U.S., a cocktail of bacteria-killing viruses successfully treated a cystic fibrosis patient suffering from a deadly infection caused by a pathogen that was resistant to multiple forms of antibiotics. Curing infections is great, of course. But what about using these bacteria-killing viruses – bacteriophages – to prevent infections in the...
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Princeton scientists bioengineer a cellular speedometer
Many kinds of cells can sense flow, just as our skin cells can feel the difference between a gentle breeze and a strong wind. But we depend on feeling the force involved, the push-back from the air against us. Without that push, we can’t distinguish speed; when the windows are closed, our skin can’t feel any difference...
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Tiny “flying whale” robot is made to move within the human body
An ever-increasing number of research groups are developing tiny robots, capable of performing targeted drug-delivery inside the body. One of the latest such devices incorporates a flapping whale-flukes-like tail, along with wings that fold up or down as needed. Developed by scientists at Dartmouth College and City University of Hong Kong, the minuscule 3D-printed robot’s tail is covered with a layer of...
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Virtual reality may help stimulate memory in people with dementia
By David McNamee Fact checked by Gianna D’Emilio The results of a new study suggest that virtual reality could make life easier for people with dementia. The authors conclude that virtual reality helped the participants recall memories and contributed to an improvement in patients’ relationships with caregivers. Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of...
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Exercise and antioxidants: A winning combination for brain health?
by Matt Miles , Medical Xpress An international team of researchers representing several institutions in Japan and the US has published promising findings that may stand to benefit people living with the specter of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, as well as age-related cognitive decline. In their paper published in PNAS, “Leptin in hippocampus mediates benefits...
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Predicting breast cancer metastasis by cell behavior instead of genetics
by Gina Wadas, Johns Hopkins University Researchers and clinicians don’t fully understand why some cancers spread and others do not. What they do know is that when cancer does spread, it dramatically decreases survival rates. If physicians could predict the likelihood that primary tumors will metastasize, they would be able to choose the best treatment options for patients....
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AI can predict breast cancer risk up to 5 years before diagnosis
By Kate Bass, B.Sc. Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. (Editor) A team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a deep learning model that can predict breastcancer from mammogram images up to five years before a diagnosis can be made by doctors. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and is responsible for around 500,000 deaths each year worldwide. There are now many effective treatments for breast cancer, but...
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Project aims to transfer visual perceptions from the sighted to the blind
by Rice University A Rice University-led team of neuroengineers is embarking on an ambitious four-year project to develop headset technology that can directly link the human brain and machines without the need for surgery. As a proof of concept, the team plans to transmit visual images perceived by one individual into the minds of blind patients. “In four years we hope to...
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Magnetic Beads Strip Blood Samples to Allow Circulating Tumor Cell Isolation
Researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a microfluidic chip to isolate circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from bloodsamples. Unlike other devices, this new chip uses magnetic microbeads to strip all the cells from the blood, leaving only the CTCs, in a technique the researchers have called “integrated ferrohydrodynamic cell separation”. The device is highly efficient and isolates almost all the CTCs in a blood sample (over 99%)....
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Estrogen receptors might hold key in obesity prevention
by University of Missouri-Columbia Despite countless fad diets, both obesity and metabolic diseases continue to plague communities across the U.S. Now, researchers from the University of Missouri believe that the clue to treatment might be related to estrogen—for both men and women. In two separate studies, Vicki Vieira Potter and Jaume Padilla, researchers in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology,...