Health

Mayo Clinic researchers identify proteins linked to immunotherapy resistance in metastatic colorectal cancer

Really Simple Syndication

Immunofluorescent microscopy images of colorectal cancer tissues showing tumor cells and surrounding stroma including immune cells. Credit: Mayo Clinic ROCHESTER, Minn. — A discovery by Mayo Clinic researchers may help explain why immunotherapy hasn’t been helpful for many patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. In findings published in Clinical Cancer Research, the team identified specific proteins — fibronectin and smooth muscle actin — within colorectal cancer tissues that are associated with resistance to immunotherapy treatment. Immunotherapy…

Health

Tomorrow’s Cure: How AI enhances skin allergy testing

Really Simple Syndication

Traditional skin allergy patch testing can be cumbersome and time-intensive, often requiring patients to make multiple return visits to a clinic for analysis. However, a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solution offers a faster and more accurate way to diagnose skin conditions from a patient’s own home. Discover this innovative approach on the latest episode of Tomorrow’s Cure. The episode features Dr. Charles Bruce, chief innovation officer at Mayo Clinic in Florida and Dr. Alison Bruce,…

Health

Enhancing care for heart failure patients through a data-driven approach

Really Simple Syndication

A recent Mayo Clinic study has made a data-driven discovery for patients with heart failure in the intensive care unit. Using machine learning, the researchers identified groups of patients with heart failure with higher and lower risk of mortality based on underlying patterns of laboratory values. “The goal of this study was to explore different groups in the larger population of patients with heart failure admitted to the cardiac ICU,” says Jacob Jentzer, M.D., a…

Tech

Report: mRNA vaccines are in RFK Jr’s crosshairs; funding in question

Really Simple Syndication

Federal support for mRNA vaccine research appears in jeopardy after KFF Health News reported Sunday that officials at the National Institutes of Health have directed scientists to remove all references to the lifesaving technology from their grant applications. All such research is now under direct scrutiny from health secretary and long-time anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A senior official at the NIH’s National Cancer Institute confirmed to KFF that NIH acting Director Matthew Memoli “sent an email across the NIH instructing that any grants, contracts, or collaborations involving mRNA vaccines be reported up the chain to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s office and the White House.” Further, two independent scientists told the outlet that they were informed by NIH officials that any mention of mRNA vaccines needed to be removed from their grant applications. One, a biomedical researcher in Philadelphia, said that the NIH had “flagged our pending grant as having an mRNA vaccine component.” The other, a researcher in New York who works on vaccines but not mRNA vaccines, was told that background mentions of mRNA vaccine efficacy in their previous grant applications needed to be removed from future applications. Read full article Comments

Tech

Researchers engineer bacteria to produce plastics

Really Simple Syndication

Plastics are great, except when it comes to making or disposing of them. Production generally requires the use of chemicals derived from fossil fuels, and so helps to continue our reliance on them. And the final products are generally not biodegradable, so they tend to stick around despite breaking down into ever smaller fragments. Biology might ultimately provide a solution, however. Researchers have identified bacteria that evolved the ability to digest some plastics. And improvements in our ability to design proteins have allowed us to make new enzymes that can chew up plastics. This week brings some progress on the other side of the equation, with a team of Korean researchers describing how they’ve engineered a bacterial strain that can make a useful polymer starting with nothing but glucose as fuel. The system they developed is based on an enzyme that the bacteria use when they’re facing unusual nutritional conditions, and it can be tweaked to make a wide range of polymers. Read full article Comments