PARTAGE Method Reveals Genome Regulation in Single Approach
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School introduced PARTAGE, a multi‑omics workflow that simultaneously captures DNA replication timing, copy‑number variations, and transcriptome activity from a single DNA sample. The protocol uses BrdU labeling, FACS sorting, and co‑purification of DNA and nuclear RNA, allowing Repli‑seq and RNA‑seq to be performed in parallel without cell‑cycle synchronization. Validation shows PARTAGE matches the accuracy of gold‑standard separate assays while providing a cost‑effective route to monitor genome integrity. The authors suggest the method could accelerate biomarker discovery and therapeutic target identification in cancer and other genome‑instability diseases.
'Mini-Brain' Model Explores Concussion's Effects at Cellular Level
University of Cincinnati biomedical engineer Volha Liaudanskaya is using engineered "mini‑brains" to study how concussive forces affect brain cells at the cellular level. The assembloid model combines five cell types—including neurons, astrocytes, microglia and two vascular cells—allowing simultaneous tracking of...
‘Humble’ AI Reveals When It Is Uncertain in Diagnoses
MIT researchers unveiled BODHI, a “humble” AI framework that forces large language models to explicitly signal uncertainty in clinical diagnoses. The system implements six integrated steps and a two‑pass chain‑of‑thought prompting that separates internal reasoning from the clinician‑facing response. In...
Inductive Bio on a Winning Streak With ADMET Predictions
Inductive Bio captured first place in the OpenADMET‑ExpansionRx blind challenge, beating over 370 competitors including Merck‑NVIDIA and EMD Serono. The AI‑driven platform accelerates ADMET prediction for diseases such as myotonic dystrophy, ALS and dementia, compressing traditional four‑year drug‑discovery cycles to nine‑12...
From Data to Discovery: Inside the Bio-IT Hackathon
The Bio‑IT World Hackathon, hosted by the NIH Common Fund Data Ecosystem Training Center, gathered multidisciplinary teams to tackle six real‑world biomedical data challenges using cloud‑based AI tools. Participants, ranging from students to industry professionals, had 48 hours to develop...
Ancient Mushroom, Modern Medicine: Paul Stamets Says Agarikon Mycelium May Be Key to Fighting Viral Pandemics
Mushroom mycologist Paul Stamets presented data indicating that Agarikon (Fomitopsis officinalis) mycelium possesses broad antiviral properties. In two placebo‑controlled trials, a combined Agarikon‑turkey‑tail extract reduced COVID‑19 vaccine side effects, sustained antibody titers, and accelerated recovery in hospitalized patients. The research,...
Russia to Expand National Genetics Database to Ensure Treatment for Various Ethnic Groups
Russia is expanding its national genetics database by adding data from 80,000 additional individuals, focusing on patients with socially significant diseases. The first phase (2020‑2024) already catalogued over 200,000 genomes from healthy volunteers, creating one of the world’s largest variant...
How HPC Systems Are Making Things Easier
Moffitt Cancer Center launched the Collaborative Computing Center (CCC), a private, on‑premises HPC environment funded by a $2 million NIH S10 grant. The system features roughly 30 compute nodes, a dedicated internet link, and 1.3 petabytes of high‑speed Hammerspace storage, creating a...
MIT Develops Biodegradable “Smart Pill” To Track Medication Adherence
MIT engineers have unveiled SAFARI, a biodegradable ingestible sensor that confirms pill ingestion using a bioresorbable Faraday cage and RFID tag. The device activates once the cage dissolves in the gastrointestinal tract and transmits a signal within about ten minutes....
Lee Hood’s Persistent Plan to Reinvent Medicine From the Ground Up
Lee Hood’s three‑decade instrument‑building effort birthed the automated DNA sequencer that made the Human Genome Project feasible and founded the Institute for Systems Biology, the cradle of systems‑level medicine. He coined the four P’s—predictive, preventive, personalized, participatory—arguing the first three are...
Red Light Therapy Shows Promise for Treating Brain Injuries
A University of Utah Health study examined red‑light photobiomodulation (PBM) as a preventive therapy for repetitive head acceleration events in collegiate football. Twenty‑six Division I athletes were randomized to active or sham transcranial and intranasal PBM over 16 weeks, receiving three...
New AI Approach Weighs Data ‘Temperature’ to Improve Prediction Accuracy
Penn State researchers unveiled ZENN, a zentropy‑embedded neural network that fuses thermodynamic entropy and a data "temperature" parameter to weigh heterogeneous inputs. By separating signal energy from intrinsic noise, ZENN achieves markedly higher prediction fidelity, demonstrated by a 90% accuracy...
