Noninvasive electrical stimulation of the brain for 20 minutes per session over four days has been demonstrated to improve both working- and long-term memory for at least one month, in people ages 65 to 88.

Integrated Graphene Ltd. is partnering with a team of scientists at the University of Edinburgh to develop a point-of-care biomedical test for liver transplants. The Sensibile project team is working to develop a prototype electrochemical biosensor that can detect biliary complications’ biomarkers in donor livers. Sterling, Scotland-based Integrated Graphene’s 3D graphene foam electrode will help to assess the viability of the biliary compartment, and the quality of the donor liver prior to transplantation.

Heartpoint Global Inc. has reached a milestone in the ongoing preclinical trials of its Heartpoint Global Implant System (HPGS), focused on treating left heart diseases, congestive heart failure, and structural pulmonary hypertension. In large animal studies, the system appeared to significantly improve the structure of the heart and the function of the heart-lung system.

It is now possible to look up the 3D structure of every known protein following the latest release of Alphafold, an open database run in partnership by Deepmind, the London-based artificial intelligence company owned by Google parent Alphabet and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge, U.K.

Since the isolation of SARS-CoV-2 and the study of its infection mechanisms, scientists have been trying to understand how this virus accesses the brain and produces neurological symptoms.

The University of Central Florida (UCF) and Orlando Health are testing new medical technology designed to identify blood clots more quickly in surgery. The monitoring device consists of a small optical fiber that uses red blood cells to track the process of blood coagulation in patients so doctors can watch for life threatening blood clot formation.

Two studies published back to back in Nature have looked at the accumulation of mutations in blood-forming stem cells with age, gaining new insights into how the overall landscape of such cells changes across the lifespan. 

Researchers have uncovered a new pathway via which cancer cells evade the effects of radiation by deploying self-inflicted – but reversible – DNA breaks to stop the cell cycle and ensure their survival. The lesions are caused by caspase-activated DNase (CAD), an enzyme involved in DNA fragmentation during cell death. In response to radiation, tumor cells activate CAD, causing genome-wide DNA breaks at sites involved in DNA repair.

Screening a panel of potential autoantigens, investigators at the Karolinska Institute have identified four autoantigens that are targeted by the T cells of multiple sclerosis patients.

A new animal model of systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus) could be useful for understanding the disparity of the disorder, which is vastly more common in women than men.