Category: Health

Researchers at Monash University have made a groundbreaking development in healthcare with the creation of an ultra-thin skin patch embedded with nanotechnology. This innovative patch, capable of monitoring 11 essential human health signals, combines the fields of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence to bring us closer to seamless communication between machines and the human body.

Utilizing specialized algorithms and personalized artificial intelligence (AI) technology, this pioneering research, recently published in Nature Nanotechnology, enables the disentanglement and comprehension of multiple body signals. The AI technology is now able to analyze these signals and make informed decisions on the necessary course of action.

The number of people living with dementia is expected to rise significantly in the coming years, potentially doubling in the United States by 2050, according to projections. One of the challenges faced by individuals with dementia is the loss of long-term episodic memories, including important details such as first-day-of-school experiences or sensory information like sights and smells.

Episodic memories are stored in the hippocampus, which is often affected by dementia, causing difficulties in recalling recent events. With no known cure for dementia, treatment focuses on slowing its progression and enhancing quality of life.

To address these challenges, engineers at the University of Waterloo have developed a robot designed to assist people with dementia in locating misplaced items such as medicines and glasses. Dr. Ali Ayub, a postdoctoral fellow in electrical and computer engineering, and his team presented their research at the ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction this year.

According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2020, physicians spend an average of 16 minutes and 14 seconds reviewing data and making notes using electronic health records during each patient visit. Addressing this issue, Navina, a New York-based medical tech company, has developed an artificial intelligence tool to help doctors save time and ensure important data doesn’t go unnoticed.

Navina, the platform created by the company, leverages generative AI to revolutionize how data informs the interaction between physicians and patients. Ronen Lavi, the CEO of Navina based in Israel, explained that the primary objective of introducing AI to the point of care was to make the patient-provider interaction more meaningful and effective by providing physicians with deep patient insights within their limited time.

In a groundbreaking study published in ACS Central Science, researchers have leveraged the power of neural networks to analyze biomarkers in patients’ bodily fluids, paving the way for early detection and potential prevention of Parkinson’s disease. Led by scientists from the UNSW School of Chemistry, the team utilized blood samples from healthy individuals collected by the Spanish European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) to develop a machine learning tool called CRANK-MS (Classification and Ranking Analysis using Neural network generates Knowledge from Mass Spectrometry).

Traditionally, metabolomics data analysis has relied on statistical approaches and limited correlations involving specific molecules. However, the researchers adopted a different approach by considering associations between metabolites and harnessing the computational power of CRANK-MS to understand the complex interactions within the data. By examining extensive metabolite datasets from both Parkinson’s patients and matched control subjects, they identified unique combinations of metabolites that could serve as potential indicators or early warning signs of Parkinson’s disease.

Longevity Science Foundation accepts crypto donations and aims to use technology to advance healthy human longevity.

By ERHAN KAHRAMAN 

Scientists are continuously pursuing ways to lengthen the human lifespan, and blockchain might have been a missing part of the puzzle. The Longevity Science Foundation, a Swiss entity launched by a consortium of biotech founders, clinicians and leading longevity research institutions, aims to spend more than $1 billion over the next 10 years to find tech-based means to achieve a 120-year human lifespan.

The foundation seeks to fund research, institutions and projects that use blockchain and other next-gen technologies to find new horizons in four critical areas of the field; namely, therapeutics, personalized medicine, artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive diagnostics. The announcement states that such projects can make a significant difference in people’s lives, even within a five-year timeframe.