Generative AI imagines new protein structures

MIT researchers develop "FrameDiff," a computational tool that uses generative AI to craft new protein structures, with the aim of accelerating drug development and improving gene therapy.

Rachel Gordon | MIT CSAIL • mit
July 12, 2023 ~8 min

Lab-grown meat techniques aren't new – cell cultures are common tools in science, but bringing them up to scale to meet society's demand for meat will require further development

Cell cultures are common tools in biology and drug development. Bringing them up to scale to meet the meat needs of societies will require further development.

André O. Hudson, Dean of the College of Science, Professor of Biochemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology • conversation
June 27, 2023 ~6 min


A novel combination therapy counters antibiotic-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus infections

SMART researchers combine rifaximin and clarithromycin to effectively restore the latter drug's efficacy.

Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology • mit
June 26, 2023 ~6 min

Traditional medicine plant extracts may treat ataxia

Plant extracts used by indigenous people hold promise in treatment of ataxia, researchers report.

Anne Warde-UC Irvine • futurity
June 21, 2023 ~4 min

Your body naturally produces opioids without causing addiction or overdose – studying how this process works could help reduce the side effects of opioid drugs

Unlike opioid drugs like morphine and fentanyl that travel throughout the body, the opioids your body produces are released in small quantities to specific locations.

John Michael Streicher, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, University of Arizona • conversation
May 30, 2023 ~7 min

Drilling down on treatment-resistant fungi with molecular machines

Fungal infections can be among the hardest to treat, and since the pandemic began they’ve become only more common. To prevent future antifungal resistance, scientists have developed tiny molecular drills.

James Tour, Professor of Chemistry, Rice University • conversation
May 26, 2023 ~9 min

Vaccines using mRNA can protect farm animals against diseases traditional ones may not – and there are safeguards to ensure they won't end up in your food

While mRNA vaccines are designed to last longer in the body than mRNA molecules typically would, they are also tested to ensure they are eliminated from livestock long before milking or slaughter.

David Verhoeven, Assistant Professor of Vet Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University • conversation
May 17, 2023 ~10 min

How do _Candida auris_ and other fungi develop drug resistance? A microbiologist explains

Multidrug-resistant fungal infections are an emerging global health threat. Figuring out how fungi evade treatments offers new avenues to counter resistance.

Jeffrey Gardner, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County • conversation
May 3, 2023 ~7 min


Intravenous mistletoe shows potential as cancer therapy

In a small study, intravenous mistletoe extract shows promise as a therapy for patients with advanced and treatment-resistant cancers.

Amy Mone-JHU • futurity
April 27, 2023 ~4 min

A novel combination therapy for treating vancomycin-resistant bacterial infections

Developed at SMART, the therapy stimulates the host immune system to more effectively clear bacterial infections and accelerate infected wound healing.

Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology • mit
March 24, 2023 ~5 min

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