Scientist-led conferences at Harvard, Stanford and MIT
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Calico gathers top researchers to address aging and associated diseases
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/google-and-former-genentech-chief-announce-new-biotech-company/ https://plus.google.com/+LarryPage/posts/Lh8SKC6sED1 Calico, announced in September by Larry Page, is on a mission to extend the human life span and will “help prevent many diseases and have a greater impact on public health than drugs that target individual diseases.” Its CEO, Arthur Levinson, has made several high profile hires, expected to begin work in San Francisco…
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Molecular sensor for early detection of Multiple Sclerosis
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ana.24078/abstract UCSF’s Gladstone Institute researchers have created a molecular sensor that can detect MS at its earliest stages — before the onset of physical signs. Professor Katerina Akassoglou’s study revealed in animal models that the heightened activity of a protein called thrombin in the brain could serve as an early indicator of MS. By developing a fluorescently…
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Capsule endoscopy modification detects stomach cancer via “diagnostic pill”
http://www.inderscience.com/info/inarticle.php?artid=57925 Researchers at Chongqing University in China have developed an ingestible capsule capable of detecting chemical precursors of a gastric tumor. The findings might allow oncologists to catch the disease at a very early stage. It is based on a modification of existing capsule endoscopy to detect occult bleeding — tiny quantities of blood associated with…
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Illinois and NIH researchers develop ultrathin “diagnostic skin” for continuous monitoring
http://newswise.com/articles/ultrathin-diagnostic-skin-allows-continuous-patient-monitoring Subtle variations in temperature can indicate harmful underlying conditions such as constriction or dilation of blood vessels or dehydration. Even changes in mental activity, such as increased concentration while solving a mathematical equation, are accompanied by measureable changes in body temperature. University of Illinois researchers and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering…
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Micromovement study for diagnosing autism severity
http://news.medicine.iu.edu/releases/2013/12/jose-neuroscience.shtml Indiana University professor Jorge V. José and Rutgers professor Elizabeth Torres are building on findings involving the random nature of movements of people with autism. Earlier research looked at the speed maximum and randomness of movement during a computer exercise that involved tracking the motions of youths with autism when touching an image on…
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Thought controlled device helps stroke patients move limbs
https://www.radiology.wisc.edu/research/currentProjects_details.php?id=368 http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/01/5961969/novel-rehabilitation-device-improves.html Professor Vivek Prabhakaran at the University of Wisconsin is developing a device that combines a brain-computer interface with electrical stimulation of damaged muscles to help stroke patients relearn how to move limbs. Eight patients who had lost movement in one hand have been through six weeks of therapy with the device. They reported improvements in…
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Emotion detection via expression reading algorithms
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/technology/when-algorithms-grow-accustomed-to-your-face.html The emotion reading market, based on facial recognition aglorithms, is developing rapidly. Companies in this field include Affectiva and Emotient. Affectiva used webcams over two and a half years to accumulate and classify about 1.5 billion emotional reactions from people as they watched streaming video. These recordings served as a database to create the company’s face-reading software,…
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Tongue based magnetic field controls wheelchair
http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/5/213/213ra166 Maysam Ghovanloo of Georgia Tech and Anne Laumann of Northwestern have developed a tongue piercing based magnet to operate a wheelchair. The device is a small magnetic barbell which creates a magnetic field in the mouth. When users flick their tongues, it alters that field. The change is picked up by four small sensors…
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Sony’s “SmartWig” can monitor and transmit health data
US Patent Office Sony has submitted a patent application for a health monitoring “SmartWig.” It can include a GPS and camera placed near the forehead. Users can receive vibrating feedback on specific parts of their head. A laser pointer and remote can be controlled by the head’s movement. An ultrasound transducer could transmit or receive…
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Glowing worm imaging system to study neural circuitry; can impact drug development
http://www.pnas.org/content/110/45/E4266 Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Rockefeller University researcher in have developed a system to image brain activity in multiple awake and unconstrained worms. The technology makes it possible to study the genetics and neural circuitry associated with animal behavior. It can also be used as a high-throughput screening tool for drug development targeting autism, anxiety,…
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NEC’s PaPeRo Petit robot uses third party apps to monitor seniors at home
http://jpn.nec.com/press/201311/20131111_01.html NEC has introduced the PaPeRo Petit robot, which is about half the size of earlier PaPeRo senior companions, and a cloud computing system for services using the new robot. PaPeRo Petit combines multiple sensors (cameras, ultrasonic range finders, temperature sensor, and microphones) to detect people and look in their direction even in complete darkness. It…
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Signal enhances survival of new brain cells – can impact treatment of Alzheimers, Schizophrenia
http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nn.3572.html Last year Johns Hopkins researchers reported that brain cells known as parvalbumin-expressing interneurons instruct nearby stem cells not to divide by releasing a chemical signal called GABA. In a new study, Professors Hongiun Song and Guo-li Ming wanted to find out how GABA from surrounding neurons affects the newborn neurons that stem cells produce. Many…
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