The University of Southern California has opened an internal investigation of a leading neuroscientist, Berislav Zlokovic, over concerns from within his laboratory about allegedly fraudulent data being used to promote a major new drug for stroke treatment.

The complaints from four members of Professor Zlokovics lab included evidence of suspicious manipulations of images in journal articles, and unusual controls over entries in individual lab notebooks, as part of a purported culture of professional intimidation, Science magazine reported, citing a dossier compiled by outside scientists.

Professor Zlokovic, a professor of physiology and neuroscience at USC, is a well-recognized leader in work involving the blood-brain barrierthe ability of the body to let some compounds into the brain and block others, a topic with importance to multiple neurological conditions including Alzheimers and strokes. He has headed the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at USC for the past decade, leading its funding to grow more than 10 times, to nearly $40million.

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The work raising concern involves an enzyme, known as activated protein C, or APC, that helps prevent blood clots. Professor Zlokovic created a company, ZZ Biotech, that has been developing a form of APC known as 3K3A-APC that was created by a colleague, John Griffin, a professor of molecular medicine at the Scripps Research Institute.

The US National Institutes of Health funded the start last year of a $30million study to test the 3K3A-APC compound on 1,400 people shortly after they experience a stroke. The whistleblowing lab members and the dossier authors argued that the trial should be suspended given early signs that 3K3A-APC is not beneficial and possibly even harmful, and that the studys approval was based on manipulated data.

The team of authors who produced the 113-page dossier was led by Matthew Schrag, an assistant professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University, who began the investigation after detecting signs of possible image manipulation in Professor Zlokovics work.

USC issued a brief statement in which it said it forwards any such allegations to its own Office of Research Integrity for careful review. The university said it cannot comment beyond that because such reviews are confidential.

Professor Zlokovic did not respond directly to questions, though he agreed to Professor Griffin sending a written rebuttal that provided scientific explanations for their confidence in 3K3A-APC.

The scientific knowledge of the authors of that dossier gave no credence to the huge body of knowledge about APC and 3K3A-APC, Professor Griffin wrote.

Professor Griffin said he could not address the dossiers photographic evidence of what the authors and other experts described as strong indicators of image manipulation, or the allegation by the dossier authors of Professor Zlokovic sometimes ordering changes in lab notebooks to reflect desired test results. But he said he never perceived any professional intimidations in Zlokovics lab.

The dossier authors said they had concerns about images from 35 studies published by Professor Zlokovic and his team, which have accumulated more than 8,400 citations, far above the levels of similar work in the field, and which have gained citations by 49 patents held by 30 companies, universities and foundations, Science said. The magazine also said it heard from multiple experts who raised alarm about the seriousness of the case.

The case follows a series of similar instances of alleged research fraud by star academics, including Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who agreed earlier this year to resign as president of Stanford University after internal investigations found the neuroscientist did not correct known errors in his published research.

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USC probes star neuroscientist on research fraud allegations - Inside Higher Ed

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Molecular epidemiology and characteristics of respiratory syncytial ... - Virology Journal

UTSouthwestern scientists are currently leading about 5,800 research projects with more than $643 million in support from the National Institutes of Health, the state of Texas, foundations, individuals, and corporations.

DALLAS Nov. 22, 2023 More than a dozen UTSouthwestern Medical Center scientists are included on the 2023 Highly Cited Researcherslist, which recognizes the top 1% of researchers from around the world who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their chosen field or fields of research.

Considered a whos who of influential researchers, the Highly Cited Researchers list is produced each year by the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate, a British analytics company. It highlights scientists who have published multiple highly cited papers over the last decade and rank in the top 1% of citations for a field or fields. This years list includes 6,849 researchers from institutions in 67 countries who represent 0.1% of the world's population of scientists and social scientists.

At UTSouthwestern, this years Highly Cited Researchers work in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Cancer Biology, Cardiology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Pediatrics, Pharmacology, and Surgery. The list includes leaders from UTSouthwesterns Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center,Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine,Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research,Peter ODonnell Jr. Brain Institute,Touchstone Diabetes Center, Harry S. Moss Heart Center,Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care,Childrens Medical Center Research Institute at UTSouthwestern, Center for Inflammation Research, and the Peter ODonnell Jr. School of Public Health.

The Highly Cited Researchers list identifies and celebrates exceptional individual researchers at UTSouthwestern Medical Center whose significant and broad influence in their fields translates to impact in their research community and innovations that make the world healthier, more sustainable, and more secure, saidDavid Pendlebury, Head of Research Analysis at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate. Their contributions resonate far beyond their individual achievements, strengthening the foundation of excellence and innovation in research.

The Highly Cited Researchers listing comes atop other recent recognition for research at UTSouthwestern.

UTSouthwestern is ranked as the top-rated public institution and No. 3 among health care institutions globally byNatureIndex for publishing high-quality research. Its scientists are currently leading about 5,800 research projects with more than $643 million in support from the National Institutes of Health, the state of Texas, foundations, individuals, and corporations.UTSouthwestern is also ranked fourth in the nation and No. 1 in Texas by Heartland Forward for commercializing new biomedical technologies.

In addition, UTSouthwesterns William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital is on U.S. News & World Reports national Honor Roll of top hospitals, ranked No. 1 in Texas (tied) and, for the seventh year in a row, No. 1 in Dallas-Fort Worth the nations fourth-largest metro area.

About UTSouthwestern Medical Center

UTSouthwestern, one of the nations premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institutions faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 26 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 20 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 3,100 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UTSouthwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 120,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5 million outpatient visits a year.

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UT Southwestern scientists among world's most highly cited ... - UT Southwestern

Identifying the molecular spark plug that ignites itch

Researchers exposed the skin of mice toS. aureus. The animals developed intensifying itch over several days, and the repeated scratching caused worsening skin damage that spread beyond the original site of exposure.

Moreover, mice exposed to S. aureusbecame hypersensitive to innocuous stimuli that would not typically cause itch. The exposed mice were more likely than unexposed mice to develop abnormal itching in response to a light touch.

This hyperactive response, a condition called alloknesis, is common in patients with chronic conditions of the skin characterized by persistent itch. But it can also happen in people without any underlying conditions think of that scratchy feeling you might get from a wool sweater.

To determine how the bacterium triggered itch, the researchers tested multiple modified versions of the S. aureusmicrobe that were engineered to lack specific pieces of the bugs molecular makeup. The team focused on 10 enzymes known to be released by this microbe upon skin contact. One after another, the researchers eliminated nine suspects showing that a bacterial enzyme called protease V8 was single-handedly responsible for initiating itch in mice. Human skin samples from patients with atopic dermatitis also had moreS. aureusand higher V8 levels than healthy skin samples.

The analyses showed that V8 triggers itch by activating a protein called PAR1, which is found on skin neurons that originate in the spinal cord and carry various signals touch, heat, pain, itch from the skin to the brain. Normally, PAR1 lies dormant but upon contact with certain enzymes, including V8, it gets activated. The research showed that V8 snips one end of the PAR1 protein and awakens it. Experiments in mice showed that once activated, PAR1 initiates a signal that the brain eventually perceives as itch. When researchers repeated the experiments in lab dishes containing human neurons, they also responded to V8.

Researchers wanted to see whether an already approved anti-clotting drug that blocks PAR1 would stop itch. It did.

Interestingly, various immune cells implicated in skin allergies and classically known to cause itch mast cells and basophils did not drive itch after bacterial exposure, the experiments showed. Nor did inflammatory chemicals called interleukins, or white cells, which are activated during allergic reactions and are also known to be elevated in skin diseases and even in certain neurologic disorders.

When we started the study, it was unclear whether the itch was a result of inflammation or not, Deng said. We show that these things can be decoupled, that you dont necessarily have to have inflammation for the microbe to cause itch, but that the itch exacerbates inflammation on the skin.

Because PAR1 the protein activated byS. aureus is involved in blood-clotting, researchers wanted to see whether an already approved anti-clotting drug that blocks PAR1 would stop itch. It did.

The itchy mice whose skin was exposed toS. aureusexperienced rapid improvement when treated with the drug. Their desire to scratch diminished dramatically, as did the skin damage caused by scratching.

Moreover, once treated with PAR1 blockers, the mice no longer experienced abnormal itch in response to innocuous stimuli.

The PAR1 blocker is already used in humans to prevent blood clots and could be repurposed as anti-itch medication. For example, the researchers noted, the active ingredient in the medicine could become the basis for anti-itch topical creams.

One immediate question that the researchers plan to explore in future work is whether other microbes besidesS. aureuscan trigger itch.

We know that many microbes, including fungi, viruses, and bacteria, are accompanied by itch but how they cause itch is not clear, Chiu said.

Beyond that, the findings raise a broader question: Why would a microbe cause itch? Evolutionarily speaking, whats in it for the bacterium?

One possibility, the researchers said, is that pathogens may hijack itch and other neural reflexes to their advantage. For example, previous research has shown that the TB bacterium directly activates vagal neurons to cause cough, which might enable it to spread more easily from one host to another.

Its a speculation at this point, but the itch-scratch cycle could benefit the microbes and enable their spread to distant body sites and to uninfected hosts, Deng said. Why do we itch and scratch? Does it help us, or does it help the microbe? Thats something that we could follow up on in the future.

Additional authors included Flavia Costa, Kimbria J. Blake, Samantha Choi, Arundhasa Chandrabalan, Muhammad Saad Yousuf, Stephanie Shiers, Daniel Dubreuil, Daniela Vega-Mendoza, Corinne Rolland, Celine Deraison, Tiphaine Voisin, Michelle D. Bagood, Lucia Wesemann, Abigail M. Frey, Joseph S. Palumbo, Brian J. Wainger, Richard L. Gallo, Juan-Manuel Leyva-Castillo, Nathalie Vergnolle, Theodore J. Price, Rithwik Ramachandran, and Alexander R. Horswill.

Disclosure: Chiu serves on the scientific advisory board of GSK Pharmaceuticals. Provisional patent application Serial No. 63/438,668, in which some co-authors are listed as inventors, was filed based on these findings.

The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health (grants R01AI168005, R01AI153185, R01NS065926, R01NS102161, R01NS111929, R37AI052453, R01AR076082, U01AI152038, UM1AI151958, R01AI153185, R01JL160582, F32AI172080, T32AI049928, 1R21AG075419), Food Allergy Science Initiative (FASI), Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Drako Family Fund, Jackson-Wijaya Research Fund, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) (grants 376560 and 469411), and ANR-PARCURE (PRCE-CE18, 2020).

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Researchers identify what's behind that urge to scratch Harvard ... - Harvard Gazette

When Stephen D. Williams did an elementary school project on the solar system, he became fascinated with learning about the different planets and their evolution. It was that introduction to science that really sparked that inquisitiveness inside of me, he said.

In high school, Williams learned how cool chemistry could be, including how he could mix different chemicals and what caused things to explode. That actually sparked my curiosity even further, he said.

STEPHEN D. WILLIAMS

In his undergraduate chemistry classes, Williams was introduced to the study of biochemistry. Understanding how the fields of biology and chemistry can be mixed and learning about biological and biochemical processes in the human body fueled his interest in biomedical science.

I wanted to understand: What is medicine, how is it controlling your body, and how is the body responding and having these different mechanistic types of effects? he said.

Williams was particularly interested in medical conditions that affected his family, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

While working on his Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from Meharry Medical College, Williams thesis research introduced him to the field of oncology. In Amos Sakwes lab, he studied the role of the protein annexin A6 in the ability of triple-negative breast cancer, or TNBC, cells to alter their metabolism to meet increased energy needs and in their response to targeted therapies that interfere with two growth receptors, epidermal growth factor receptor and androgen receptor. TNBC cells lack two steroid hormone receptors that are common in other breast cancers, estrogen and progesterone, making it harder to treat. It also tends to grow and spread more aggressively than other cancers. This work piqued Williams interest, and he continued to study cancer in his postdoctoral fellowship.

Williams is now a medical genetics postdoctoral fellow at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He works in Benny Kaipparettus lab, where research focuses on breast cancer and breast cancer metabolism. More specifically, the researchers look at how the mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell, alter their energy metabolism and how the signaling pathways of the mitochondria and the nucleus affect each other.

Metabolic reprogramming, allows cancer cells to overcome energy limitations and adapt to changing environmental conditions as the disease progresses. Also, one mitochondrial cellular process significantly contributes to cancer metastasis. However, researchers do not yet understand the regulation of these processes. Therefore, the researchers in Kaipparettus lab want to look at the genetic and metabolic factors that lead to the incidence of breast cancer and what causes high mortality rates in certain cancer types.

Kaipparettus lab studies various classifications of breast cancer, and Williams has continued his focus on TNBC. Specifically, he seeks to understand the role of metabolic reprogramming in TNBC metastasis.

Additionally, TNBC disproportionally affects women of color, with higher mortality and incidence rates in Black and Hispanic women than in non-Hispanic White women. Therefore, Williams also wants to look at the genetic and metabolic factors leading to these racial disparities in TNBC patients of color.

Williams believes in and advocates for gender and racial equity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, and math. Everyone has a place, and everyone deserves a voice, he said. Everyone should have equal access to the endless career opportunities in STEM, and everyone has an equal responsibility when it comes to promoting and pushing forward the need for minorities in biomedical research.

Over the years, Williams has served on several committees related to diversity issues, and he has participated in many outreach and extracurricular activities. Since October 2022, he has been a member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biologys Maximizing Access Committee. So far, he has had a great experience with the MAC, he said, and loves working with renowned leaders in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

Williams is also an educator. Most recently, at Baylor, he teaches molecular and cellular biology to underrepresented postbaccalaureate students in the Human Genome Sequencing Center pregraduate education and training program. Williams advises his students: Be diligent and be resilient at what it is that you aim to do. Never stop, never give up.

He also emphasizes the importance of building networks and establishing relationships. You have to believe in yourself, he said, and you have to be committed to achieving those goals.

In April, his alma mater, Meharry Medical College, named Williams one of the 10 recipients of the 2023 10 Under 10 Awards for distinguished young alumni. This award recognizes Meharry alumni who have graduated within the last decade and had a significant impact on promoting health care and serving their community.

Im really pushing forward, Williams said of the award, on getting people that look like me, and that look like us from underrepresented populations, seats at these tables and letting them know that they deserve a spot and they deserve access in the same rooms Im in.

After his postdoc, Williams hopes to continue working in the oncology space but in a biotechnology or biopharmaceutical setting. He is interested in how basic science leads to drug development.

I want to look at how we take the knowledge thats applied and applicable at the bench and get it to the whole drug development and the whole process at the pharma level, he said. He also wants to look at how biopharma companies approach disparities-related research.

Williams recently started the Scientist Mentoring and Diversity Program as a biotechnology scholar. In this one-year career-mentoring program offered through the International Center for Professional Development, ethnically diverse graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are paired with professionals who work at biotechnology and consumer health care companies. The scholars learn about career opportunities in these industries, receive personalized career mentoring and guidance and attend a major industry conference. Williams said he believes the program will help him accomplish his goals and stay at the forefront of oncology care.

These articles highlight ASBMB members from diverse backgrounds as a way to inspire up-and-coming scientists to pursue careers in the molecular life sciences. Eligible candidates include Ph.D. students, postdoctoral fellows, new or established faculty and researchers in government and industry. To nominate a colleague for this feature, contact us at asbmbtoday@asbmb.org.

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Addressing disparities in research and beyond - ASBMB Today

In this study, we analyzed the actual clinical situation of cabozantinib as a second-line treatment after IO combination therapy using large-scale retrospective data from JUOG. Although this study included a large cohort and the treatment strategies slightly differed at each facility, it is meaningful to investigate the actual situation of second-line treatment after IO combination treatment in Japan in recent years. The purpose of this study was to clarify the utility of second-line cabozantinib treatment after IO combination therapy. The ORR for second-line cabozantinib after IO combination therapy was 32%, PFS was 10.5months, and OS was NR (6-month OS rate was 84%, 12-month OS rate was 71%). The factors significantly associated with efficacy were first-line treatment discontinuation because of PD and liver metastasis. None of the AEs significantly exceeded those previously reported. Sequential treatment remains important for metastatic RCC treatment. Third-line treatment after cabozantinib administration was associated with PFS and OS of 3.9 and 7.9months, respectively, indicating that efficacy can be expected after cabozantinib treatment.

Based on the results of the phase 3 METEOR trial8, we are using cabozantinib in clinical practice. Compared with everolimus, cabozantinib provided clear benefits for the primary endpoint of PFS and secondary endpoint of OS. The AEs of this drug were also manageable. However, in METEOR trial, approximately 5% of patient received IO before cabozantinib. It is unlikely that this situation reflects the efficacy of cabozantinib after IO administration.

The recently reported phase 3 CONTACT-03 trial evaluated the efficacy of cabozantinib in patients previously treated with IO10. This trial compared the efficacy of cabozantinib alone and in combination with atezolizumab. First, it should be noted that the cabozantinib monotherapy group had median PFS of 10.8months, in line with the current study results. The results support the efficacy of cabozantinib as sequential treatment in the IO era. Median OS was NR. The results of this phase 3 trial failed to demonstrate the efficacy of add-on atezolizumab. The BREAKPOINT trial, a phase 2 study in 31 cases has been reported. Median PFS was 8.3months, OS was 13.8months and ORR was 37.9%. Grade 34 adverse events occurred in 47%. Although this study involved a relatively small number of cases, it is a very important result when considering the theme of this paper9.

The After-IO trial was conducted as a follow-up study of a phase 3 trial of patients treated with nivolumab11. Axitinib and other TKIs have produced high response rates. However, information on cabozantinib was lacking in this study because of the timing of its approval. A report from the Italian Meet Uro 7 group provided real-world results for cabozantinib after IO monotherapy12. According to this study, cabozantinib was linked to longer PFS than everolimus and other TKIs. In addition, cabozantinib is the most frequently selected drug in clinical practice. Thus, the results of the Italian study do not reflect the efficacy of cabozantinib in clinical practice after IO combination therapy, which is currently the mainstream strategy.

The reason for first-line treatment discontinuation was an independent predictor of PFS in patients treated with cabozantinib. In patients who discontinued first-line therapy because of AEs, median PFS was not reached in the IO-IO or IO-TKI group. We believe that cabozantinib administration in a state of relatively high drug sensitivity led to good results. The time from first-line treatment to cabozantinib administration was not a significant predictor of PFS. In this regard, some patients are expected to be highly sensitive to drug therapy in general. Conversely, second-line treatment is not effective in some patients with rapid tumor growth and a short period between first- and second-line treatment. We anticipate that the efficacy of cabozantinib will be limited in some patients with accelerated tumor growth after PD. Median PFS did not reach 10months in patients who discontinued first-line treatment because of PD, highlighting the need for new systemic drugs.

Analyses have been conducted by metastatic organ in patients with RCC. Metastasis to the liver, bone, and brain is associated with poor prognoses. Xue et al. also found that liver metastases carried the worst prognosis13. In our study, the efficacy of cabozantinib in patients with bone and brain metastases was relatively satisfactory. Cabozantinib has inhibitory effects on MET and AXL, and it is expected to be effective against bone metastasis14. The METEOR trial also recorded a high response rate in patients with bone metastasis8. Cabozantinib exhibited considerable intracranial activity and an acceptable safety profile in patients with RCC and brain metastases15. In this study, we were unable to examine the details of local treatment of the brain. In addition, few cases of brain metastasis have been investigated, and further analysis is required. A certain effect has been demonstrated, as indicated by the results of this study. It is suggested that efficacy can be expected even after IO combination treatment in these metastatic organs. Meanwhile, the efficacy in patients with liver metastasis was limited. Liver metastases from RCC are reported to carry a poorer prognosis than liver metastases from other cancer types treated with IO16. Several reports discussed poor prognosis associated with liver metastases. James et al. found that the presence of liver metastasis significantly reduced tumor-specific immunity in an antigen-specific, PD-1-dependent manner. This process was associated with the coordinated activation of regulatory T cells and modulation of intratumoral CD11b+ monocytes17. The presence of liver metastasis was correlated with fewer CD8+ T cells at the invasive margin in distant tumors18. We expect new systemic treatments in the future for patients with liver metastasis.

The evaluation of AEs is expected to differ between retrospective studies and clinical trials. In addition, this study was based on multi-institutional data, and there are disparities in the awareness of AEs among institutions. The rate of all-grade AEs was somewhat low compared with the findings for cabozantinib in clinical trials8. This finding should not be interpreted as a low incidence of AEs in the Japanese population but rather as a limitation of information collection. However, the incidence of grade 3 or higher AEs was 28%, in line with prior findings8. These data serve as an index for Japanese data after IO combination treatment. No grade 5 AEs were observed in this population. It is considered that cabozantinib can be used safely in this population after molecular targeted therapy. A report found that Japanese patients are relatively prone to liver dysfunction19, and the present data recorded Grade 3 or higher liver dysfunction in six patients, which should be noted.

Expectations for sequential therapy might be lower than that in the previous age of molecular targeted drugs, but in real-world practice, sequential systemic therapy is often used to treat metastatic RCC. When performing sequential treatment, it is desirable to avoid the situation in which subsequent therapeutic effects are not anticipated. Cabozantinib is a relatively effective TKI, and the effects of subsequent systemic treatment after cabozantinib were analyzed in this study. Although PFS and OS were not substantially extended, a certain effect can be expected in patients who started third-line treatment. Luigi et al. summarized systemic treatment after cabozantinib in 56 patients. Median OS after cabozantinib was 7.7months, while median TTF after cabozantinib was 2.8months. However, only three of the participants in this study used IO combination as first-line treatment20. There are no large-scale reports of the use of cabozantinib after IO combination followed by systemic treatment. Of course, some patients receive best supportive care after cabozantinib administration, suggesting that AE management is possible.

Several combination treatments have been reported as second-line treatments after IO combination in recent years. One study verified the effect of adding atezolizumab to cabozantinib10. Unfortunately, no benefit was observed. Another phase 2 single-arm trial examined combination therapy with cabozantinib and belzutifan, in which PFS was 13.8months21. Although a simple comparison cannot be made, the addition of belzutifan could be promising given the PFS of approximately 10months in our study and the aforementioned CONTACT03 trial10. The phase 3 LITESPARK011 trial comparing cabozantinib with the combination of lenvatinib and belzutifan is currently underway7. The result of this study should be watched closely. It is hoped that the approval of these promising treatments will lead to improved prognoses in patients who discontinued IO combination therapy because of PD and patients with liver metastases, who had poor prognoses in this study.

This research had some limitations. First, this was a retrospective study. Treatment selection was left to the discretion of each facility, leading to varied treatments. In addition, this research used information from facilities such as university hospitals and cancer centers, and there is a possibility that the protocols of these situations slightly deviate from those used in hospitals throughout Japan. At the time of enrollment in this study, no patients in whom lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab was discontinued and cabozantinib was administered were included. In actual clinical practice, this strategy is frequently employed. New research is expected to clarify this issue in the future. We were not able to verify the effects of cabozantinib at different starting doses in this study. This is an issue that should be verified in future research. Phase II CaboPoint trial is now on-going22. It is hoped that the results will become clearer once the results of this trial are published.

In this study, we analyzed the real-world data of cabozantinib in Japan after IO combination therapy using the JUOG database. A relatively high response rate was obtained even after IO combination therapy, and AE management was possible. The results of this relatively large-scale study clarified the usefulness of cabozantinib and identified factors associated with poor efficacy, namely first-line treatment discontinuation because of PD and liver metastasis.

Originally posted here:

Efficacy and safety of second-line cabozantinib after immuno ... - Nature.com

The U.S. In Vitro Diagnostics Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth USD 58 billion in 2022 and is poised to reach USD 93.58 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 4.90% from 2023 to 2032 according to a new report by Nova One Advisor.

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KeyInsights:

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Medical instruments that perform diagnostic tests on bio-fluids including blood, urine, and tissues are known asin vitro diagnostics(IVD). The IVD tests are used to study pharmacological therapy and to identify and evaluate infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and a variety of medical ailments.

The rising prevalence of chronic and pathogenic diseases, the aging population, the increasing popularity of point-of-care testing, and personalized medicine are anticipated to increase the demand for IVD testing in the country. Moreover, with developments in genomics & proteomics, this industry is seeing new prospects as molecular diagnostics expands its reach and introduces a new variety of condition-specific indicators and tests.

Several ailments, such as genetic, cardiovascular, and neurological disorders, are becoming more common. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the major cause of death in the U.S., killing an estimated 659,000 people each year, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This has resulted in a significant public awareness about early diagnosis and a rise in routine diagnosis, both of which support the market's overall development.

The launch of new advanced IVD products is assisting the market's rapid expansion. Moreover, market players and research institutes are actively involved in the development of novel products to reduce the overall disease burden in the country. For instance, in May 2021, the University of California developed an ultrasensitive molecular test. This test is based on a chip technology that can detect the presence of influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 antigens. The test is under further study for conversion into a Point-of-Care (PoC) test.

The adoption of IVD testing at the point-of-care testing facilities is increasing rapidly. As several players are focusing on launching tests for home care facilities, there has been a shift in the industry dynamics. Moreover, in 2021, FDA also prioritized home-based molecular diagnostics tests. In March 2021, BATM Advanced Communications Limited announced the launch of its molecular diagnostics self-test kit for the detection of COVID-19.

The market is gaining strength as diagnostic laboratories increasingly employ fully automated tools. Automated instruments, as opposed to manual and semi-automated equipment, are more expandable, meet high level of performance, reduce technologists' hands-on time, eliminate batch testing, and provide faster results to physicians. Market participants are increasingly working on building automated instruments as a result of these benefits.

Furthermore, laboratory automation facilitates, expedites, and improves the efficiency and efficacy of diagnostic tests. From loading specimen tubes to providing findings for all major laboratory disciplines, a total lab automated system can handle all parts of the testing process. As more manufacturers enter the market with broader automation choices, the evolution of lab automation in the clinical diagnostics business is continuing to accelerate.

Since it is utilized to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for molecular diagnostics tools. Additionally, among hospitalized patients suffering from COVID-19, there was a surge in demand for test kits and consumables for measuring blood glucose levels, troponin levels, and a variety of other parameters. As a result, the usage of IVD devices increased during the pandemic and propelled the market growth.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Restraints

Opportunities

Challenges

Growing Awareness On Personalized Medicine Drive The US IVD Market

Growing patient awareness for personalized medicine is one of the key factors resulting in the increased use of molecular diagnostics and IVD technologies. Diagnostic tests, especially those that provide rapid or real-time results are an essential part of individualized treatment regimens for many chronic diseases and conditions. These tests enable physicians to make an informed clinical decision and reduce the likelihood of unnecessary adverse events. Some of the most widely used personalized treatment regimens include HbA1c tests (glycated hemoglobin) for monitoring diabetes; therapeutic drug monitoring tests to select drugs for resistant HIV strains; cholesterol (and other lipid) testing to monitor the effectiveness of lipid lowering therapy; and so on. Personalized medicine also involves pharmacogenomics testing. In a March 2012 survey conducted by the United Health Center for Health Reform & Modernization, more than 75% respondents agreed that genetic testing allowed physicians to offer personalized treatment. The survey also stated that the U.S. currently spends USD 5 billion on genetic tests, which could reach USD 25 billion by 2021. Hence, an increase in the uptake of personalized medicine approach is expected to drive the growth of the IVD technologies market in the U.S. in the coming years.

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Product Insights

The reagent segment held the highest market share of 66.19% in 2022, owing to the increasing demand for genetic testing and the availability of advanced cancer diagnostic tests. The high demand for testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly increased the growth during the pandemic.

Increasing approval of COVID-19 tests for emergency use by regulatory authorities is anticipated to drive the market. For instance, in April 2020, the U.S. FDA approved the EUA for the VITROS Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Total reagent pack and calibrators of Ortho Clinical Diagnostics.

In 2022, the instruments accounted for 26.33% of the revenue share. Increasing technological advancements, such as the introduction of portable instruments like cobas 4800 developed by Roche Diagnostics and GeneXpert by Cepheid, and others are increasing market penetration of IVD instruments in the country.

Technology Insights

Molecular diagnostics held the largest share of 50.03% in 2022, attributed to the increasing adoption of point-of-care testing and rapid testing. The increasing product launches due to Emergency Use Authorization for various COVID-19 diagnostic tests have also contributed to the growth.

For instance, in March 2020, Abbott received EUA from the U.S. FDA for its molecular test, RealTime SARS-CoV-2 for COVID-19. Moreover, in November 2021, Roche announced the launch of the cobas 5800 System for molecular testing in infectious diseases such as sexually transmitted diseases and respiratory infections.

Coagulation is expected to be the fastest-growing segment with a CAGR of 6.37% over the forecast period, driven by an increase in the adoption of IVD assays and a rise in the demand for point-of-care diagnostics.The rising prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, blood-related disorders, and autoimmune diseases is expected to boost the demand for coagulation testing.

Application Insights

In 2022, the infectious diseases segment held the highest revenue share of 70.1 %, and this is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the projection period. The increased testing rate for COVID-19 is one of the major factors for the dominance of this segment. Moreover, the introduction of new products and an increase in the prevalence of infectious diseases have increased segment share in the market.

Prominent market participants are collaborating to promote patient and healthcare provider access to high-quality, innovative laboratory services. For instance, in January 2020, Quest Diagnostics partnered with Memorial Hermann Health System to provide 21 hospital laboratories in Houston with better, cost-effective, high-quality, and creative diagnostic services.

The oncology segment is anticipated to experience the fastest CAGR of 4.6% over the forecast period.Increasing prevalence of cancer, increasing awareness about early diagnosis of cancer, and government initiatives are anticipated to increase the segment growth over the forecast period.

For instance, in February 2022, Cancer Moonshot was initiated by the U.S. government to enhance the screening rate for cancer for identifying the missed cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the next 25 years, the government aims to reduce the cancer death rate by 50% with early diagnosis and treatment.

End-use Insights

The hospitals segment dominated the U.S. in vitro diagnostics market in 2022 with a revenue share of 46.3 %, due to huge & extensive infrastructure, and an increase in hospitalization. In addition, an increase in hospital-acquired infections among hospitalized patients has increased the segment share.

As per the CDC, around 5% of hospitalized individuals are infected with MRSA and carry germs. As a result, the FDA approved the Cobas vivoDx MRSA screening test in December 2019, which can screen patients for bacterial colonization faster than traditional culture-based procedures. The FDA's measures to allow diagnostic tests with technological advances and improved accuracy are expected to maintain their dominance throughout the forecast period.

Home care segment is expected to exhibit the fastest CAGR of 3.60% during the forecast period due to the rising geriatric population and increasing demand for home care IVD devices.A few of the home diagnostics tests are the Home Access Hepatitis C Test (Home Access Health Corp), ADEXUSDx HIV 1/2 Test, and Home Access Express HIV-1 Test (Home Access Health Corp).

Moreover, regulatory authorities rigorously evaluate the performance of diagnostic tests to meet standards of safety, performance, and quality. For instance, in July 2019, Mylan N.V. and Atomo Diagnostics received prequalification approval from WHO for Mylan HIV Self-Test.

Some of the prominent players in the U.S. in vitro diagnostics Market include:

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts the volume and revenue growth at the country level and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2032. For this study, Nova one advisor has segmented the U.S. in vitro diagnostics market.

By Product

By Technology

By Application

By End-use

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U.S. In Vitro Diagnostics Market Poised to Surge USD 93.58 Bn by ... - BioSpace

THERALINK TECHNOLOGIES, INC. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (form 10-K)  Marketscreener.com

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THERALINK TECHNOLOGIES, INC. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (form 10-K) - Marketscreener.com

ENZO BIOCHEM INC Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (form 10-Q)  Marketscreener.com

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ENZO BIOCHEM INC Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (form 10-Q) - Marketscreener.com

COP Out

Ever since she lambasted world leaders at a UN conference in 2018 when she was only 15 years old, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg has had the ear of the international community.

Now, Thunberg says she's skipping out on next week's COP27 UN climate summit in Egypt. Why? Because it's rife with "greenwashing."

"I'm not going to COP27 for many reasons, but the space for civil society this year is extremely limited," Thunberg said at a press event for her book, "The Climate Book," as quoted by The Guardian. "The COPs are mainly used as an opportunity for leaders and people in power to get attention, using many different kinds of greenwashing."

Ultimately, in Thunberg's view, the COP conferences "are not really meant to change the whole system" and instead only promote incremental change. Bluntly put, they're feel-good events that don't accomplish much, so she's bowing out.

Wasted Breath

It's not an unfair assessment. For all the pledges made to drastically cut back emissions and achieve net carbon zero by 2050, very few nations have followed through in the short term. And in Europe, the energy crisis in the wake of the war in Ukraine has further sidelined those climate commitments.

So we can't blame her for not going. But it's a bit disheartening that even a tenacious young spokesperson like Thunberg has given up on convincing world leaders at the biggest climate summit in the world.

Maybe it's indicative of the frustrations of her generation at large. When Thunberg was asked what she thought about the recent wave of Just Stop Oil protests that included activists throwing soup on a Van Gogh painting, she said that she viewed what many detractors perceived as a dumb stunt to be symptomatic of the world's failure to effect meaningful environmental change.

"People are trying to find new methods because we realize that what we have been doing up until now has not done the trick," she replied, as quoted by Reuters. "It's only reasonable to expect these kinds of different actions."

Maybe the real question is: if even a UN climate conference isn't the place to get the message out and change hearts, where's the right place, and what's the right way? If the headlines are any indication, zoomers are struggling to figure that out.

More on Greta Thunberg: Greta Thunberg Thinks Germany Shutting Down Its Nuclear Plants Is a Bad Idea

The post Greta Thunberg Says UN Climate Conference Is a Scam and She's Not Attending appeared first on Futurism.

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Greta Thunberg Says UN Climate Conference Is a Scam and She's Not Attending

A provocative manslaughter case is about to kick off in Los Angeles later this month, involving a fatal crash caused by a Tesla vehicle that had the company's controversial Autopilot feature turned on.

It's the first case of its kind, and one that could set a precedent for future crashes involving cars and driver-assistance software, Reuters reports.

We won't know the exact defense until the case gets under way, but the crux is that the man who was behind the wheel of the Tesla is facing manslaughter charges — but has pleaded not guilty, setting up potentially novel legal arguments about culpability in a deadly collision when, technically speaking, it wasn't a human driving the car.

"Who's at fault, man or machine?" asked Edward Walters, an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University, in an interview with Reuters. "The state will have a hard time proving the guilt of the human driver because some parts of the task are being handled by Tesla."

The upcoming trial is about a fatal collision that took place in 2019. The crash involved Kevin George Aziz Riad, who ran a red light in his Tesla Model S, and collided with a Honda Civic, killing a couple who were reportedly on their first date.

According to vehicle data, Riad did not apply the brakes but had a hand on the steering wheel. Perhaps most critically, though, the Tesla's Autopilot feature was turned on in the moments leading up to the crash.

Riad is facing manslaughter charges, with prosecutors arguing his actions were reckless.

Meanwhile, Riad's lawyers have argued that he shouldn't be charged with a crime, but have so far stopped short of publicly placing blame on Tesla's Autopilot software.

Tesla is not directly implicated in the upcoming trial and isn't facing charges in the case, according to Reuters.

A separate trial, however, involving the family of one of the deceased is already scheduled for next year — but this time, Tesla is the defendant.

"I can't say that the driver was not at fault, but the Tesla system, Autopilot, and Tesla spokespeople encourage drivers to be less attentive," the family's attorney Donald Slavik told Reuters.

"Tesla knows people are going to use Autopilot and use it in dangerous situations," he added.

Tesla is already under heavy scrutiny over its Autopilot and so-called Full Self-Driving software, despite conceding that the features "do not make the vehicle autonomous" and that drivers must remain attentive of the road at all times.

Critics argue that Tesla's marketing is misleading and that it's only leading to more accidents — not making the roads safer, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has argued in the past.

In fact, a recent survey found that 42 percent of Tesla Autopilot said they feel "comfortable treating their vehicles as fully self-driving."

Regulators are certainly already paying attention. The news comes a week after Reuters revealed that the Department of Justice is investigating Tesla over Autopilot.

Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced an investigation of accidents in which Teslas have smashed into emergency response vehicles that were pulled over with sirens or flares.

This month's trial certainly stands the chance of setting a precedent. Was Riad fully at fault or was Tesla's Autopilot at least partially to blame as well?

The answer now lies in the hands of a jury.

READ MORE: Tesla crash trial in California hinges on question of 'man vs machine' [Reuters]

More on Autopilot: Survey: 42% of Tesla Autopilot Drivers Think Their Cars Can Drive Themselves

The post Manslaughter Case Has a Strange Twist: Tesla That Killed Couple Was on Autopilot appeared first on Futurism.

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Manslaughter Case Has a Strange Twist: Tesla That Killed Couple Was on Autopilot

Now that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has taken over Twitter, the billionaire has been frantically shuffling through ambitious plans to turn the ailing social media platform into a revenue-driving business.

Case in point, according to internal email obtained by The Washington Post, Musk is plotting for Twitter to charge users to view videos posted by content creators and take a cut of the proceeds — a highly controversial idea that's already been met with internal skepticism.

The team of Twitter engineers has "identified the risk as high" in the email, citing "risks related to copyrighted content, creator/user trust issues, and legal compliance."

In short, Musk is blazing ahead with his infamously ambitious timelines — a "move fast and break things" approach that could signify a tidal change for Twitter's historically sluggish approach to launching new features.

Musk has already made some big structural changes to Twitter, having fired high-up positions at the company and dissolved its board of directors.

The company will also likely be facing mass layoffs, according to The Washington Post.

The new feature detailed in the new email, which is being referred to as "Paywalled Video," allows creators to "enable the paywall once a video has been added to the tweet" and chose from a preset list of prices, ranging from $1 to $10.

"This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators," Musk tweeted on Tuesday, adding that "creators need to make a living!"

But whether Twitter users will be willing to pay for stuff that was previously free remains anything but certain.

Musk has already announced that he is planning to charge $8 a month for Twitter users to stay verified, which has been met with derision.

The billionaire CEO is facing an uphill battle. Now that the company is private, he has to pay around $1 billion in annual interest payments, a result from his $44 buyout, according to the WaPo.

Compounding the trouble, Reuters reported last week that Twitter is bleeding some of its most active users.

Meanwhile, Musk's chaotic moves are likely to alienate advertisers, with the Interpublic Group, a massive inter-agency advertising group, recommending that its clients suspend all paid advertising for at least the week.

That doesn't bode well. It's not out of the question that a paywalled video feature may facilitate the monetization of pornographic content, which may end up scaring off advertisers even further — but Twitter's exact intentions for the feature are still unclear.

According to Reuters, around 13 percent of the site's content is currently marked not safe for work (NSFW).

It's part of Musk's attempt to shift revenue away from advertising on the platform. In a tweet last week, he promised advertisers that Twitter wouldn't become a "free-for-all hellscape."

But that hasn't stopped advertisers from already leaving in droves.

All in all, a paywalled video feature could mark a significant departure for Twitter, a platform still primarily known for short snippets of text.

For now, all we can do is watch.

READ MORE: Elon Musk’s Twitter is working on paid-video feature with ‘high’ risk [The Washington Post]

More on Twitter: Elon Musk Pleads With Stephen King to Pay for Blue Checkmark

The post Twitter Working on Plan to Charge Users to Watch Videos appeared first on Futurism.

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Twitter Working on Plan to Charge Users to Watch Videos

Astronomers are puzzled by the strange behavior of certain crooked clusters of stars, which appear to be violating our conventional understanding of gravity.

Massive clusters of stars usually are bound together in spirals at the center of galaxies. Some of these clusters fall under a category astrophysicists call open star clusters, which are created in a relatively short period of time as they ignite in a huge cloud of gas.

During this process, loose stars accumulate in a pair of "tidal tails," one of which is being pulled behind, while the other moves ahead.

"According to Newton’s laws of gravity, it’s a matter of chance in which of the tails a lost star ends up," Jan Pflamm-Altenburg of the University of Bonn in Germany, co-author of a new paper published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, in a statement. "So both tails should contain about the same number of stars."

But some of their recent observations seemingly defy conventional physics.

"However, in our work we were able to prove for the first time that this is not true," Pflamm-Altenburg added. "In the clusters we studied, the front tail always contains significantly more stars nearby to the cluster than the rear tail."

In fact, their new findings are far more in line with a different theory called "Modified Newtonian Dynamics" (MOND).

"Put simply, according to MOND, stars can leave a cluster through two different doors," Pavel Kroupa, Pflamm-Altenburg's colleague at the University of Bonn and lead author, explained in the statement. "One leads to the rear tidal tail, the other to the front."

"However, the first is much narrower than the second — so it’s less likely that a star will leave the cluster through it," he added. "Newton’s theory of gravity, on the other hand, predicts that both doors should be the same width."

The researchers' simulations, taking MOND into consideration, could explain a lot. For one, they suggest that open star clusters survive a much shorter period of time than what is expected from Newton's laws of physics.

"This explains a mystery that has been known for a long time," Kroupa explained. "Namely, star clusters in nearby galaxies seem to be disappearing faster than they should."

But not everybody agrees that Newton's laws should be replaced with MOND, something that could shake the foundations of physics.

"It’s somewhat promising, but it does not provide completely definitive evidence for MOND," University of Saint Andrews research fellow Indranil Banik told New Scientist. "This asymmetry does make more sense in MOND, but in any individual cluster there could be other effects that are causing it — it’s a bit unlikely that would happen in all of them, though."

The researchers are now trying to hone in on an even more accurate picture by stepping up the accuracy of their simulations, which could either support their MOND theory — or conclude that Newton was, in fact, correct the first time around.

More on star clusters: Something Is Ripping Apart the Nearest Star Cluster to Earth

The post There's Something Strange About How These Stars Are Moving, Scientists Say appeared first on Futurism.

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There's Something Strange About How These Stars Are Moving, Scientists Say

AI-lands in the Stream

Sorry, but not even Dolly Parton is sacred amid the encroachment of AI into art.

Holly Herndon, an avant garde pop musician, has released a cover of Dolly Parton's beloved and frequently covered hit single, "Jolene." Except it's not really Herndon singing, but her digital deepfake twin known as Holly+.

The music video features a 3D avatar of Holly+ frolicking in what looks like a decaying digital world.

And honestly, it's not bad — dare we say, almost kind of good? Herndon's rendition croons with a big, round sound, soaked in reverb and backed by a bouncy, acoustic riff and a chorus of plaintive wailing. And she has a nice voice. Or, well, Holly+ does. Maybe predictably indie-folk, but it's certainly an effective demonstration of AI with a hint of creative flair, or at least effective curation.

Checking the Boxes

But the performance is also a little unsettling. For one, the giant inhales between verses are too long to be real and are almost cajolingly dramatic. The vocals themselves are strangely even and, despite the somber tone affected by the AI, lack Parton's iconic vulnerability.

Overall, it feels like the AI is simply checking the boxes of what makes a good, swooning cover after listening to Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" a million times — which, to be fair, is a pretty good starting point.

Still, it'd be remiss to downplay what Herndon has managed to pull off here, and the criticisms mostly reflect the AI's limited capabilities more than her chops as a musician. The AI's seams are likely intentional, if her previous work is anything to go off of.

Either way, if you didn't know you were listening to an AI from the get-go, you'd probably be fooled. And that alone is striking.

The Digital Self

Despite AI's usually ominous implications for art, Herndon views her experiment as a "way for artists to take control of their digital selves," according to a statement on her website.

"Vocal deepfakes are here to stay," Herndon was quoted saying. "A balance needs to be found between protecting artists, and encouraging people to experiment with a new and exciting technology."

Whether Herndon's views are fatalistic or prudently pragmatic remains to be seen. But even if her intentions are meant to be good for artists, it's still worrying that an AI could pull off such a convincing performance.

More on AI music: AI That Generates Music from Prompts Should Probably Scare Musicians

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This Deepfake AI Singing Dolly Parton's "Jolene" Is Worryingly Good

Rock of Riches

After disappointing setbacks and a delay over the summer, NASA says it's finally reviving its mission to explore a tantalizing and giant space rock lurking deep in the Asteroid Belt.

Known as 16 Psyche, the NASA-targeted asteroid comprises a full one percent of the mass of the Asteroid Bet, and is speculated to be the core of an ancient planet. But Psyche's size isn't what intrigues scientists so much as its metal-rich composition, believed to be harboring a wealth of iron, nickel, and gold worth an estimated $10 quintillion — easily exceeding the worth of the Earth's entire economy. Although, to be clear, they're not interested in the metals' monetary value but rather its possibly planetary origins.

Back On Track

Initially slated to launch in August 2022, NASA's aptly named Psyche spacecraft became plagued with a persistent flight software issue that led the space agency to miss its launch window that closed on October 11.

But after surviving an independent review determining whether the mission should be scrapped or not, NASA has formally announced that its spacecraft's journey to Psyche will be going ahead, planned to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket as early as October 10, 2023.

"I'm extremely proud of the Psyche team," said Laurie Leshin, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a statement. "During this review, they have demonstrated significant progress already made toward the future launch date. I am confident in the plan moving forward and excited by the unique and important science this mission will return."

Although the new launch date is only a little over a year late, the expected arrival at the asteroid Psyche is set back by over three years — 2029 instead of 2026 — due to having to wait for another opportunity to slingshot off of Mars' gravity.

Peering Into a Planet

Once it arrives, the NASA spacecraft will orbit around the asteroid and probe it with an array of instruments, including a multispectral imager, gamma ray and neutron spectrometers, and a magnetometer, according to the agency.

In doing so, scientists hope to determine if the asteroid is indeed the core of a nascent planet known as a planetesimal. If it is, it could prove to be an invaluable opportunity to understand the interior of terrestrial planets like our own.

More on NASA: NASA Announces Plan to Fix Moon Rocket, and Maybe Launch It Eventually

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NASA Sets Launch Date for Mission to $10 Quintillion Asteroid

Core Dump

Scientists studying a group of stars made an astonishing but "serendipitous" discovery when they realized that Gamma Columbae, a fairly average celestial body, might actually be the "stripped pulsating core of a massive star," according to a study published this week in Nature Astronomy.

If true, that means Gamma Columbae is missing the envelope, or vast shroud of gas, that hides a star's nuclear fusion powered core.

What caused the stripping of this atmospheric envelope is not definitively known, but the scientists posit that Gamma Columbae running out of hydrogen could've caused its envelope to expand and swallow up a nearby star, likely its binary partner. But in the middle of that relatively common process, something appears to have horrifically gone wrong and ejected the envelope — and possibly even led to the two stars merging.

Naked Core

Before the disaster, the scientists believe Gamma Columbae could have been up to 12 times the mass of our Sun. Now, it's a comparatively meager 5 stellar masses.

Although a naked stellar core missing its envelope has been theorized to exist, it's never been observed in a star this size.

"Having a naked stellar core of such a mass is unique so far," said study co-author Norbert Pryzbilla, head of the Institute for Astro- and Particle Physics at the University of Innsbruck, in an interview with Vice.

Astronomers had an idea of what the cores of massive and low mass stars looked like, Pryzbilla continued, but there wasn't "much evidence" for cores of masses in between.

Star Power

It's an exceedingly rare find because the star is in a "a short-lived post-stripping structural re-adjustment phase" that will only last 10,000 years, according to the study.

That's "long for us humans but in astronomical timescales, very, very short," Przybilla told Vice. "It will always stay as a peculiar object."

The opportunity to study such a rarely exposed stellar core could provide scientists an invaluable look into the evolution of binary star systems. And whatever astronomers learn from the star, it's a fascinating glimpse at stellar destruction at a nearly incomprehensible scale.

More on stars: Black Hole Spotted Burping Up Material Years After Eating a Star

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Scientists Spot "Stripped, Pulsating Core" of Star Caused By Horrific Accident

A team of neuroscientists at the University of Wisconsin claim to have found a way to control how high mice can get on a given amount of cocaine.

And don't worry — while that may sound like a particularly frivolous plot concocted by a team of evil scientists, the goal of the research is well-meaning.

The team, led by University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Santiago Cuesta, was investigating how the gut microbiome can influence how mice and humans react to ingesting the drug.

The research, detailed in a new paper published this week in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, sheds light on a vicious feedback loop that could explain cases of substance abuse disorders — and possibly lay the groundwork for future therapeutic treatments.

In a number of experiments on mice, the researchers found that cocaine was linked to the growth of common gut bacteria, which feed on glycine, a chemical that facilitates basic brain functions.

The lower the levels of glycine in the brain, the more the mice reacted to the cocaine, exhibiting abnormal behaviors.

To test the theory, the scientists injected the mice with a genetically modified amino acid which cannot break down glycine. As a result, the behavior of mice returned to normal levels.

In other words, the amino acid could curb cocaine addiction-like behaviors — at least in animal models.

"The gut bacteria are consuming all of the glycine and the levels are decreasing systemically and in the brain," said Vanessa Sperandio, senior author, and microbiologist from the University of Wisconsin, in a statement. "It seems changing glycine overall is impacting the glutamatergic synapses that make the animals more prone to develop addiction."

It's an unorthodox approach to treating addiction, but could be intriguing — if it works in people, that is.

"Usually, for neuroscience behaviors, people are not thinking about controlling the microbiota, and microbiota studies usually don't measure behaviors, but here we show they’re connected," Cuesta added. "Our microbiome can actually modulate psychiatric or brain-related behaviors."

In short, their research could lead to new ways of treating various psychiatric disorders such as substance use by adjusting the gut microbiome and not making changes to the brain chemistry.

"I think the bridging of these communities is what's going to move the field forward, advancing beyond correlations towards causations for the different types of psychiatric disorders," Sperandio argued.

READ MORE: How gut bacteria influence the effects of cocaine in mice [Cell Press]

More on addiction: Study: Magic Mushrooms Helped 83% of People Cut Excessive Drinking

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Scientists Found a Way to Control How High Mice Got on Cocaine

Fill 'Er Up

A team of Chinese researchers say they managed to convert actual lunar regolith samples into a source of rocket fuel and oxygen — a potential gamechanger for future space explorers hoping to make use of in-situ resources to fuel up for their return journey.

The researchers found that the lunar soil samples can act as a catalyst to convert carbon dioxide and water from astronauts' bodies and environment into methane and oxygen, as detailed in a paper published in the National Science Review.

"In situ resource utilization of lunar soil to achieve extraterrestrial fuel and oxygen production is vital for the human to carry out Moon exploitation missions," lead author Yujie Xiong said in a new statement about the work. "Considering that there are limited human resources at extraterrestrial sites, we proposed to employ the robotic system to perform the whole electrocatalytic CO2 conversion system setup."

That means we could have a much better shot at carrying out longer duration explorations of the lunar surface in the near future.

Set It, Forget It

According to the paper, which builds on previous research suggesting lunar soil can generate oxygen and fuel, this process can be completed using uncrewed systems, even in the absence of astronauts.

In an experiment, the team used samples from China's Chang'e-5 mission, which landed in Inner Mongolia back in December 2020 — the first lunar soil returned to Earth since 1976.

The Moon soil effectively acted as a catalyst, enabling the electrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide into methane and oxygen.

"No significant difference can be observed between the manned and unmanned systems, which further suggests the high possibility of imitating our proposed system in extraterrestrial sites and proves the feasibility of further optimizing catalyst recipes on the Moon," the researchers conclude in their paper.

Liquified

But there's one big hurdle to still overcome: liquifying carbon dioxide is anything but easy given the Moon's frosty atmosphere, as condensing the gas requires a significant amount of heat, as New Scientist reported earlier this year.

Still, it's a tantalizing prospect: an autonomous machine chugging away, pumping out oxygen and fuel for future visitors. But for now, it's not much more than a proof of concept.

READ MORE: Scientists investigate using lunar soils to sustainably supply oxygen and fuels on the moon [Science China Press]

More on lunar soil: Bad News! The Plants Grown in Moon Soil Turned Out Wretched

The post Scientists Use Actual Lunar Soil Sample to Create Rocket Fuel appeared first on Futurism.

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Scientists Use Actual Lunar Soil Sample to Create Rocket Fuel

Cat Burglar

Cats are known for not really minding their own business, getting their furry paws on just about anything they can.

And it turns out, this makes them effective vectors for DNA evidence, according to a study published last month in the journal Forensic Science International: Genetic Supplement Series.

Researchers collaborating with the Victoria Police Forensic Services Department in Australia found detectable human DNA in 80 percent of the samples collected from 20 pet cats, with 70 percent of the samples strong enough that they could be linked to a person of interest in a crime scene investigation.

"Collection of human DNA needs to become very important in crime scene investigations, but there is a lack of data on companion animals such as cats and dogs in their relationship to human DNA transfer," said study lead author Heidi Monkman, a forensic scientist at Flinders University, in a statement.

"These companion animals can be highly relevant in assessing the presence and activities of the inhabitants of the household, or any recent visitors to the scene."

Here Kitty

One possible takeaway is that cats — and other companion pets like dogs — could be harboring DNA that could help solve a case.

The bigger issue, though, is that pets could introduce foreign DNA that muddles a crime scene, possibly leading to an innocent person being implicated. A pet could be carrying the DNA of a complete stranger, or it might bring the DNA of its owner into a crime scene that they had nothing to do with.

Monkman's colleague and co-author of the paper, Maria Goray, is an experienced crime scene investigator and an expert in DNA transfer. She believes their findings could help clear up how pets might tamper a crime scene by carrying outside DNA.

"Are these DNA findings a result of a criminal activity or could they have been transferred and deposited at the scene via a pet?" Goray asked.

It's a question worth asking — especially because innocent people have been jailed off botched DNA science far too often.

More on DNA evidence: Cops Upload Image of Suspect Generated From DNA, Then Delete After Mass Criticism

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Cats May Be Tampering With Crime Scenes, Scientists Say

Chinese scientists are reportedly planning to send monkeys to its new Tiangong space station for experiments that will involve the animals mating and potentially reproducing, the South China Morning Post reports.

It's a fascinating and potentially controversial experiment that could have major implications for our efforts to colonize space: can mammals, let alone humans, successfully reproduce beyond the Earth?

According to the report, the experiment would take place in the station's largest capsule, called Wentian, inside two biological test cabinets that can be expanded.

After examining the behavior of smaller creatures, "some studies involving mice and macaques will be carried out to see how they grow or even reproduce in space," Zhang Lu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, said during a speech posted to social media earlier this week, as quoted by the SCMP.

"These experiments will help improve our understanding of an organism’s adaptation to microgravity and other space environments," he added.

Some simpler organisms, including nematodes and Japanese rice fish, have been observed reproducing in space.

But more complex life forms have struggled. In 2014, a Russian experiment to see whether geckos could produce offspring in space failed when all the critters died.

And the failure rate for mammals, so far, has been total. Soviet Union scientists got mice to mate during a space flight in 1979, but none of them gave birth after being returned to Earth.

In other words, getting monkeys to reproduce on board a space station will be anything but easy. For one, just dealing with living creatures in space can pose immense challenges. The astronauts will "need to feed them and deal with the waste," Kehkooi Kee, a professor with the school of medicine at Tsinghua University, told the SCMP.

Then there's the fact that astronauts will have to keep the macaques happy and comfortable, something that experts say will be challenging since long term confinement in the spartan environments of space habitats could cause immense stress for the simians.

And even if astronauts successfully set the mood for the monkeys, the physics of sex in space are predicted to be challenging.

"Firstly, just staying in close contact with each other under zero gravity is hard," Adam Watkins, an associate professor of reproductive physiology at University of Nottingham, wrote in a 2020 open letter highlighted by the SCMP. "Secondly, as astronauts experience lower blood pressure while in space, maintaining erections and arousal are more problematic than here on Earth."

With its new space station in nearly full operation, China isn't shying away from asking some big questions — but whether these experiments will play out as expected is anything but certain.

READ MORE: Chinese scientists plan monkey reproduction experiment in space station [South China Morning Post]

More on sex in space: Scientists Say We Really Have to Talk About Boning in Space

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China Plans to Send Monkeys to Space Station to Have Sex With Each Other