Technology & Society
From the WSJ: Researchers reported fresh evidence Wednesday that using gene therapy to manipulate the immune system is emerging as a promising new strategy in the fight against cancer. Five patients with a lethal leukemia achieved complete and rapid remissions
From Singularity Hub: In the world of genomics, Chinese biotech giant BGI is big and getting bigger. The firm agreed to purchase Bay Area juggernaut Complete Genomics for a bargain basement $117 million in 2012. BGI owns 156 DNA sequencers
It hasn’t got to the stage of actual implantation yet, but it is a proof of concept that a human colon can be grown in the lab. Here’s the press release. And from the LA Daily News: Researchers at Children’s
This was delivered in Venice Beach. Here’s a link to the full program.
Here’s an article in the UK Mail discussing how GSK has developed “four thousand synthetic activators,” and how “the best three being (are being) used in human trials.”
Read more here. Researchers have constructed a living human ear that looks and feels just like the real thing, and they made it with the help of a 3D printer. The new ear improves upon prosthetic ears made by current
Will it work in humans? Good question. Here’s a Singularity Hub piece about it: Scientists have now cured diabetes – at least in a group of dogs – and they used a gene therapy to do it. Amazingly, only a
That seems to be what President Obama was implying in his recent SOTU address (for more on the Brain Activity Map Project, see this NYT article). In discussing the effects of one the last huge government-funded research projects, the Human
From Bloomberg: Muscle damaged by heart attacks can be repaired by an injectable gel that forms scaffolding, attracting stem cells and blood vessels in a study that may lead to a new method for reducing heart failure. The technique, studied
From Cnet: Backed by tech luminaries, the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, a $3 million reward, is being presented to 11 different scientists for their efforts to cure diseases. Here’s a link to the actual prize site. Google’s Sergey Brin
I’m looking forward to speaking at TEDxLA Miracle Mile this Saturday. Other speakers include: Stan Evenson – Founder/CEO, Evenson Design Group “The 3 L’s: Listen, Love, and Laugh, A Design Recipe for the Survival of the Human Race and Traffic
Dr. Doris Taylor is doing great work over at the Texas Heart Institute. Here’s an article about her team using pig hearts as scaffolds for human heart stem cells.
Can be found here (requires free registration).
From Huff Po: Researchers at Stanford University have created HIV-resistant T-cells, a breakthrough that, if proven successful in humans, could potentially stop the virus from developing into AIDS. The discovery was announced in Tuesday’s issue of Molecular Therapy, and according
Harvard biologist Takao Hensch is examining a drug that “may make it dramatically easier for grown-ups to absorb new skills and information — almost as if they were seven years old or younger.” Here’s the story.
100 Plus was in the WSJ again this weekend under “Twelve Months of Reading”. Here’s the link.
Here’s the link.
Here’s the link — it should be a great discussion with lots of interesting people. Here’s a small synopsis and video promo: “Revolving around the theme “Writing the Future”, the conference will explore the world of media and communicating Transhumanism.”
Here’s the details: When I’m 164: The New Science of Anti-Aging and What Happens If It Succeeds October 10, 2012 – 6:00 PM SF Writer’s Grotto 490 Second St., 2nd Floor Free Do you want to live forever? Humans may
The people of Sweden are turning their garbage into waste. In fact, it has been so successful that there is a ‘scarcity’ of garbage and they are importing garbage from Norway. Here’s an article about it. For more on how