Medicine

A team from Osaka University has developed a large-scale drug screening technique that can track target molecule behavior within cells. The researchers verified their technique by testing the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a known target for cancer drugs. Their drug screening resulted in the identification of the known drugs, as well as others that were not previously known to affect EGFR. This new method can potentially help develop new drugs and repurpose existing drugs.

Researchers at Osaka University have developed a new imagining system to monitor pluripotent stem cells during incubation. The new device — INSPCTOR — uses lens-free imaging technology integrated with thin-film transistors. The device is the same size as a standard culture plate, allowing multiple units to be monitored within a compact incubator. By improving quality control during the growth process, this innovation could help accelerate advancements in customized regenerative medicine.

Next-generation regenerative treatment shows promise in medicine-engineering collaboration

A research team including Osaka University analyzed wastewater surveillance methods for accurately tracking COVID-19 infection trends. Using wastewater data from Sapporo dating from April 2021–September 2023, they explored survey conditions obtaining strong correlation between viral concentration in wastewater and infection incidence. The study identified key methods, including high-sensitivity analysis and geometric mean data processing, as essential for effective regional surveillance, providing critical insights for future public health monitoring.

Researchers from Osaka University have discovered that GPR31, found in certain immune cells in the human gut, plays a key role in responding to bacterial metabolites and activating immune responses. Specifically, in the presence of metabolite pyruvate, these cells extend dendrites to sample the gut environment, detect pathogens, and activate T cells through GPR31. This discovery could inform the development of new drugs, vaccines, and probiotics that enhance gut immunity by targeting this pathway.

Researchers from Osaka University have revealed a close link between polyploidy and DNA damage, showing that the presence of DNA damage increases the likelihood of polyploidization occurring, and that polyploid cells are more likely to accumulate DNA damage. However, polyploid cells can also tolerate higher levels of DNA damage, taking longer to enter damage-induced growth arrest and senescence. This discovery will aid the development of novel therapies for certain drug-resistant cancers originating from polyploid cells.

Researchers from Osaka University have demonstrated that ultra-short, high-dose proton irradiation increases cell survival rates even in normoxic conditions, challenging prior assumptions that this effect only occurs in hypoxic environments. This world-first discovery utilizes a new superconducting AVF cyclotron, enabling the application of the "FLASH effect," which minimizes damage to healthy tissues while maintaining local control of the tumor. This breakthrough is expected to lead to a new cancer treatment, FLASH proton therapy, offering fewer side effects and higher tumor control.

Taiwan's New Public Health Preventive Medicine Strategy Achieves Success After 10 Years

The study’s findings highlight the urgent need for comprehensive regulation, including a potential ban on flavored tobacco products and the adoption of plain packaging to curb their appeal.

Fluorescein angiography capable of assessing neural blood flow in chronic nerve compression neuropathy

Surgery for discoid lateral meniscus in adolescence could lead to worsening complications and difficult solutions

Mirror, mirror, in my tank, who’s the biggest fish of all? Sigma bond spotted, Balancing cell membrane, Exploring quantum squeezing and Outbreak preparedness. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how hungry ants push birds out of their habitat, how eroding a mountain makes it taller, and how our cells carry insights into origin of life.

Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence related to proper weight and diabetes regulation

Using real-world information written in Japanese, large language model displays accuracy on par with neuroradiologists

Scientists identified a protein that regulates cellular clean-up, could also hold the key to new treatments for age-related muscle loss and muscle wasting in cancer patients, enhancing quality of life.

The Androgen Receptor in Mesenchymal Progenitor Cells Drives Skeletal Muscle Mass Regulation

By targeting multiprotein molecule, antibody inhibits bacteria’s growth, pathogenicity

• Two-year assessment provides critical insights and recommendations for strengthening genomic sequencing for infectious disease surveillance in 13 South and Southeast Asian countries. • Research helps to step up Asia’s preparedness across wide range of diseases.

A research team from Osaka University has discovered a novel mechanism essential for initiating autophagy. The study highlights the role of ZDHHC13, an enzyme that palmitoylates ULK1, in triggering autophagy. This discovery sheds light on the molecular pathways involved in autophagy and their implications for diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and aging-related conditions.

Researchers from Osaka University studied the neurological control applied to human walking that maintains the correct relationship between the leg positions. They found that the rhythm of each leg continues independently unless they become too far out of phase. This work can lead to better care for people who have difficulty walking due to age or neurological issues.

Incidence, risk factors found for pulmonary aspergillosis, an invasive fungal infection of lungs, among COVID-19 patients

Researchers from Osaka University found that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are fatter and shorter than their antibiotic-sensitive parental strains, and that these morphological changes correlate with changes in the expression of genes related to energy metabolism and antibiotic resistance. A machine learning approach was able to distinguish between antibiotic-resistant and antibiotic-sensitive bacteria in the absence of drug treatment based on microscope images, suggesting that bioinformatics could be used to detect antibiotic resistance in patient samples.

An international consortium led by Duke-NUS Medical School introduces an ethics checklist for systematic and standardised assessment for research involving generative AI technologies in healthcare settings, enhancing accountability

Learned society and publisher Applied Microbiology International (AMI) has announced a new partnership with science communicators SelectScience. The two organisations will be working together on SelectScience’s upcoming CLINICAL24 campaign and beyond.

A recent study from Osaka University reveals that intensive diabetes treatment can improve periodontal disease inflammation. Researchers found that two weeks of intensive diabetes treatment under hospitalization for patients with type 2 diabetes significantly improved not only blood sugar control but also PISA, an indicator of gum disease inflammation. Furthermore, the improvement in PISA was related to factors such as insulin secretion capacity and the severity of diabetes complications and comorbidities before diabetes treatment. These findings suggest that early intervention in diabetes is crucial for improving gum disease in diabetic patients.

Researchers from Osaka University found that T cells recognize neoself-antigens––abnormal, unfolded host proteins presented by major histocompatibility complex II (MHC-II) lacking the invariant chain––as non-self antigens, leading to the development of autoimmunity. Reactivation of Epstein–Barr virus, a known risk factor for lupus onset and exacerbation, increases the presentation of neoself-antigens by MHC-II, which could help explain the link between viral infection and autoimmune disease.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a computer chip inspired by our brains, the potential link between asthma and diabetes, and how Japanese eels flee their predators after being swallowed.

A better understanding of how cells regulate their membranes could lead to new treatments for diseases such as epilepsy and anemia.

Whether immunotherapy or conventional chemotherapy carries less mortality risk depends on BMI