UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Yale’s Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science (BIDS) welcomes Haoyu Cheng, Anran Li, Andrew Loza, Julia Wolleb, Weipeng Zhou, João Cardoso, Catherine Barabas, Gui Yang, Mukund Aravapalli, Jennifer Arango, Ahmed Abdelhady, Winnie Ng, Vincent Zhang, and Atharva Sapre, each contributing unique expertise in genomics, AI, software engineering, and healthcare informatics.

Neuralink's Blindsight, an experimental implant for restoring vision, received the FDA's 'breakthrough device' designation. Elon Musk claims it could help blind people see, even those born blind or with damaged optic nerves, by activating the visual cortex. However, the technology is still experimental, and significant challenges remain in decoding neural patterns for clear vision.

Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists found that 30 days in space weakened human bioengineered heart tissues, leading to reduced beating strength and irregular rhythms compared to Earth-bound samples. The study expands understanding of low gravity's effects on astronaut health and may aid in studying heart muscle aging and therapeutics on Earth.

Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME) launched at Aston University with a £10 million grant, focusing on collaborative science across biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. AIME aims to develop biomimetic membranes for water purification, therapeutic nanoparticles, and drug target identification, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration.

Dr. Carika Weldon launched CariGenetics Precision Diagnostics, Bermuda's first clinical genetics lab, at Docs for Dinner, offering hereditary cancer tests, molecular pathology, EarlyInsights, Meds4You, and MyRiskScore. The lab, registered with the Bermuda Health Council, aims to provide faster, more cost-effective genetic testing for Bermuda and the Caribbean, with local processing and expert oversight.

CGTLive®’s Weekly Rewind highlights 5 gene and cell therapy advances: FDA actions, research, interviews with experts, clinical trial enrollment, and treatment option discussions.

Jeffrey Chamberlain, PhD, highlights the need for continued focus on basic science in gene therapy for neuromuscular diseases, emphasizing the importance of early intervention and improving current therapies, despite recent approvals like Sarepta Therapeutics’ Elevidys for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

At the 2024 MDA Clinical and Scientific Conference, presentations highlighted new DMD treatments, including gene therapy advancements and real-world Elevidys use, with discussions on safety risks and potential solutions like new delivery vehicles to reduce adverse events.

John Fortney of UW presents 'Similarities and Differences Between Pragmatic Trials and Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trials' at PCT Grand Rounds on Sept 20, 2024, 1:00 pm eastern.

Neuralink's Blindsight implant, aiming to restore sight, received 'breakthrough device' designation from the FDA. Elon Musk noted initial vision would be 'low resolution' but could eventually surpass natural vision. Blindsight, Neuralink's second implant, follows the Telepathy device used in clinical trials for severe paralysis.