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Blood assay can determine Alzheimer’s risk before diagnosis: A non-invasive, biomarker-based test that uses blood samples to predict an individual’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease three and a half (3.5) years before receiving a diagnosis has been developed by King’s College London researchers. Researchers who worked on the assay exposed brain cells to blood from people with mild cognitive impairment and found that blood from individuals with Alzheimer’s led to increased cell death and reduced cell division and growth, as well as improved hippocampal neurogenesis.

Automated stem cell production system undergoes testing: The UK Stem Cell Bank is conducting a 12-month test of a fully automated stem cell production system. The device “has the potential to reduce human error in this process and produce a more consistent final product which will result in safer and more effective treatments,” said Marc Bailey, Chief Ccientific Officer at the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The second-ever stem cell-producing robot, being tested by the UK MHRA, could produce safer, cost-effective treatments for diseases like cancer.

AI Chatbots could help guide decisions about vaccination: Chatbots could be used to answer patients’ questions and respond to their concerns about vaccines and infectious diseases and persuade patients to take steps in support of their own health, according to a study published in Digital Health. Researchers designed an artificial intelligence chatbot based on communication theory that delivered persuasive messages about COVID-19 and vaccination in English and Spanish via text messaging and websites, and by the end of the study, the bots answered questions with 91.1% accuracy.

How Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled decision support can reduce clinical burnout: Artificial intelligence algorithms and AI-enabled technology can help reduce workforce burnout in health care by improving administrative efficiency, supporting patient engagement, augmenting clinical decision-making and bridging workforce shortages through virtual care and remote monitoring, said Radiation Oncologist Matthew Manning. AI can also help stratify patients by socioeconomic risk factors to enable interventions that address inequities and reduce missed visits, Manning said.

Residual disease test developed to determine leukemia relapse risk before transplant: National Institute of Health (NIH) researchers developed a blood test that uses DNA sequencing to determine the three-year survival and relapse risk of patients with acute myeloid leukemia before they undergo bone marrow transplantation. Residual FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutations were associated with a 70% relapse rate, according to study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Hospital to test Virtual Reality (VR) therapy in patients with blood cancers: Massachusetts General Health (MGH) is planning to test a virtual reality digital therapeutic platform to see whether it can improve the quality of life, psychological distress, symptom burden and self-efficacy of patients with blood cancers who are undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplants. MGH is working with Rocket VR Health on the pilot, which will enroll 80 patients in a four-week program that includes physician holograms, interactive sessions, and meditations in nature-based settings.

App identifies mpox lesions from smartphone photos: An app that uses artificial intelligence to analyze smartphone photos of skin lesions identified mpox with 90% accuracy, researchers reported in Nature Medicine. Users can upload an image, answer questions and receive a recommendation for testing or vaccination within five (5) minutes.

Researchers to develop 3D printing of medical devices: Researchers at Penn State University and the University of Texas at Austin have been awarded a $2 million grant from the NSF’s Leading Engineering for America’s Prosperity, Health and Infrastructure program to support research into 3D printing of medical devices. The project will design and produce pediatric ventilation masks and other devices that can adjust to patients’ needs as they grow and heal, which will be more cost-effective than current production processes.

3D-printed skin take the sting out of mosquito studies: Most studies of mosquito repellents and mosquito-borne diseases involve live animals or people, but a new study at Rice University uses neither. Instead, an automated feeding platform invites mosquitoes to feed on 3D-printed synthetic skin with real human blood flowing through small vessels, while cameras record the process for machine learning algorithms to analyze.

Tech opens new treatment options for severe epilepsy: Advances in electrophysiology, including stereoelectroencephalography, have enabled more people with severe epilepsy to undergo minimally invasive brain surgery that prevents seizures. Combining SEEG information with high-resolution MRI scans reveals diseased areas and important nerve tracts that surgeons navigate using laser beams delivered through thin probes. Researchers are also borrowing from the electronics industry and developing thin, flexible grids with thousands of tiny sensors akin to a brain telescope.