Cancer's power harnessed — lymphoma mutations supercharge T cells
Feb 7, 2024
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Using mutations found in cancer cells to enhance the function of therapeutic T cells in targeting solid tumors, how climate change affects high-altitude environmental records in Switzerland, advancements in battery technology for electric vehicles
By introducing specific mutations from lymphomas into therapeutic T-cells, researchers have created supercharged T-cells that are more efficient in targeting solid tumors.
The reintroduction of sea otters in coastal salt marshes has reduced erosion rates by controlling the population of crabs that feast on vegetation crucial for preventing erosion, highlighting the benefits of predator reintroduction for ecosystem stability.
Deep dives
Using Evolution to Empower T-Cells in Cancer Treatment
Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment by engineering immune cells like T-cells to kill cancer cells. However, this approach has been less effective against solid tumors. Researchers at Northwestern University have found that studying T-cell lymphomas, cancers affecting T-cells themselves, could provide insights into how T-cells have evolved to overcome the challenges posed by solid tumors. By introducing specific mutations from lymphomas into therapeutic T-cells, they were able to create supercharged T-cells that were more persistent in the tumor microenvironment and showed increased ability to recognize and kill tumor cells. While this approach holds tremendous promise, further research is needed to understand the mechanisms and ensure safety and efficacy in humans.
Positive Impact of Sea Otters on Coastal Erosion
The reintroduction of sea otters to coastal salt marshes in California's Elk Horn Slough has had a surprising positive impact on coastal erosion. Sea otters, known for their love of striped shore crabs, have helped control the population of these crabs by preying on them. In turn, the crabs, which would feast on the plant roots of pickleweed, a vegetation crucial for preventing erosion, have been kept in check. As a result, areas with large otter populations have experienced erosion rates reduced from 30 centimeters per year to 10 centimeters per year. This highlights the complex interactions within ecosystems and the potential benefits of predator reintroduction for maintaining ecosystem stability.
AI Learns Object Recognition from a Baby's Perspective
Researchers have used AI to learn how infants acquire language and understand the world around them. They strapped a camera to a baby's head and fed the footage into a neural network, which learned to recognize objects based on associations with words spoken around the baby. The AI achieved a 62% accuracy rate in object recognition, similar to an AI trained with millions of images. This approach challenges theories that claim language acquisition is too complex to occur through general processes. By better understanding how babies acquire language, researchers hope to gain insights into human language development.
Batteries of the Future: Exploring New Innovations
As the world transitions to more electrified systems, improved battery technology is essential. Lithium-ion batteries have been crucial, but researchers are exploring various avenues to enhance batteries. Solid-state batteries, which replace the liquid electrolyte with a solid material, hold promise for higher energy density and improved safety. Lithium-air batteries, which utilize oxygen from the air, offer potential for even greater energy density, making them suitable for powering electric aircraft. Additionally, researchers are seeking cheaper and more abundant battery materials, such as sodium, to make electric vehicles more accessible. Continued research and development efforts aim to enhance battery performance, reliability, and sustainability.
0:46 Borrowing tricks from cancer could help improve immunotherapy
T cell based immunotherapies have revolutionised the treatment of certain types of cancer. However these therapies — which involved taking someone’s own T cells and reprogramming them to kill cancer cells — have struggled to treat solid tumours, which put up multiple defences. To overcome these, a team has taken mutations found in cancer cells that help them thrive and put them into therapeutic T cells. Their results show these powered-up cells are more efficient at targeting solid tumours, but don’t turn cancerous themselves.
How researchers solved a submerged-sprinkler problem named after Richard Feynman, and what climate change is doing to high-altitude environmental records in Switzerland.
14:28 What might the car batteries of the future look like?
As electric cars become ever more popular around the world, manufacturers are looking to improve the batteries that power them. While conventional lithium-ion batteries have dominated the electric vehicle market for decades, researchers are developing alternatives that have better performance and safety — we run though some of these options and discuss their pros and cons.
How a baby’s-eye view of the world helps an AI learn language, and how the recovery of sea otter populations in California slowed rates of coastal erosion.
