Technology & Society
This advance by Austria’s Dr. Knoblich has big implications for studying brain disease. If researchers can study human brain cells in the lab instead of using animal models, the door will open to better, more effective, therapies. From the WSJ:
A cool idea by the folks over at SENS. Nice of them to include me along amazing people like inventor Dean Kamen whose comment is “Aging is a terrible game. You can’t win and you have to play.” Check it
This was one piece of news I wasn’t quite expecting. According to Peter Diamandis, the Chairman of the X-prize foundation, the incentive prize was cancelled because innovation outpaced the prize. He says in his column explaining the move: At XPRIZE,
The Japanese government has approved a trial of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that will be morphed into retinal cells to attempt to cure age-related blindness. Fingers crossed that it goes well. Here’s the story.
Here’s an interesting survey by the Pew Foundation. Asked whether they, personally, would choose to undergo medical treatments to slow the aging process and live to be 120 or more, a majority of U.S. adults (56%) say “no.” But roughly
Here’s a great story in Discovery magazine about how the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation engaged in venture philanthropy and found a near cure for some patients. Worth reading.