UCLA awarded NIH grant to train the next generation of brain cancer scientists
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 14-Jul-2025 05:11 ET (14-Jul-2025 09:11 GMT/UTC)
A recent study introduces an innovative method for analyzing body composition using advanced 3D imaging and deep learning techniques. This approach aims to provide more accurate assessments of body fat and muscle distribution, which are crucial for understanding health risks associated with various conditions.
The study, “3D Convolutional Deep Learning for Nonlinear Estimation of Body Composition from Whole Body Morphology,” authored by researchers from Pennington Biomedical Research Center, University of Washington, University of Hawaii and University of California-San Francisco was recently published in NPJ Digital Medicine, a journal of the Nature portfolio.
Key Highlights of the study include:
Advanced Imaging: The researchers utilized 3D imaging technology to capture detailed representations of the body's shape.
Deep Learning Application: By applying sophisticated deep learning algorithms, the study achieved more precise estimations of body composition compared to traditional methods.
Health Implications: Accurate body composition analysis is essential for assessing health risks related to obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and other metabolic disorders.
Liposuction and plastic surgery aren’t often mentioned in the same breath as cancer.
But they are the inspiration for a new approach to treating cancer that uses engineered fat cells to deprive tumors of nutrition.
Researchers at UC San Francisco used the gene editing technology CRISPR to turn ordinary white fat cells into “beige” fat cells, which voraciously consume calories to make heat.
For decades, scientists have tried to stop cancer by disabling the mutated proteins that are found in tumors. But many cancers manage to overcome this and continue growing.
Now, UCSF scientists think they can throw a wrench into the fabrication of a key growth-related protein, MYC, that escalates wildly in 70% of all cancers. Unlike some other targets of cancer therapies, MYC can be dangerous simply due to its abundance.
In the face of rising concerns about antibiotic resistant infections, an international group of microbial experts have launched a powerful and flexible free online genomic toolkit for more rapid development of phage therapy.
After decades of research, phages or bacteriophage viruses that target and kill specific bacteria are seen as the next frontier in finding fast and effective ways to curb the death toll and serious illnesses caused by antibiotic resistant ‘superbugs’ every year.