Date Time
Going underground: Grant roots out rapid apple decline culprit
Since 2013, a mysterious phenomenon has been killing apple trees across North America, leaving growers panicked and scientists bewildered. The phenomenon has been named rapid apple decline (RAD) for its sudden onset, which causes apple trees to quickly deteriorate and die. Now, two scientists from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are on a mission to track down its cause.
This effort is thanks to a recent $299,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The three-year project, “Root Traits and Rapid Decline of Apple Trees in High-Density Orchards,” is one of the first federally funded project to research rapid apple decline in the United States.
Research reveals link between proteins causing Alzheimer s disease and age-related sight loss
Newly published research has revealed a close link between proteins associated with Alzheimer s disease and age-related sight loss. The findings could open the way to new treatments for patients with deteriorating vision and through this study, the scientists believe they could reduce the need for using animals in future research into blinding conditions.
Amyloid beta (AB) proteins are the primary driver of Alzheimer s disease but also begin to collect in the retina as people get older. Donor eyes from patients who suffered from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness amongst adults in the UK, have been shown to contain high levels of AB in their retinas.
Huron Digital Pathology Receives CE-IVD Mark for TissueScope iQ Scanner
Huron Digital Pathology has received a CE-IVD mark for its high throughput TissueScope iQ 400 slide whole slide scanner.
The CE mark indicates that the TissueScope iQ scanner complies with the European In Vitro Diagnostic Regulations. With this certification, Huron accelerates its entry into the diagnostic pathology market in Europe and other key geographies globally to help laboratories keep pace with the rising cancer burden.
All three TissueScope scanner models are now CE-IVD and Health Canada certified.
New approach can advance medical AI algorithms, reduce risks to patient privacy
Within the field of artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning is an area of rapid and high-impact innovation in the healthcare industry.
Being able to successfully train computers to perform medical tasks has extraordinary potential to improve patient care, increase access, and reduce costs. Researchers at UCLA have already developed AI systems that have had significant value in helping physicians more accurately detect cancers.
However, one major challenge in developing high-quality AI algorithms is the availability of data and patient privacy. Sharing medical data, even de-identified medical data, may pose some risk to the privacy of patients, and protecting patient privacy is one of the main ethical directives of the medical profession.