Open and remotely accessible Neuroplatform for research in wetware computing.

Wetware computing and organoid intelligence is an emerging research field at the intersection of electrophysiology and artificial intelligence. The core concept involves using living neurons to perform computations, similar to how Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are used today. However, unlike ANNs, where updating digital tensors (weights) can instantly modify network responses, entirely new methods must be developed for neural networks using biological neurons.

Spatiotemporal PET Imaging Reveals Differences in CAR-T Tumor Retention in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Models.

Chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy (CAR-T) has been rolled out as a new treatment for hematological malignancies. For solid tumor treatment, CAR-T has been disappointing so far. Challenges include the quantification of CAR-T trafficking, expansion and retention in tumors, activity at target sites, toxicities, and long-term CAR-T survival.

Reporter gene imaging and its role in imaging-based drug development.

Reporter gene imaging (RGI) is described as the methodology that involves imaging of the encoding proteins that can be used as surrogate markers when fused with regulatory regions of the gene of interest. It provides a means to indirectly monitor molecular processes that are implicated in the pathophysiology of several diseases. The modalities utilized in RGI include MRI, PET, SPECT, as well as optical imaging modalities, such as bioluminescence and fluorescence.

Reporter gene-engineering of human induced pluripotent stem cells during differentiation renders in vivo traceable hepatocyte-like cells accessible.

Primary hepatocyte transplantation (HTx) is a safe cell therapy for patients with liver disease, but wider application is circumvented by poor cell engraftment due to limitations in hepatocyte quality and transplantation strategies. Hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) are considered a promising alternative but also require optimisation of transplantation and are often transplanted prior to full maturation. Whole-body in vivo imaging would be highly beneficial to assess engraftment non-invasively and monitor the transplanted cells in the short and long-term.

Cousins at work: How combining medical with optical imaging enhances in vivo cell tracking.

Microscopy and medical imaging are related in their exploitation of electromagnetic waves, but were developed to satisfy differing needs, namely to observe small objects or to look inside subjects/objects, respectively. Together, these techniques can help elucidate complex biological processes and better understand health and disease. A current major challenge is to delineate mechanisms governing cell migration and tissue invasion in organismal development, the immune system and in human diseases such as cancer where the spatiotemporal tracking of small cell numbers in live animal models is extremely challenging.

Therapeutic effects of dietary intervention on neuroinflammation and brain metabolism in a rat model of photothrombotic stroke.

Introduction: A possible target for stroke management is modulation of neuroinflammation. Evidence suggests that food components may exert anti-inflammatory properties and thus may reduce stroke-induced brain damage.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy of a diet, containing anti-inflammatory ingredients, as treatment for focal ischemic brain damage induced by photothrombotic stroke in the somatosensory cortex of rats.

Anti-inflammatory effects of rice bran components.

Neuroinflammation has been implicated in the pathology of various psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Accumulating evidence suggests that food components can modulate inflammatory processes, and therefore it could be hypothesized that such nutrients might exhibit therapeutic efficacy against these brain diseases. Rice bran is often discarded as a waste product, although it contains a wide range of potentially useful substances.

Repeated social defeat induces transient glial activation and brain hypometabolism: A positron emission tomography imaging study.

Psychosocial stress is a risk factor for the development of depression. Recent evidence suggests that glial activation could contribute to the development of depressive-like behaviour. This study aimed to evaluate in vivo whether repeated social defeat (RSD) induces short- and long-term inflammatory and metabolic alterations in the brain through positron emission tomography (PET).

The combination of vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids has an enhanced anti-inflammatory effect on microglia.

Neuroinflammation is a common phenomenon in the pathology of many brain diseases. In this paper we explore whether selected vitamins and fatty acids known to modulate inflammation exert an effect on microglia, the key cell type involved in neuroinflammation. Previously these nutrients have been shown to exert anti-inflammatory properties acting on specific inflammatory pathways.

Evaluating [C]PBR28 PET for Monitoring Gut and Brain Inflammation in a Rat Model of Chemically Induced Colitis.

Purpose: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon that affects an increasing number of patients. High comorbidity is observed between UC and other diseases in which inflammation may be involved, including brain diseases such as cognitive impairment, mental disorders, anxiety, and depression. To investigate the increased occurrence of these brain diseases in patients with UC, non-invasive methods for monitoring peripheral and central inflammation could be applied.

Chronic valproic acid administration impairs contextual memory and dysregulates hippocampal GSK-3β in rats.

Valproic acid (VPA), a long-standing anti-epileptic and anti-manic drug, exerts multiple actions in the nervous system through various molecular mechanisms. Neuroprotective properties have been attributed to VPA in different models of neurodegeneration, but contrasting results on its improvement of learning and memory have been reported in non-pathologic conditions. In the present study, we have tested on a hippocampal-dependent learning test, the contextual fear conditioning, the effect of chronic VPA administration through alimentary supplementation that allows relatively steady concentrations to be reached by a drug otherwise very rapidly eliminated in rodents.

Copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is released by microglial cells and confers neuroprotection against 6-OHDA neurotoxicity.

Microglial-neuronal interactions are essential for brain physiopathology. In this framework, recent data have changed the concept of microglia from essentially macrophagic cells to crucial elements in maintaining neuronal homeostasis and function through the release of neuroprotective molecules. Using proteomic analysis, here we identify copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) as a protein produced and released by cultured rat primary microglia.