Daily Innovation News

July 8^th 2024

🪖 Military

🇺🇸 US Army studies gut microbiome to create a new probiotic ration bar to enhance soldier performance

The US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) is researching the gut microbiome's impact on soldier performance under extreme conditions. By examining how gut microorganisms affect stress responses, USARIEM aims to develop a new ration bar containing prebiotic and probiotic compounds to promote healthy gut microbiota. This bar is expected to improve soldiers' health and effectiveness by preventing conditions like leaky gut and acute mountain sickness. The research could lead to tailored nutritional interventions that boost cognitive and physical performance.

🦾 Robotics

🇨🇳 China unveils emotional humanoid robot for elderly care

Fudan University has introduced Guanghua No 1, an emotionally responsive humanoid robot designed to provide care for the elderly. Standing 165 cm tall and weighing 62 kg, the robot features 45 intelligent joints and can display four emotions: happiness, anger, sadness, and joy. Unveiled at the 2024 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Guanghua No 1 aims to address the emotional and physical needs of China’s aging population. The robot, driven by advanced algorithms and sensors, is undergoing extensive testing and a trial version is expected by the end of the year.

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

🇺🇸 US company helps a terminally ill man create a digital self for his family after he’s gone

Eternos.life is assisting Michael Bommer, a 61-year-old terminal cancer patient, in creating a digital version of himself to preserve his legacy. By capturing Bommer’s voice, personality, and memories, the AI-based platform enables his family to interact with him even after his passing. Bommer’s digital self, capable of speaking bilingually in German and English, can share stories, advice, and personal messages. The process aims to offer a creative will or digital memoir, ensuring Bommer’s values and experiences are accessible to future generations.

🇺🇸 US AI startup revives voices of Hollywood legends for digital narration

AI company ElevenLabs has obtained rights to reproduce the voices of deceased Hollywood icons like Judy Garland and James Dean. Partnering with the estates of these celebrities, ElevenLabs will use their AI technology to allow users to have these voices narrate various digital texts through their Reader App. This initiative aims to make content more accessible while honoring the legacies of these actors. Despite past controversies, ElevenLabs is positioning itself as an ethical player in the market, ensuring legal and respectful use of the voices.

💊 Healthcare

🇪🇸 Spanish biotech company develops groundbreaking fertility pill for IVF

Oxolife, a biotech firm from Spain, has created a novel oral drug, OXO-001, that significantly boosts embryo implantation success rates during in vitro fertilization (IVF), potentially increasing live births by 7%. Unlike hormonal fertility drugs, OXO-001 works directly on the womb's lining to enhance receptivity for the implanted embryo. A Phase 2 clinical trial across 28 centers in Europe showed promising results, with the treatment group achieving a 76% pregnancy rate compared to 52% in the placebo group. These findings were presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology's 40th annual meeting.

🇺🇸 US researchers develop engineered mRNA to turn the body into a drug-making biofactory

Scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have used engineered mRNA to transform cells into biofactories that produce therapeutic proteins, successfully treating psoriasis and two types of cancer in mice. This technology could allow patients to receive monthly treatments at home, improving their quality of life. By attaching signal peptides to mRNA, the researchers directed cells to secrete proteins into the bloodstream, effectively treating inflammatory skin conditions and cancers. This innovation promises enhanced effectiveness and fewer side effects for various protein drugs. The study was published in PNAS.

🇺🇸 US scientists develop the world's first mouse model with a fully functional human immune system

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have engineered a groundbreaking mouse model named TruHuX (truly human), which possesses a complete and functional human immune system, including a human-like gut microbiome. This model, featuring lymph nodes, thymus human epithelial cells, T and B lymphocytes, memory B lymphocytes, and plasma cells, is capable of generating specific antibody responses identical to those in humans. The TruHuX mice offer a new platform for studying human immunology, developing vaccines, and testing therapeutics, potentially reducing the need for non-human primates in biomedical research. The study was published in Nature.

That’s all for today, please reply to this email if you have any comments or feedback, we’d love to hear from you about what we can do better!

Have you enjoyed this email? Make sure to share it with your friends and colleagues.

Thanks for reading!