A new tunable cell-sorting device with potential biomedical applications
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Dec-2025 23:11 ET (21-Dec-2025 04:11 GMT/UTC)
Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel undergoes significant but precise changes in size between 20 and 40 °C, making it an excellent candidate for use in variable-size deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) array devices. Researchers from Science Tokyo have built a tunable DLD cell-sorting platform and verified its ability to sort cancer cells of defined sizes from blood samples. This platform could offer high-resolution size-based cell sorting for a wide variety of biomedical applications
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can converse, mirror emotions, and simulate human engagement. Publicly available large language models (LLMs) – often used as personalized chatbots or AI characters – are increasingly involved in mental health-related interactions. While these tools offer new possibilities, they also pose significant risks, especially for vulnerable users. Researchers from Else Kröner Fresenius Center (EKFZ) for Digital Health at TUD Dresden University of Technology and the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus have therefore published two articles calling for stronger regulatory oversight. Their publication “AI characters are dangerous without legal guardrails” in Nature Human Behaviour outlines the urgent need for clear regulations for AI characters. A second article in npj Digital Medicine highlights dangers if chatbots offer therapy-like guidance without medical approval, and argues for their regulation as medical devices.
As we age, the muscles we rely on for daily activities tend to become less reliable. With enough decline, even normal movements such as getting out of bed become risky. Low muscle mass in the elderly—known as sarcopenia—is a major concern for maintaining the quality of life in an aging population.
A new study from scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys shows how a protein in the jelly-like substance between muscle cells promotes a thriving community of functional muscle stem cells needed for efficient muscle regeneration. The researchers also found that levels of this protein decrease with age, leading to a decline in muscle stem cells and muscle repair. Restoring appropriate amounts of this protein may be a therapeutic strategy for age-related muscle loss.The SECURED project aims at generating libraries and machine learning tools to foster innovation in the fight against blood cancers while preserving the highest privacy standards for sensitive patient data. Dr Eduard Porta, head of the Cancer Immunogenomics team at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute is part of this Horizon Europe-funded collaboration that will bring the most sophisticated technologies into the real world.
A new study published in Translational Exercise Biomedicine (ISSN: 2942-6812), an official partner journal of International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS), reveals that a progressive, multi-component exercise program, enhanced by wearable sensor technology, can significantly counteract the debilitating effects of frailty in older adults. The 12-week intervention led to remarkable improvements not only in physical strength and balance, but also in cognitive abilities and overall quality of life, presenting an effective and practical strategy for community health management in an aging global population.