Biotech 30/2025

Weekly roundup (21. July - 27. July)

Regeneration

A groundbreaking PET imaging study in humans looked at 16 older adults, with an average age of 72, to see if insulin could be delivered directly to the brain through a nasal spray. The results showed that the insulin successfully reached 11 important brain regions involved in memory and thinking.

Of the participants, 7 had normal cognitive function, while 9 had mild cognitive impairment. The two groups showed different patterns of insulin uptake, with the cognitively healthy individuals absorbing more insulin into their brains.

The treatment was generally well tolerated — only two participants reported mild headaches. These findings give direct proof that this method can target the brain, representing an important step toward developing insulin-based therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment. [source]

While this research highlights a novel way to deliver therapies directly to the brain, other teams are exploring equally innovative methods to repair and regenerate body tissues.

Researchers at Columbia Engineering have created an injectable hydrogel made from tiny natural particles, called extracellular vesicles (EVs), that come from milk. These particles help tissues heal and regenerate. In this study, the team used EVs taken from yogurt to make a bioactive gel that behaves like real tissue and stimulates cells — all without adding extra chemicals.

In early tests with healthy mice, the hydrogel triggered strong growth of new blood vessels within just one week, with no harmful side effects. It also encouraged the immune system to produce more anti-inflammatory cells, which further supported the healing process. [source]

Researchers are also developing safer ways to prepare patients for complex medical procedures using the body’s own biology.

Phase I clinical trial at Stanford Medicine tested a new antibody treatment called briquilimab to prepare three children with Fanconi anemia for stem cell transplants — without using the usual toxic busulfan chemotherapy or radiation. All three patients, each under 10 years old, have now been followed for two years and are doing well. Their bone marrow shows almost 100% donor cells.

The treatment also involved improving the donated stem cells by removing certain immune cells, called alpha/beta T-cells, to lower the risk of graft-versus-host disease. This method made it possible to use donors who were only a half-match to the patients. The approach greatly reduces the dangers of transplants and opens the door to more donor options for people with genetic diseases. [source]

Researchers are also advancing regenerative medicine with novel materials and scaffolds that guide tissue repair at the cellular level.

A study from the IMDEA Materials Institute found that 3D-printed structures made from polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) can be transformed into pyrolytic carbon (PyC) scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. During this process, the structures shrank by as much as 80% but still kept their original shape.

By adjusting the pyrolysis temperature between 500 and 900 °C, researchers could fine-tune the scaffolds’ physical and biological properties. Higher temperatures improved their electrical conductivity and made them mechanically stronger — close to the strength of natural bone. Lower temperatures kept more oxygen-containing groups on the surface, which boosted cell metabolism and growth.

These carbon scaffolds can influence how cells behave, encouraging either cell growth or bone formation, without needing any extra coatings or bioactive additives. This makes them a promising new tool for regenerative medicine. [source]

Researchers are also developing portable, low-cost devices to produce high-quality platelet-rich plasma (PRP), enabling personalized regenerative therapies even in resource-limited settings.

A research team led by Ikerbasque professors has created a portable, low-cost device that can separate platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from blood using simple gravity instead of the usual centrifugation. From just 1 milliliter of blood, it produces about 300 microliters of PRP in 40 minutes.

The device greatly reduces unwanted platelet activation — only 8.2% compared to 31% with traditional methods — while keeping the average platelet size (mean platelet volume, MPV) the same, which is important for its therapeutic effects. It also removes 98% of red blood cells and 96% of white blood cells, resulting in high-quality PRP.

This single-use, disposable system delivers functional PRP with minimal activation, making it well-suited for personalized treatments and for clinics with limited resources. [source]

Monitoring, Imaging

Other researchers are exploring new noninvasive imaging techniques to monitor medical devices inside the body.

A new study has shown that photoacoustic microscopy can image stents through the skin for the first time, potentially enabling noninvasive monitoring of these devices.

Every year, about 2 million people in the U.S. receive stents to help blood flow through narrowed or blocked arteries.

In the study, researchers tested the technique on mouse skin samples. Using light at 670 nm and 1210 nm wavelengths, they were able to distinguish stents from materials that mimic fatty plaque.

Photoacoustic microscopy could be especially useful for stents placed just under the skin, such as those used in dialysis access sites. For deeper arteries, like the carotid artery, a related method called photoacoustic computed tomography may work better.

Further testing in living organisms and clinical settings is still needed before this approach can be widely used. [source]

Neurosurgeons are now trying to apply innovative principles to monitor blood flow in the brain, enhancing surgical safety.

Neurosurgeons at UMC Utrecht have developed a new ultrasound method called Ultrafast Power Doppler Imaging (UPDI). This technique lets doctors monitor blood flow in the brain in real time during surgery.

The risk of stroke during brain vessel surgeries usually starts at about 8%, but in very complex cases it can climb to nearly 50%. For brain tumor surgeries, the risk ranges from 12.5% to 44%.

In a pilot study with 10 patients, the new technique allowed surgeons to instantly see changes in blood flow while operating — problems that could previously only be detected after surgery.

Current research focuses on improving stroke risk control during brain surgery, and in the future, the method could also be applied to other types of operations, such as kidney transplants. [source]

Neurotechnology

Alongside real-time surgical monitoring, researchers are now exploring advanced neurotechnologies that both stimulate and record brain activity to improve movement and motor control in patients with neurological conditions.

In a UCSF study, patients with Parkinson’s disease received a deep-brain stimulation (DBS) device that could both stimulate specific brain regions and record brain activity while they walked.

Participants walked around a six-meter loop while researchers measured aspects of their walking, including step length, walking speed, arm swing, and movement consistency. From this, the team created a Walking Performance Index (WPI) to capture overall walking ability.

Using machine learning, researchers identified personalized DBS settings that noticeably improved walking. In one case, a participant’s WPI improved by 18%.

Better walking was linked to reduced activity in a specific brainwave—the beta band (12–30 Hz)—in a brain region called the globus pallidus, especially during certain phases of walking. This suggests that personalized, data-driven DBS therapies could offer new ways to help people with Parkinson’s disease move more easily. [source]

Aging

Researchers have created a computational “aging clock” for the brain, built from gene expression data taken from 778 human brain samples ranging in age from 20 to 97. Using 365 specific genes, the clock can predict a brain’s biological age with an average error of just 4 to 6 years.

The team then screened more than 43,000 chemical and genetic changes and identified 453 compounds that might reverse aging effects in brain cells.

They tested a combination of three compounds—5-azacytidine, tranylcypromine, and JNK-IN-8—in aged mice. The treatment significantly reduced anxiety and partly rejuvenated brain gene activity, although memory improvements were not statistically significant.

This new brain aging clock provides a powerful tool to accelerate the search for neuroprotective therapies. With over 450 additional compounds still to explore, the potential for new treatments remains very promising. [source]

Researchers are also exploring natural compounds like psilocybin for their anti-aging effects in cells and whole organisms.

A study from Emory University found that psilocin—the active compound formed from psilocybin in psychedelic mushrooms—extended the lifespan of human skin and lung cells in the lab by more than 50%.

In aged mice, roughly equivalent to 60–65-year-old humans, researchers gave an initial dose of 5 mg of psilocybin followed by 15 mg monthly for 10 months. These mice lived about 30% longer than untreated mice.

The treated mice also showed signs of healthier aging, such as better fur quality, fewer white hairs, and even some hair regrowth.

The findings suggest that psilocybin may slow aging by reducing oxidative stress, helping repair DNA, and protecting telomeres—the protective caps on chromosomes that shorten with age. If confirmed, this could open the door to revolutionary anti-aging therapies. [source]

Beyond chemical and cellular interventions, researchers are investigating genetic mechanisms that influence brain function and cognitive flexibility.

Scientists studied the human CLOCK gene, which is highly active in cortical neurons. They engineered this gene into mice so that it mimicked its function in the human neocortex, creating a humanized mouse model.

These mice performed better in set-shifting tasks, which test the ability to adapt to new rules and situations. This improved cognitive flexibility was linked to stronger connections between brain cells and more complex neural networks in the frontal cortex.

The CLOCK gene doesn’t just regulate circadian rhythms; in these neurons, it also influences other processes, supporting brain functions and possibly contributing to the formation of new brain cells during early development.

The researchers developed both a humanized CLOCK mouse and a CRISPR-edited human stem cell model, giving scientists powerful tools to study brain evolution and higher-level thinking. [source]

At the tissue level, aging is also visible in skin mechanics, highlighting how structural changes contribute to the aging process and offer potential anti-aging targets.

Wrinkles form when aging skin stretches in one direction and contracts more strongly in the opposite direction, causing the skin to buckle. This conclusion comes from experiments on human skin samples aged 16 to 91.

Researchers found that as people age, the skin’s contraction response becomes stronger, leading to deeper and wider wrinkles aligned with collagen fibers.

Older skin also exhibits Poisson’s ratios well above 0.5, meaning it behaves less like a smooth elastic material and more like a porous sponge.

This buckling effect provides the first direct experimental evidence of how wrinkles form and points to new possibilities for anti-aging treatments that target the skin’s mechanical behavior. [source]