BRI

The BRI is a non-profit dedicated to advancing life sciences. Retweets, posts and likes are not medical advice or endorsement.

[BRI @BRI_Protocols]

Opioid Abuse Leads to Demyelination

"Oligodendrocytes, the myelin-producing cells of the central nervous system, are highly affected by chronic opioid exposure, as opioids can directly induce apoptosis of myelinating oligodendrocytes after activation of opioid receptors, leading to an important reduction in myelination."
https://t.co/9ndS3S8Y8Y

[Anthropic @AnthropicAI]

New Anthropic Science Blog: Making Claude a chemist.

To manipulate a molecule, chemists first need to understand its structure. Their main tool is NMR spectroscopy.

We found Opus 4.7 matches—and on some tasks beats—dedicated NMR software. Read more: https://t.co/1jUvz7wdhV

[OpenAI @OpenAI]

We’re bringing new capabilities to GPT-Rosalind, a model series purpose-built for life sciences research at enterprise scale.

It brings GPT-5.5’s agentic coding and tool use together with stronger intelligence for drug discovery, analysis, design, and experimental workflows.

https://t.co/SrAJ3Mt7ka

[Phys.org @physorg_com]

The jump from one cell to many may have started with physics: crowding and compression can push cells toward a few recurring shapes that scale into tissues. @Caltech @NatureBiotech https://t.co/5sWI8EdtBN

[Phys.org @physorg_com]

In a test tube, coronavirus evolution sprinted from the original strain toward an omicron-like form in just months—but only under one lab condition. @NatureComms https://t.co/NkMJjw6Uc8

[Medical Xpress @medical_xpress]

An experimental molecule pushed microglia back toward beta-amyloid plaques, where they began enclosing the deposits instead of failing around them. @UniversidadMH https://t.co/BSVMHsb4ti

[Medical Xpress @medical_xpress]

Inside neurons, tau clumps may unlock normally silent DNA elements and start a chain that ends in cell death. @NatureNeuro https://t.co/crHO86TnYu

[BRI @BRI_Protocols]

@jack Longevity jack is the best jack.

[Medical Xpress @medical_xpress]

At the edge of melanoma tumors, a little-noticed immune cell was caught engulfing live cancer cells in real time. @JExpMed https://t.co/SLdDvXVSAp

[Waggoner Lab @LabWaggoner]

Mitochondrial complex I dysfunction in dendritic cells disrupts NAD+/NADH redox balance and impairs antigen cross-presentation @SciImmunology @SanchoLab
https://t.co/hYD2sW0BD6

[Lifespan News @LifespanNews]

Scientists have found that the levels of phosphatidylcholine, the most abundant lipid in mitochondrial membranes, decline with age, driving mitochondrial aging in worms and possibly humans.

👉 Read more: https://t.co/pAcGQgyyAm

[BRI @BRI_Protocols]

@jack Matrix Gla-Protein (MGP) Not Only Inhibits Calcification in Large Arteries But Also May Be Renoprotective: Connecting the Dots
https://t.co/IGdVLn5cup

[BRI @BRI_Protocols]

@jack MGP Peptides derived from the mechanism Vitamin K2 enacts to mitigate calcification:

Peptides of Matrix Gla protein inhibit nucleation and growth of hydroxyapatite and calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals
https://t.co/H8fHcpW75y

[Nicholas Fabiano, MD @NTFabiano]

Neural similarity predicts whether strangers become friends.

Friends really are on the same wavelength.

[BRI @BRI_Protocols]

The Two Faces of GABA

“Computer models created by the researchers suggest that GABA is still acting as expected for the most part, quieting neuronal activity. But for alpha-5 receptors, inhibiting electrical activity comes with an unexpected side effect: It makes neurons more likely to suck in calcium ions the next time the cell decides to fire.”
https://t.co/S8KwEceZew

[Bryce Hanna @photobiogenesis]

Now the interesting thing is that mitochondria actually have two membranes

The inner membrane wrinkles and folds back in on itself, maximizing its surface area, while the outer membrane has minimal surface area creating an "intermembrane space" with a minimal volume

[Bryce Hanna @photobiogenesis]

iNOS which is considered the damaging inflammatory NO producer is unique in that it creates exponentially more NO

In the nanomolar range vs picomolar

The iNOS enzyme is also "irreversible," and will continue producing NO locally for hours, or until it's degraded by the cell

[TBPN @tbpn]

"I think what tech people misunderstand is just the size of the TAM in pharma."

@zebulgar says capital will rotate into pharma after AGI:

"Anthropic is at what, a $60B run rate? Keytruda, the drug that Merck did in 2019, that one drug's topline is $25B in revenue. Just that one drug."

"By the way, once there's AGI, what do you think everybody's going to be focused on afterwards? Everybody's just going to want to live forever. Where do you think the capital is going to rotate into? It's going to rotate into longevity, therapeutics, and manufacturing."

[Colby Serpa @ColbySerpa]

Cannabis compounds beyond THC may help reverse metabolic problems during weight loss
https://t.co/RklIV7bIm6
“Mice treated with THC alone showed no improvement in glucose regulation, a key indicator of type 2 diabetes. Despite losing weight, these animals continued to exhibit impaired glucose homeostasis, a hallmark of diabetes.

In contrast, mice treated with the whole cannabis extract not only lost weight but also experienced a reversal of these metabolic impairments.”

________________________

Long-story short, distillate THC is garbage. There are so many varieties of cannabis. Studying THC in isolation, or some back-ally dirt weed, is not the same as studying a high quality sativa with anti-inflammatory terpenes like Beta Caryophyllene (potent CB2 agonist).

[Demis Hassabis @demishassabis]

I’ve always believed the No.1 application of AI should be to improve human health.

That work started with AlphaFold, and now at @IsomorphicLabs with the mission to reimagine drug discovery and one day solve all disease!

We are turbocharging that goal with $2.1B in new funding.