Blood test detects cancer DNA three years before diagnosis
WHAT DID THE STUDY FIND?When someone has cancer, their tumors release small bits of genetic material into the bloodstream. The researchers discovered that this material can show up in blood samples long before any signs of illness appear."We were surprised to find cancer signals in the blood so early. Finding cancer three years earlier gives us a chance to treat it before it spreads,' said Dr. Yuxuan Wang, one of the study authors.The team used blood samples from a large health study called ARIC, which has tracked people's heart and health data for many years.They looked at blood from 52 people:26 people who were later diagnosed with cancer26 people who stayed cancer-freeOut of these, 8 people showed signs of cancer in their blood using a special lab test called MCED (Multicancer Early Detection). All 8 of these people were diagnosed with cancer within four months after their blood was taken.advertisementIn 6 of those cases, researchers went back and checked older blood samples from the same people, taken more than three years before the diagnosis. In 4 of those cases, cancer markers were already present even back then.WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?The study highlights that a simple blood test might one day be able to spot cancer early, giving doctors and patients more time to act.'This kind of early detection could improve treatment and save lives," said Dr. Nickolas Papadopoulos, one of the senior researchers.However, the researchers stated that they need to determine the appropriate clinical follow-up after a positive test for such cancers.
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Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
Why Johns Hopkins, the top-funded US university, is now losing billions in research aid
Johns Hopkins University, the top recipient of federal research funding in the United States, is facing an unprecedented financial crisis as the Trump administration aggressively cuts billions in aid flowing to American higher education institutions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While not directly named in official government actions, Johns Hopkins is reeling from a political wave aimed at defunding universities that conservatives claim have become ideologically biased and fiscally bloated. The institution, which receives roughly $4.2 billion annually in federal research support, has already lost $800 million in funding and laid off over 2,000 employees. According to The New York Times, these cuts have impacted both international and domestic research, jeopardizing critical public health and scientific projects worldwide. The political rationale behind the cuts The Trump administration has framed the move as a response to what it calls the ideological drift of elite universities. As reported by The New York Times, administration officials argue that major research institutions have evolved into "bastions of leftism hostile to conservative thought," using taxpayer money to promote what they label as radical agendas. Russell T. Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, stated that current government spending was "contrary to the needs of ordinary working Americans" and too heavily tilted toward institutions aligned with gender and climate ideologies, which he called "antithetical to the American way of life. " This broad criticism has translated into sweeping budget proposals. A Trump-backed initiative could cut the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget by nearly 40%, directly impacting Johns Hopkins, which received over $1 billion in NIH grants this year alone. The National Science Foundation and other federal bodies have also reduced or canceled grants—around 90 totaling $50 million, according to The New York Times. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Massive losses in international and domestic programs Johns Hopkins has long been a global leader in international health and development. But the US Agency for International Development, which had partnered closely with the university, saw its funding gutted. The school lost 2,200 jobs, including 250 in the US. Programs to prevent cervical cancer in Madagascar, diagnose tuberculosis in Uganda, and build healthcare systems in Bangladesh were either paused or terminated. Domestically, the impact is equally severe. Canceled NIH grants had supported projects to reduce HIV among transgender women, enhance STEM education for autistic high schoolers, and improve Covid vaccination rates among low-income Latino populations. Endowment, overhead, and local impact under pressure Despite having a $13 billion endowment, Johns Hopkins officials argue that those funds are largely restricted and cannot fill the gap. Still, under current proposals, the university may face a 7% tax on endowment income under the House plan, or 4% under the Senate version. Ronald J. Daniels, president of Johns Hopkins, has expressed concern that such taxes would undermine student financial aid—especially generous donations like the $1.8 billion gift from Michael Bloomberg. In addition, proposed federal reductions to indirect cost reimbursements—funds that help cover lab space, staff, and infrastructure—could drain another $300 million from the university. As The New York Times reported, the Heritage Foundation called these reimbursements a way universities "bilk taxpayers." A threat to America"s research leadership Faculty members have warned that the disruption could unravel decades of scientific progress. "We had these shining institutions that contributed so much to human knowledge, and there are explicit steps being taken to undermine them," said physics professor N. Peter Armitage, as quoted by The New York Times . Beyond the university, the consequences are rippling through Baltimore. The school has spent more than $1 billion on local business partnerships since 2016. Alicia Wilson, vice president for civic engagement, told The New York Times , "As goes Hopkins, so goes Baltimore." Daniels, who once warned in his 2021 book What Universities Owe Democracy that authoritarian regimes often target universities, has acknowledged the institution must adapt. In a campus-wide message, he revealed that new federal awards were down by nearly two-thirds and announced hiring freezes, delayed raises, and construction pauses. Even with its storied past and groundbreaking achievements in science and medicine, Johns Hopkins now stands as a symbol of what is at stake in a national shift away from funding academic research.
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First Post
6 days ago
- First Post
2,000 jobs cut, India projects jeopardised: Johns Hopkins reels from US funding halt
US President Donald Trump's cuts in the funding to the tune of $800 million to Johns Hopkins University have led to 2,200 people being laid off and several healthcare programmes in many countries, including in India, compromised. read more US President Donald Trump has not gone after Johns Hopkins University the way he has gone after Columbia, but the consequences are already visible. The Trump administration has so far cut $800 million from the $4.2 billion annual funds to Johns Hopkins and 2,200 jobs at the university has been axed and several public health programmes and research programmes have been hit, according to The New York Times. The unpublicised crackdown on Johns Hopkins is the latest in the Trump administration's campaign to use federal grants as a tool to bend the nation's public education system to its will and make university, their courses, and their graduates in the president's image. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For more than a century, Johns Hopkins has been a pioneer in several fields, including in medicine and public health. In 1889-1999, Dr William Stewart Halsted of Johns Hopkins made the rubber glove that massively reduced infections during surgery and are integral to surgeries and medical practice today. The university also developed the world's rechargeable cardiac pacemaker, the first effective treatment for sickle cell anemia, and helped develop a spacecraft that smashed into an asteroid that was hailed as the 'humanity's first planetary defense test'. Trump's assault on Johns Hopkins' goes beyond US So far, Trump has cut $800 million of the $4.2 billion federal grant to Johns Hopkins. The Times reported that officials at the university are expecting more cuts. The newspaper listed the following programmes as being hit from budget cuts: International research: The Trump administration's cuts to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have affected programmes in more than 100 countries and led to losses of more than 2,200 jobs. More than 1,900 of those jobs were outside of the United States. Judd Walson, the Chair in International Health, told the newspaper that these programmes covered the prevention of cervical cancer in Madagascar, diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) in Uganda, and building health systems in Bangladesh. He warned that millions of people were at the risk of dying from cuts. Johns Hopkins also ran programmes related to TB, maternal and child health, and primary health management in India. These programmes are also expected to be affected from cuts. Domestic research: Around 90 research programmes have been cancelled. These programmes addressed autism in children, reduction of HIV's spread among transwomen, and improving Covid-19 vaccination among low-income groups. Other support: The Trump administration has also cut grants to support laboratories and administrative costs to the tune of $300 million. New taxes: The Trump administration might slap Johns Hopkins with a new increased 'endowment tax'. 'Perplexing & distressing': Johns Hopkins president on Trump's cuts Johns Hopkins President Ronald J Daniels has described Trump's cuts as 'perplexing and distressing'. Daniels said that what started as threats have now turned into a campaign of 'cancellations and terminations'. Daniels said, 'Over the past six weeks, we have experienced a fast and far-reaching cascade of executive orders and agency actions affecting higher education and federally sponsored research. What began as stop work orders or pauses in grant funding allocations has morphed into cancellations and terminations.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The university had little choice other than reducing the university's activities, according to Daniels.
NDTV
6 days ago
- NDTV
Leonardo Da Vinci's Helicopter Design Could Make Modern Drones Quieter And Stealthier
A flying machine resembling a helicopter, designed by Leonardo da Vinci, could be used to develop quieter and stealthier modern drones, according to a new study published in the journal Bulletin of the American Physical Society. Famous for his paintings such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, Da Vinci was also an engineer and architect who conceptualised flying machines centuries before any of these machines became a reality for humans. The prototype helicopter called Leonardo's aerial screw was conceived in 1480 and is regarded as the earliest known designs for a lift-generating rotor. Rajat Mittal at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland and his colleagues found that the "aerial screw" may require less power to generate the same amount of lift as a conventional drone rotor. "We were surprised," said Mr Mittal, adding: "We went in thinking that because the shape of this spiral screw is just completely, in some sense, ad hoc, it was intuitive that the aerodynamic performance would be so bad that we would not be able to get any improvements over conventional blades." The researchers built a simulation of the device and put it in a virtual wind tunnel to examine how it would perform while hovering in place. They found the aerial screw could generate the same amount of lift while rotating more slowly, meaning it would consume less power. 'The da Vinci propeller produced much less noise for the same given amount of lift being generated," said Suryansh Prakhar, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering who worked on the project. The team is now planning to conduct more simulations to model the propellers' noise levels when the drones are larger and operating at higher speeds. 'We would expect similar results in noise reduction; however, the aerodynamic efficiency of da Vinci's propeller will be lower when compared to a traditional propeller since not all parts of the spiral screw shape can be optimized to produce a similar amount of lift force Modern drones produce a high-pitched buzz sound as the propellers cut through the air. With their use for delivery, emergency response, photography and warfare rapidly increasing, these remotely operated vehicles continue to become bulky and noisy. However, if the study is anything to go by, the drone-making process could be revolutionised.
