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Geek Wire
an hour ago
- Health
- Geek Wire
UW researchers discover AI-powered breakthrough that could boost precision cancer treatment
The co-lead authors of a study publishing today in Science describing AI-designed proteins for target health theraphies, from left: Julia Bonzanini, Nathan Greenwood and Bingxu Liu. All are researchers with UW Medicine's Institute for Protein Design. (IPD Photo) A breakthrough in the science used to customize the treatment of cancer and other diseases is so promising that researchers at the University of Washington are planning to launch a company to commercialize the technology. The strategy uses artificial intelligence to create proteins that recognize and bind to specific markers on diseased cells, creating what are essentially biological neon signs that attract immune cells to destroy the targets. The research comes from the lab of Nobel laureate David Baker and UW Medicine's Institute for Protein Design, which Baker leads, and is being published today in the journal Science. Additional study authors come from multiple UW departments, the Garcia Lab at Stanford University, and the Scheinberg Lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. 'Detecting unhealthy cells is one of the main jobs of the immune system, but it doesn't always notice the subtle signs of cancer or viral infection,' Baker said in a statement. 'In this study, we show that computer-designed proteins can help human immune cells spot the right targets and function more effectively.' The work could lead to significant advancements in precision immunotherapy, which delivers disease-fighting drugs that are crafted for individual patients. The key to this personalized approach lies in understanding how cells display their identity on their surfaces. The outside membrane of a cell is studded with molecules that include small proteins called peptides that reveal a cell's inner workings, including if it's cancerous or infected by a virus such as HIV. The scientists used RFdiffusion and ProteinMPNN — AI-tools built by the Institute for Protein Design — to efficiently and cheaply engineer proteins that recognize the unique peptides. University of Washington biochemist and Nobel Prize laureate David Baker at his office in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler) The custom-made proteins can then be integrated into chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), which are engineered molecules that attract and activate immune-system warriors called T cells to attack specific targets. In their study, the researchers designed proteins for 11 peptide targets and eight successfully triggered a T-cell response. Of those eight, two produced such a strong immune response that the T cells killed the targeted cells. The peptide targets included HIV fragments and tumor-related protein mutations. 'We've shown how advances in protein design could make personalized cancer therapy possible, and we intend to start a company to turn these results into real therapies that benefit patients,' said Bingxu Liu, co-lead author of the study and postdoctoral scholar in the Baker Lab. Since 2014, the Institute for Protein Design has spun off 10 startups, and Baker has co-founded 21 tech companies. When Baker won the Nobel Prize in October, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences noted that 'his research group has produced one imaginative protein creation after another, including proteins that can be used as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials and tiny sensors.' The researchers involved in the latest study explained that the strategy can be easily adapted to new scenarios. Within days, the team was able to take one of its successful proteins and use AI to modify it to target new cancer and virus-associated peptides. The process could make it much cheaper to create personalized treatments. 'I'm hopeful that this will lead to new therapies that are more accessible to patients around the world who do not benefit from current state-of-the-art cancer treatments,' said Julia Bonzanini, a co-lead author and Baker Lab graduate student. Researchers worldwide can access online the open-source software used in the research. Other authors of the Science paper, titled 'Design of high-specificity binders for peptide–MHC-I complexes,' are Nathan Greenwood, Amir Motmaen, Jeremy Meyerberg, Tao Dao, Xinyu Xiang, Russell Ault, Jazmin Sharp, Chunyu Wang, Gian Marco Visani, Dionne Vafeados, Nicole Roullier, Armita Nourmohammad, David Scheinberg and Christopher Garcia. RELATED:
Japan Today
09-07-2025
- Health
- Japan Today
American kids have become increasingly unhealthy over nearly two decades, new study finds
Children run on the lawn at the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Mo. By LAURA UNGAR and JONEL ALECCIA The health of U.S. children has deteriorated over the past 17 years, with kids today more likely to have obesity, chronic diseases and mental health problems like depression, a new study says. Much of what researchers found was already known, but the study paints a comprehensive picture by examining various aspects of children's physical and mental health at the same time. 'The surprising part of the study wasn't any with any single statistic; it was that there's 170 indicators, eight data sources, all showing the same thing: a generalized decline in kids' health,' said Dr. Christopher Forrest, one of the authors of the study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has brought children's health to the forefront of the national policy conversation, unveiling in May a much-anticipated 'Make America Healthy Again' report that described kids as undernourished and overmedicated, and raised concerns about their lack of physical activity. But the Trump administration's actions — including cuts to federal health agencies, Medicaid and scientific research — are not likely to reverse the trend, according to outside experts who reviewed Monday's study. 'The health of kids in America is not as good as it should be, not as good as the other countries, and the current policies of this administration are definitely going to make it worse,' said Dr. Frederick Rivara, a pediatrician and researcher at the Seattle Children's Hospital and UW Medicine in Seattle. He co-authored an editorial accompanying the new study. Forrest and his colleagues analyzed surveys, electronic health records from 10 pediatric health systems and international mortality statistics. Among their findings: — Obesity rates for U.S. children 2-19 years old rose from 17% in 2007-2008 to about 21% in 2021-2023. — A U.S. child in 2023 was 15% to 20% more likely than a U.S. child in 2011 to have a chronic condition such as anxiety, depression or sleep apnea, according to data reported by parents and doctors. — Annual prevalence rates for 97 chronic conditions recorded by doctors rose from about 40% in 2011 to about 46% in 2023. — Early onset of menstruation, trouble sleeping, limitations in activity, physical symptoms, depressive symptoms and loneliness also increased among American kids during the study period. — American children were around 1.8 times more likely to die than kids in other high-income countries from 2007-2022. Being born premature and sudden unexpected death were much higher among U.S. infants, and firearm-related incidents and motor vehicle crashes were much more common among 1-19-year-old American kids than among those the same age in other countries examined. The research points to bigger problems with America's health, said Forrest, who is a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 'Kids are the canaries in the coal mine,' he said. ' When kids' health changes, it's because they're at increased vulnerability, and it reflects what's happening in society at large.' The timing of the study, he said, is 'completely fortuitous." Well before the 2024 presidential election, Forrest was working on a book about thriving over the life span and couldn't find this sort of comprehensive data on children's health. The datasets analyzed have some limitations and may not be applicable to the full U.S. population, noted Dr. James Perrin, a pediatrician and spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics, who wasn't involved in the study. 'The basic finding is true,' he said. The editorial published alongside the study said while the administration's MAHA movement is bringing welcome attention to chronic diseases, "it is pursuing other policies that will work against the interests of children.' Those include eliminating injury prevention and maternal health programs, canceling investments in a campaign addressing sudden infant death and 'fueling vaccine hesitancy among parents that may lead to a resurgence of deadly vaccine-preventable diseases," authors wrote. Officials from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department did not respond to a request for comment. Forrest said risks highlighted by the MAHA report, such as eating too much ultra-processed food, are real but miss the complex reality driving trends in children's health. 'We have to step back and take some lessons from the ecological sustainability community and say: Let's look at the ecosystem that kids are growing up in. And let's start on a kind of neighborhood-by-neighborhood, city-by-city basis, examining it,' he said. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
NDTV
08-07-2025
- Health
- NDTV
Obesity, Chronic Illnesses, And Mental Health: Study Says US Children Are Sicker Than Ever
The foundation of a nation's health and prosperity lies in the well-being of its children. However, a concerning trend has emerged in the US, where children's health has declined over the past 17 years, with alarming increases in obesity, chronic diseases, and mental health issues like depression, threatening their future and the nation's prosperity. The study titled as," Trends in US Children's Mortality, Chronic Conditions, Obesity, Functional Status, and Symptoms" suggests that, "the health of US children has worsened across a wide range of health indicator domains over the past 17 years. The broad scope of this deterioration highlights the need to identify and address the root causes of this fundamental decline in the nation's health." Much of what researchers found was already known, but the study paints a comprehensive picture by examining various aspects of children's physical and mental health at the same time. "The surprising part of the study wasn't any with any single statistic; it was that there's 170 indicators, eight data sources, all showing the same thing: a generalized decline in kids' health," said Dr. Christopher Forrest, one of the authors of the study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has brought children's health to the forefront of the national policy conversation, unveiling in May a much-anticipated "Make America Healthy Again" report that described kids as undernourished and overmedicated, and raised concerns about their lack of physical activity. But the Trump administration's actions - including cuts to federal health agencies, Medicaid and scientific research - are not likely to reverse the trend, according to outside experts who reviewed Monday's study. "The health of kids in America is not as good as it should be, not as good as the other countries, and the current policies of this administration are definitely going to make it worse," said Dr. Frederick Rivara, a pediatrician and researcher at the Seattle Children's Hospital and UW Medicine in Seattle. He co-authored an editorial accompanying the new study. Forrest and his colleagues analyzed surveys, electronic health records from 10 pediatric health systems and international mortality statistics. Among their findings: Obesity rates for US children 2-19 years old rose from 17% in 2007-2008 to about 21% in 2021-2023. A US child in 2023 was 15% to 20% more likely than a U.S. child in 2011 to have a chronic condition such as anxiety, depression or sleep apnea, according to data reported by parents and doctors. Annual prevalence rates for 97 chronic conditions recorded by doctors rose from about 40% in 2011 to about 46% in 2023. Early onset of menstruation, trouble sleeping, limitations in activity, physical symptoms, depressive symptoms and loneliness also increased among American kids during the study period. American children were around 1.8 times more likely to die than kids in other high-income countries from 2007-2022. Being born premature and sudden unexpected death were much higher among U.S. infants, and firearm-related incidents and motor vehicle crashes were much more common among 1-19-year-old American kids than among those the same age in other countries examined.
Boston Globe
07-07-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
American kids have become increasingly unhealthy over nearly two decades, new study finds
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has brought children's health to the forefront of the national policy conversation, unveiling in May a much-anticipated 'Make America Healthy Again' report that described children as undernourished and overmedicated, and raised concerns about their lack of physical activity. But the Trump administration's actions — including cuts to federal health agencies, Medicaid, and scientific research — are not likely to reverse the trend, according to outside experts who reviewed Monday's study. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'The health of kids in America is not as good as it should be, not as good as the other countries, and the current policies of this administration are definitely going to make it worse,' said Dr. Frederick Rivara, a pediatrician and researcher at the Seattle Children's Hospital and UW Medicine in Seattle. He coauthored an editorial accompanying the new study. Advertisement Forrest and his colleagues analyzed surveys, electronic health records from 10 pediatric health systems, and international mortality statistics. Among their findings: Advertisement ♦ Obesity rates for US children 2-19 years old rose from 17 percent in 2007-2008 to about 21 percent in 2021-2023. ♦ A US child in 2023 was 15 percent to 20 percent more likely than a US child in 2011 to have a chronic condition such as anxiety, depression, or sleep apnea, according to data reported by parents and doctors. ♦ Annual prevalence rates for 97 chronic conditions recorded by doctors rose from about 40 percent in 2011 to about 46 percent in 2023. ♦ Early onset of menstruation, trouble sleeping, limitations in activity, physical symptoms, depressive symptoms, and loneliness also increased among American children during the study period. ♦ American children were around 1.8 times more likely to die than youngsters in other high-income countries from 2007-2022. Being born premature and sudden unexpected death were much higher among US infants, and firearm-related incidents and motor vehicle crashes were much more common among 1- to 19-year-old American children than among those the same age in other countries examined. The research points to bigger problems with America's health, said Forrest, who is a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 'Kids are the canaries in the coal mine,' he said. 'When kids' health changes, it's because they're at increased vulnerability, and it reflects what's happening in society at large.' The timing of the study, he said, is 'completely fortuitous.' Well before the 2024 presidential election, Forrest was working on a book about thriving over the lifespan and couldn't find this sort of comprehensive data on children's health. The datasets analyzed have some limitations and may not be applicable to the full US population, noted Dr. James Perrin, a pediatrician and spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics, who wasn't involved in the study. Advertisement 'The basic finding is true,' he said. The editorial published alongside the study said while the administration's MAHA movement is bringing welcome attention to chronic diseases, 'it is pursuing other policies that will work against the interests of children.' Those include eliminating injury prevention and maternal health programs, canceling investments in a campaign addressing sudden infant death, and 'fueling vaccine hesitancy among parents that may lead to a resurgence of deadly vaccine-preventable diseases,' authors wrote. Officials from the US Health and Human Services Department did not respond to a request for comment. Forrest said risks highlighted by the MAHA report, such as eating too much ultra-processed food, are real but miss the complex reality driving trends in children's health. 'We have to step back and take some lessons from the ecological sustainability community and say: Let's look at the ecosystem that kids are growing up in. And let's start on a kind of neighborhood-by-neighborhood, city-by-city basis, examining it,' he said.
Los Angeles Times
07-07-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
American kids have become increasingly unhealthy over nearly two decades, new study finds
The health of U.S. children has deteriorated over the past 17 years, with kids today more likely to have obesity, chronic diseases and mental health problems like depression, a new study says. Much of what researchers found was already known, but the study paints a comprehensive picture by examining various aspects of children's physical and mental health at the same time. 'The surprising part of the study wasn't any with any single statistic; it was that there's 170 indicators, eight data sources, all showing the same thing: a generalized decline in kids' health,' said Dr. Christopher Forrest, one of the authors of the study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has brought children's health to the forefront of the national policy conversation, unveiling in May a much-anticipated 'Make America Healthy Again' report that described children as undernourished and overmedicated, and raised concerns about their lack of physical activity. But the Trump administration's actions — including cuts to federal health agencies, Medicaid and scientific research — are not likely to reverse the trend, according to outside experts who reviewed Monday's study. 'The health of kids in America is not as good as it should be, not as good as the other countries, and the current policies of this administration are definitely going to make it worse,' said Dr. Frederick Rivara, a pediatrician and researcher at the Seattle Children's Hospital and UW Medicine in Seattle. He co-authored an editorial accompanying the new study. Forrest and his colleagues analyzed surveys, electronic health records from 10 pediatric health systems and international mortality statistics. Among their findings: — Obesity rates for U.S. children 2-19 years old rose from 17% in 2007-2008 to about 21% in 2021-2023. — A U.S. child in 2023 was 15% to 20% more likely than a U.S. child in 2011 to have a chronic condition such as anxiety, depression or sleep apnea, according to data reported by parents and doctors. — Annual prevalence rates for 97 chronic conditions recorded by doctors rose from about 40% in 2011 to about 46% in 2023. — Early onset of menstruation, trouble sleeping, limitations in activity, physical symptoms, depressive symptoms and loneliness also increased among American children during the study period. — American children were around 1.8 times more likely to die than children in other high-income countries from 2007-2022. Being born premature and sudden unexpected death were much higher among U.S. infants, and firearm-related incidents and motor vehicle crashes were much more common among 1-19-year-old American kids than among those the same age in other countries examined. The research points to bigger problems with America's health, said Forrest, who is a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 'Kids are the canaries in the coal mine,' he said. ' When kids' health changes, it's because they're at increased vulnerability, and it reflects what's happening in society at large.' The timing of the study, he said, is 'completely fortuitous.' Well before the 2024 presidential election, Forrest was working on a book about thriving over the life span and couldn't find this sort of comprehensive data on children's health. The datasets analyzed have some limitations and may not be applicable to the full U.S. population, noted Dr. James Perrin, a pediatrician and spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics, who wasn't involved in the study. 'The basic finding is true,' he said. The editorial published alongside the study said while the administration's MAHA movement is bringing welcome attention to chronic diseases, 'it is pursuing other policies that will work against the interests of children.' Those include eliminating injury prevention and maternal health programs, canceling investments in a campaign addressing sudden infant death and 'fueling vaccine hesitancy among parents that may lead to a resurgence of deadly vaccine-preventable diseases,' authors wrote. Officials from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department did not respond to a request for comment. Forrest said risks highlighted by the MAHA report, such as eating too much ultra-processed food, are real but miss the complex reality driving trends in children's health. 'We have to step back and take some lessons from the ecological sustainability community and say: Let's look at the ecosystem that kids are growing up in. And let's start on a kind of neighborhood-by-neighborhood, city-by-city basis, examining it,' he said. Ungar and Aleccia write for the Associated Press. The AP Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
