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Newsweek
13-06-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Scientists Map How Alzheimer's Begins in the Brain
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In an unprecedented large-scale study, researchers have mapped out the first molecular events that cause harmful protein buildups in the brain of people with Alzheimer's disease. "By measuring the effects of over 140,000 different versions of proteins, we have created the first comprehensive map of how individual mutations alter the energy landscape of amyloid beta aggregation—a process central to the development of Alzheimer's disease," said paper author and computational biologist Anna Arutyunyan of the Wellcome Sanger Institute in a statement. "Our data-driven model offers the first high-resolution view of the reaction's transition state, opening the door to more targeted strategies for therapeutic intervention," Arutyunyan added. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that some 7.2 million Americans aged 65 and older are presently living with the disease. Its first outward symptom is typically memory problems, but it can lead to delusions, speech issues, disturbed sleep and mood swings. Artist's impression of amyloid-beta peptide buildups within the brain. Artist's impression of amyloid-beta peptide buildups within the brain. selvanegra/iStock / Getty Images Plus At the heart of more than 50 different neurodegenerative diseases is the molecule amyloid beta. This peptide (a chain of amino acids) has a tendency to clump together, forming structures known as amyloid fibrils. In turn, these fibrils gather together into so-called "plaques"—which play a central role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The transition from free-flowing amyloid beta to stable fibril structures requires a certain amount of energy—with the peptides having to pass through a "transition state." This state is extremely unlikely to form, accounting for why fibrils and plaques never form in most people. It is also extremely short-lived, which helps account for how difficult it is to study how amyloid beta starts aggregating. Nevertheless, understanding these molecular structures and reactions will be vital for the future development of therapies against Alzheimer's and similar conditions. In the new study, Arutyunyan and colleagues probed the amyloid beta transition by exploring how changing the genetics of the peptide affects its aggregation rate. The team focused on Aβ42, a form of the amyloid beta with 42 amino acids that is commonly found in people with Alzheimer's disease. The researchers used three techniques in their work. First, "massively parallel sequencing" allowed the team to see how changing the amino acids in Aβ42 affects the amount of energy needed to form a fibril. Next, they used genetically engineered yeast cells to measure the rate of the aggregation reaction. Finally, the team used machine learning tools to analyze the results and map out the effect of all the possible mutations of the peptide on fibril formation. In total, the team were able to assess more than 140,000 versions of Aβ42 in one pop—a breakthrough in scale that boosts the accuracy of the resulting models. Read more Map shows states where risk of dementia is highest—are you living in one? Map shows states where risk of dementia is highest—are you living in one? The analysis revealed that only a very few specific interactions between parts of the amyloid beta peptide strongly influenced the rate of fibril formation. Furthermore, the team found that the aggregation reaction begins at one of the tightly packed, water-repellent ends of the peptide, which is known as the C-terminal region. Accordingly, the researchers hope that targeting interactions in this region might allow new means to protect against and treat Alzheimer's disease. "The approach we used in this study opens the door to revealing the structures of other protein transition states, including those implicated in other neurodegenerative diseases," said genomicist professor Ben Lehner, also of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, in a statement. "The scale at which we analyzed the amyloid peptides was unprecedented … we have shown it's a powerful new method to take forward. "We hope this takes us one step closer to developing treatments against Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions," Lehner added. Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about Alzheimer's disease? Let us know via health@ Reference Arutyunyan, A., Seuma, M., Faure, A. J., Bolognesi, B., & Lehner, B. (2025). Massively parallel genetic perturbation suggests the energetic structure of an amyloid-β transition state. Science Advances, 11 (24).
Business Upturn
13-06-2025
- Health
- Business Upturn
Pioneering Cancer Plasticity Atlas will Help Predict Response to Cancer Therapies
Cambridge, England & Seattle, United States: The Wellcome Sanger Institute, Parse Biosciences, and the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich today announced a collaboration to build the foundation of a single cell atlas, focused on understanding and elucidating cancer plasticity in response to therapies. The collaboration will catalyze an ambitious future phase to develop a cancer plasticity atlas encompassing hundreds of millions of cells. Utilizing novel organoid perturbation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms, the aim is to create a comprehensive dataset to fuel foundational drug discovery models and cancer research. Dr. Mathew Garnett, Group Leader at the Sanger Institute, and Prof. Fabian Theis, Director of the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich and Associate Faculty at the Sanger Institute, will be the principal investigators in the collaboration. Garnett's research team has generated novel 3D organoid cultures that serve as highly scalable and functional cancer models with the ability to capture hallmarks of patient tumors. The team will use vast numbers of these tumor organoids — mini tumors in a dish — as a model to better understand cancer mechanisms of plasticity and adaptability in response to treatments. Theis' research team has been widely recognized for pioneering computational algorithms to solve complex biological challenges at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and single cell genomics, in this context for in silico modeling of drug effects on cellular systems. The initiative will be run through Parse Biosciences' GigaLab, a state-of-the-art facility purpose built for the generation of massive scale single cell RNA sequencing datasets at unprecedented speed. The Sanger, Helmholtz Munich, and Parse teams have developed automated methods to streamline laboratory procedures in addition to the computational methods required to analyze and discover insights within datasets of this size. The ultimate aim of the collaboration is to build a single cell reference map that will enable virtual cell modeling and potentially help predict the effect of drugs in cancer patients – where resistance might develop, from which compounds, and where to target future treatment efforts. Garnett, Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and collaboration co-lead, said: 'We have developed a transformational platform to enable both large-scale organoid screening and the downstream data generation and analysis which has the potential to redefine our understanding of therapeutic responses in cancer. We aim to develop a community that brings the best expertise from academia and industry to progress the project. Studies of this magnitude are critical to the development of foundational models to better help us understand cancer progression and bring much needed advancement in the field.' Theis, Director of the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich and collaboration co-lead, said: 'Our vision of a virtual cell perturbation model is becoming increasingly feasible with recent advances in AI — but to scale effectively, we need large, high-quality single cell perturbation datasets. This collaboration enables that scale, and I'm excited to move toward AI-driven experimental design in drug discovery.' Dr. Charlie Roco, Chief Technology Officer at Parse Biosciences, said: 'We are incredibly excited to bring the power of GigaLab to visionary partners. Leveraging Parse's Evercode chemistry, the GigaLab can rapidly produce large single cell datasets with exceptional quality. Combining the expertise of the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Helmholtz Munich with the speed and scale achieved by the GigaLab enable the opportunity to fundamentally change our understanding of cancer.' About Parse Biosciences Parse Biosciences is a global life sciences company whose mission is to accelerate progress in human health and scientific research. Empowering researchers to perform single cell sequencing with unprecedented scale and ease, its pioneering approach has enabled groundbreaking discoveries in cancer treatment, tissue repair, stem cell therapy, kidney and liver disease, brain development, and the immune system. With technology developed at the University of Washington by co-founders Alex Rosenberg and Charles Roco, Parse has raised over $100 million in capital and is used by over 2,500 customers across the world. Its growing portfolio of products includes Evercode™ Whole Transcriptome, Evercode™ TCR, Evercode™ BCR, Gene Select, and a solution for data analysis, Trailmaker™. Parse Biosciences is based in Seattle's vibrant South Lake Union district, where it recently expanded into a new headquarters and state-of-the-art laboratory. To learn more, please visit About Helmholtz Munich Helmholtz Munich is a leading biomedical research center. Its mission is to develop breakthrough solutions for better health in a rapidly changing world. Interdisciplinary research teams focus on environmentally triggered diseases, especially the therapy and prevention of diabetes, obesity, allergies, and chronic lung diseases. With the power of artificial intelligence and bioengineering, researchers accelerate the translation to patients. Helmholtz Munich has around 2,500 employees and is headquartered in Munich/Neuherberg. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, with more than 43,000 employees and 18 research centers the largest scientific organization in Germany. More about Helmholtz Munich (Helmholtz Zentrum München Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt GmbH): About the Wellcome Sanger Institute The Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leading genomics research centre. We undertake large-scale research that forms the foundations of knowledge in biology and medicine. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools and technologies are shared across the globe to advance science. Our ambition is vast – we take on projects that are not possible anywhere else. We use the power of genome sequencing to understand and harness the information in DNA. Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom and support to push the boundaries of genomics. Our findings are used to improve health and to understand life on Earth. Find out more at or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on our Blog. About Wellcome Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and we're taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health. View source version on Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
National Post
12-06-2025
- Health
- National Post
Pioneering Cancer Plasticity Atlas will Help Predict Response to Cancer Therapies
Article content CAMBRIDGE, England & SEATTLE — The Wellcome Sanger Institute, Parse Biosciences, and the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich today announced a collaboration to build the foundation of a single cell atlas, focused on understanding and elucidating cancer plasticity in response to therapies. The collaboration will catalyze an ambitious future phase to develop a cancer plasticity atlas encompassing hundreds of millions of cells. Article content Utilizing novel organoid perturbation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms, the aim is to create a comprehensive dataset to fuel foundational drug discovery models and cancer research. Article content Article content Dr. Mathew Garnett, Group Leader at the Sanger Institute, and Prof. Fabian Theis, Director of the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich and Associate Faculty at the Sanger Institute, will be the principal investigators in the collaboration. Article content Garnett's research team has generated novel 3D organoid cultures that serve as highly scalable and functional cancer models with the ability to capture hallmarks of patient tumors. The team will use vast numbers of these tumor organoids — mini tumors in a dish — as a model to better understand cancer mechanisms of plasticity and adaptability in response to treatments. Article content Theis' research team has been widely recognized for pioneering computational algorithms to solve complex biological challenges at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and single cell genomics, in this context for in silico modeling of drug effects on cellular systems. The initiative will be run through Parse Biosciences' GigaLab, a state-of-the-art facility purpose built for the generation of massive scale single cell RNA sequencing datasets at unprecedented speed. Article content The Sanger, Helmholtz Munich, and Parse teams have developed automated methods to streamline laboratory procedures in addition to the computational methods required to analyze and discover insights within datasets of this size. Article content The ultimate aim of the collaboration is to build a single cell reference map that will enable virtual cell modeling and potentially help predict the effect of drugs in cancer patients – where resistance might develop, from which compounds, and where to target future treatment efforts. Article content Garnett, Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and collaboration co-lead, said: 'We have developed a transformational platform to enable both large-scale organoid screening and the downstream data generation and analysis which has the potential to redefine our understanding of therapeutic responses in cancer. We aim to develop a community that brings the best expertise from academia and industry to progress the project. Studies of this magnitude are critical to the development of foundational models to better help us understand cancer progression and bring much needed advancement in the field.' Article content Theis, Director of the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich and collaboration co-lead, said: 'Our vision of a virtual cell perturbation model is becoming increasingly feasible with recent advances in AI — but to scale effectively, we need large, high-quality single cell perturbation datasets. This collaboration enables that scale, and I'm excited to move toward AI-driven experimental design in drug discovery.' Article content Dr. Charlie Roco, Chief Technology Officer at Parse Biosciences, said: 'We are incredibly excited to bring the power of GigaLab to visionary partners. Leveraging Parse's Evercode chemistry, the GigaLab can rapidly produce large single cell datasets with exceptional quality. Combining the expertise of the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Helmholtz Munich with the speed and scale achieved by the GigaLab enable the opportunity to fundamentally change our understanding of cancer.' Article content About Parse Biosciences Article content Parse Biosciences is a global life sciences company whose mission is to accelerate progress in human health and scientific research. Empowering researchers to perform single cell sequencing with unprecedented scale and ease, its pioneering approach has enabled groundbreaking discoveries in cancer treatment, tissue repair, stem cell therapy, kidney and liver disease, brain development, and the immune system. Article content With technology developed at the University of Washington by co-founders Alex Rosenberg and Charles Roco, Parse has raised over $100 million in capital and is used by over 2,500 customers across the world. Its growing portfolio of products includes Evercode™ Whole Transcriptome, Evercode™ TCR, Evercode™ BCR, Gene Select, and a solution for data analysis, Trailmaker™. Article content Parse Biosciences is based in Seattle's vibrant South Lake Union district, where it recently expanded into a new headquarters and state-of-the-art laboratory. To learn more, please visit Article content About Helmholtz Munich Article content Helmholtz Munich is a leading biomedical research center. Its mission is to develop breakthrough solutions for better health in a rapidly changing world. Interdisciplinary research teams focus on environmentally triggered diseases, especially the therapy and prevention of diabetes, obesity, allergies, and chronic lung diseases. With the power of artificial intelligence and bioengineering, researchers accelerate the translation to patients. Helmholtz Munich has around 2,500 employees and is headquartered in Munich/Neuherberg. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, with more than 43,000 employees and 18 research centers the largest scientific organization in Germany. More about Helmholtz Munich (Helmholtz Zentrum München Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt GmbH): About the Wellcome Sanger Institute The Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leading genomics research centre. We undertake large-scale research that forms the foundations of knowledge in biology and medicine. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools and technologies are shared across the globe to advance science. Our ambition is vast – we take on projects that are not possible anywhere else. We use the power of genome sequencing to understand and harness the information in DNA. Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom and support to push the boundaries of genomics. Our findings are used to improve health and to understand life on Earth. Find out more at or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on our Blog. Article content Article content Article content
Time of India
05-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
How a baby's gut bacteria could help fight off viral infections later
Did you know that the mix of bacteria in a baby's gut right after birth might actually protect them from getting sick with viral infections in early childhood? Sounds wild, but that's exactly what some new research from the UK is showing. The study, done by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and University College London (UCL), suggests that certain gut bacteria babies pick up in their first week could lower their chances of ending up in the hospital with serious respiratory infections in the first two years of life. This is the biggest study of its kind on UK babies' microbiomes — basically, the community of tiny microbes living in their digestive system. The researchers took stool samples from over 1,000 newborns and used whole genome sequencing to figure out what bacteria were hanging out in there. Then, they checked the babies' health records to see who ended up admitted to the hospital with viral lower respiratory tract infections (that's infections in the lungs and airways caused by viruses) before age two. Here's the kicker: babies born vaginally with a specific mix of 'pioneer' bacteria, especially one called Bifidobacterium longum (B. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Direct Shopping From Adidas Franchise Store, Up To 50% Off Original Adidas Shop Now Undo longum), were less likely to need hospital care for these infections. This beneficial bacteria was often found alongside other helpful species like Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bacteroides dorei. So, it looks like these early microbial neighbors might be helping the baby's immune system fight off nasty viruses later on. Why does birth method matter? The study also backed up previous findings that how a baby is born influences their early microbiome. Babies born vaginally usually pick up a different mix of gut bacteria compared to babies born via C-section. Vaginally born babies get exposed to their mom's bacteria passing through the birth canal, which helps seed their gut with beneficial microbes right away. Babies born by C-section don't get that same exposure, so their early gut bacteria profile tends to be different. But interestingly, the study found that not all vaginally born babies had the same protective microbiome — some still had a higher risk of hospital admissions for viral infections. So, birth method is just one piece of the puzzle. What about feeding? The researchers also looked at whether babies were breastfed, formula-fed, or had a mix. Breast milk is known to help develop a healthy gut microbiome, but even after considering feeding type and whether babies took antibiotics, the link between the beneficial bacteria and lower infection risk still held up. Correlation, not causation It's important to keep in mind this is an observational study, which means it shows an association between certain bacteria and lower hospital admissions — but it doesn't prove that those bacteria cause the protection. More research is needed to figure out if these microbes are directly guarding babies against infections, or if something else is at play. Still, the results are exciting because they open the door to new ideas for preventing serious viral infections in kids. Imagine if we could develop targeted probiotics — basically, good bacteria supplements — to give babies a microbial boost and help their immune systems stay strong. Bigger picture: The gut microbiome and future health This study is part of a growing wave of research showing that our gut microbiome plays a huge role in our overall health, especially immune system development. The first month of life seems like a critical window to set up a healthy gut ecosystem, which might influence how well babies handle infections and other health issues later on. The team behind the study is now gearing up for an even bigger project called the Microbes, Milk, Mental Health and Me (4M) study. This will look at how early microbiomes affect a whole range of health outcomes, not just respiratory infections. Experts weigh in Dr. Cristina Garcia-Mauriño, the lead author at UCL, told Medical Express, viral respiratory infections are a major reason kids get hospitalized, so finding ways to reduce this risk is huge. She highlighted how this study raises the idea that some babies' gut bacteria could be part of that protective shield. Professor Nigel Field from UCL, who co-leads the 4M project, called the findings 'striking and new.' He pointed out that combining genome technology with health records made it possible to uncover these associations — and bigger studies are needed to understand how our microbiomes and health really interact. Professor Louise Kenny, who wasn't part of this study but is an expert on childbirth and child health, stressed that C-sections save lives and that birth choices are complex. She said this study shows not every vaginally born baby has the same gut bacteria or infection risk, meaning other factors matter too. More research will help create personalized advice for moms and babies. Dr. Trevor Lawley from the Sanger Institute, also a co-lead on 4M, shared how our microbiome develops rapidly in those first few days and adapts as we grow. He's excited about the potential to design probiotics tailored to a baby's unique microbiome to promote health. Babies' gut bacteria aren't just tiny passengers — they could be playing a major role in protecting kids from some serious viral infections during their early years. While we're still figuring out the details, this research shines a light on the importance of early microbial development and opens exciting possibilities for future infant health interventions. So next time you think about baby gut health, remember: those little microbes might just be superheroes in disguise. One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
