With billions of dollars in federal biomedical research support in question, universities should look to build collaborations with industry, which today provides only about 3 to 8 percent of research funding for the 243 universities ranked as the best in the U.S. for translational science by the Cure Innovation Index. A new Cure analysis finds universities engage industry through four distinct pathways: scientific collaboration, industry-sponsored clinical research, small-business partnerships, and entrepreneurial training. On the first two, the expected pattern holds and top-ranked universities lead. On the second two, it reverses and lower-ranked universities outperform the top-ranked.

While gut bacteria clearly influence host health, determining whether they or their metabolic byproducts alone contribute to longevity remains challenging. A recent study using gnotobiotic flies colonized with genetically engineered Escherichia coli demonstrated that bacterial polyamines directly extend host lifespan. By clearly separating metabolite effects from bacterial presence, these findings highlight gut-derived polyamines as a tangible, promising target for future life-extending strategies for healthy longevity.

A multicenter study of 2,746 patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) introduces ORACLE, an artificial intelligence model that predicts organ failure from CT imaging. The model achieved AUCs of 0.81–0.89, outperforming conventional scoring systems, and provided a median early warning of 3.5 hours before clinical onset. Its 97.2% negative predictive value may help clinicians stratify risk.A multicenter study of 2,746 patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) introduces ORACLE, an artificial intelligence model that predicts organ failure from CT imaging. The model achieved AUCs of 0.81–0.89, outperforming conventional scoring systems, and provided a median early warning of 3.5 hours before clinical onset. Its 97.2% negative predictive value may help clinicians stratify risk.

Scientists have developed a new fluorine-based tracer that can be tracked using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to monitor how quickly food moves through the gastrointestinal tract. The new method has so far been successfully tested in rats in a preclinical study, but it could eventually help diagnose gastrointestinal motility disorders or monitor treatment response. The study was published in Advanced Healthcare Materials.

A research team led by Prof. Hnin Yin Yin NYEIN from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed a novel wearable device named "HELP" (heteromodal epidermal liquid-metal patch).

A single infusion of genetically corrected autologous hematopoietic stem cells can provide durable clinical benefit for patients with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that impairs immune function and platelets function, exposing affected children from an early age to severe infections, bleeding episodes, eczema and autoimmune complications. The publication presents the outcomes of 27 patients treated with etuvetidigene autotemcel (etu-cel), an autologous gene therapy developed to correct the genetic defect underlying the disease. Patients were followed for at least 5.7 years, with some monitored for more than 13 years. Overall survival was 96% at both one and five years, while severe infections and moderate-to-severe bleeding events were markedly reduced following treatment. Among the adverse events observed, none were attributable to the gene therapy product, confirming a favorable risk-benefit profile.