Gene editing tool could treat many diseases created by mutations

The use of gene editing to eliminate diseases has numerous challenges, including the not-so-small problem of dealing with mutation-based conditions like Huntington's. Existing approaches that replace the gene could cause damage. Salk Institute scie...

DeepMind AI can predict kidney illness 48 hours before it occurs

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) kills 500,000 people in the US and 100,000 in the UK annually, often because it's not detected soon enough. Researchers want to use AI to change that. DeepMind, the Alphabet-owned AI company, partnered with the US Department...

AI could be the key to catching Type 1 diabetes much earlier

Will AI lead to a quicker diagnosis of diabetes, a condition often called the silent killer? IBM researchers are hoping so. They recently announced an AI-powered screening tool that could potentially identify Type 1 diabetes antibodies in people's bl...

VR and microscopy help scientists see ‘inside’ diseases

You can only learn so much about cells by studying 2D pictures, and 3D microscope technology can produce an abundance of data that might be hard to decipher. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Virginia Mason have an answer, though: let sci...

Anti-vaxxers are the newest threat in ‘Plague Inc.’

Never underestimate the power of a viral petition -- and in this case we mean that quite literally. Strategy game Plague Inc., which sees players do their best to wipe out the world with infectious disease, is going to be given an anti-vaxxer scenari...

Scientists design ‘decoy platelets’ that reduce risk of blood clots

Heart disease, stroke, sepsis and cancer are incredibly serious conditions which together cause the greatest number of deaths around the world. They're unique illnesses, but they have something in common -- they're all associated with activated plate...

GSK to use 23andMe’s DNA library in drug development

DNA testing company 23andMe has partnered with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), in a bid to develop new drug treatments. 23andMe, which gives customers insight into their genetic makeup via postal saliva tests, has some five million custom...

UK promises funding for AI-based early cancer detection

The UK is about to make a big bet on AI's ability to spot cancer. The Guardian has learned that Prime Minister Theresa May will commit "millions of pounds" in funding for research toward AI that can diagnose cancer and chronic diseases at an early st...