PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Digital babies created to improve infant healthcare

Digital babies created to improve infant healthcare
2024-06-07
(Press-News.org)

Researchers at University of Galway have created digital babies to better understand infants’ health in their critical first 180 days of life.

The team created 360 advanced computer models that simulate the unique metabolic processes of each baby.

The digital babies are the first sex-specific computational whole-body models representing newborn and infant metabolism with 26 organs, six cell types, and more than 80,000 metabolic reactions.

Real-life data from 10,000 newborns, including sex, birth weight and metabolite concentrations, enabled the creation and validation of the models, which can be personalised - enabling scientists to investigate an individual infant’s metabolism for precision medicine applications.

The work was conducted by a team of scientists at University of Galway’s Digital Metabolic Twin Centre and Heidelberg University, led by APC Microbiome Ireland principal investigator Professor Ines Thiele.

The team’s research aims to advance precision medicine using computational modelling. They describe the computational modelling of babies as seminal, as it enhances understanding of infant metabolism and creates opportunities to improve the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions during the early days of a baby’s life, such as inherited metabolic diseases.

Lead author Elaine Zaunseder, Heidelberg University, said: “Babies are not just small adults - they have unique metabolic features that allow them to develop and grow up healthy. For instance, babies need more energy for regulating body temperature due to, for example, their high surface-area-to-mass ratio, but they cannot shiver in the first six months of life, so metabolic processes must ensure the infant keeps warm.

“Therefore, an essential part of this research work was to identify these metabolic processes and translate them into mathematical concepts that could be applied in the computational model. We captured metabolism in an organ-specific manner, which offers the unique opportunity to model organ-specific energy demands that are very different in infants compared to adults.

“As nutrition is the fuel for metabolism, we can use breast milk data from real newborns in our models to simulate the associated metabolism throughout the baby’s entire body, including various organs. Based on their nutrition, we simulated the development of digital babies over six months and showed that they will grow at the same rate as real-world infants.”

Professor Ines Thiele, study lead on the project, said: “New-born screening programmes are crucial for detecting metabolic diseases early on, enhancing infant survival rates and health outcomes. However, the variability observed in how these diseases manifest in babies underscores the urgent need for personalised approaches to disease management.

“Our models allow researchers to investigate the metabolism of healthy infants as well as infants suffering from inherited metabolic diseases, including those investigated in newborn screening. When simulating the metabolism of infants with a disease, the models showed we can predict known biomarkers for these diseases. Furthermore, the models accurately predicted metabolic responses to various treatment strategies, showcasing their potential in clinical settings.”

Elaine Zaunseder added: “This work is a first step towards establishing digital metabolic twins for infants, providing a detailed view of their metabolic processes. Such digital twins have the potential to revolutionise paediatric healthcare by enabling tailored disease management for each infant's unique metabolic needs.”

The research was published this week in Cell Metabolism

This work was led by University of Galway and completed as part of a collaboration with Heidelberg University, Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies and Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany.

Ends

END


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Digital babies created to improve infant healthcare

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Lavender's secret: genetic regulator boosts plant health and fragrance output

Lavenders secret: genetic regulator boosts plant health and fragrance output
2024-06-07
A groundbreaking study has identified a gene that plays a dual role in enhancing both the aromatic compounds and disease resistance in lavender plants. The research uncovers how the LaMYC7 gene positively regulates the biosynthesis of linalool and caryophyllene, key for lavender's scent and its resistance to common plant pathogens. Plants face various environmental pressures, including biotic stressors like pathogens and abiotic stressors such as extreme temperatures. Among biotic stressors, Pseudomonas syringae significantly threatens plant health worldwide. Terpenoids, including linalool and caryophyllene, play crucial roles in plant ...

How $4 billion funded the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic response

How $4 billion funded the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic response
2024-06-07
New University of Virginia School of Medicine research is shedding light on how federal funding helped scientists understand the COVID-19 virus, develop new treatments and deploy lifesaving vaccines in record time. The UVA Health researchers used advanced “machine learning” – a form of artificial intelligence – to analyze the thousands of scientific publications that resulted from the National Institutes of Health’s deployment of more than $4 billion to combat the pandemic. This analysis allowed the researchers to categorize the types ...

Advances in omics research of rosaceae

Advances in omics research of rosaceae
2024-06-07
A research team has provided a comprehensive overview of the applications of omics technologies in Rosaceae plants. The study highlights significant advancements in genome sequencing, transcriptome, proteomics, and metabolomics, shedding light on the genetic regulatory mechanisms underlying crucial traits such as flower color, fragrance, stress tolerance, and fruit quality. This research is invaluable for molecular breeding and improving economic traits in Rosaceae plants, potentially leading to the rapid cultivation of new varieties and germplasm. The Rosaceae family, with its diverse species and economic importance, is a focus ...

Basic research: Inhibition of epigenetic control enzymes in immune cells as a potential new starting point in cancer immunotherapy

2024-06-07
Immunotherapy is one of the pillars in the fight against cancer and aims to enable the body's own immune system to fight a tumor. A recent study now shows that removing certain enzymes that regulate epigenetic processes from the so-called dentritic cells of the immune system influences their development and thus improves anti-tumor immunity. This finding could lead to new therapeutic strategies in immunotherapy. The study by Cristiano De Sá Fernandes from Maria Sibilia's research group at the Center for Cancer Research and the Comprehensive Cancer Center of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital was recently published in Cell Reports. Cancer cells are the body's ...

Tracking greenhouse gas emissions in Chinese value chains with an interprovincial input–output model

Tracking greenhouse gas emissions in Chinese value chains with an interprovincial input–output model
2024-06-07
China’s economy has shifted from a stage of high growth to a stage of high-quality development, and the establishment of a dual-carbon target requires profound changes in the industrial structure and energy systems, as well as finding the right direction and pathway for industrial adjustment. While the potential for technological emission reduction continues to be released, the main factor affecting China’s carbon emissions is the speed and intensity of economic transformation and industrial restructuring.   A research team of Dr. GU Alun from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, recently analyzed the correlations ...

Earth and space share the same turbulence

Earth and space share the same turbulence
2024-06-07
Fukuoka, Japan—In a paper published in Geophysical Research Letters, researchers have discovered that the turbulence in the thermosphere exhibits the same physical laws as the wind in the lower atmosphere. Furthermore, wind in the thermosphere predominantly rotates in a cyclonic direction, in that it rotates counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. The findings reveal a new unified principle for the Earth’s varied environmental systems and can potentially improve future forecasting of both earth and space weather. One time or another we’ve tuned in to see the latest weather forecast, and while ...

With programmable pixels, novel sensor improves imaging of neural activity

With programmable pixels, novel sensor improves imaging of neural activity
2024-06-07
Neurons communicate electrically so to understand how they produce brain functions such as memory, neuroscientists must track how their voltage changes—sometimes subtly—on the timescale of milliseconds. In a new paper in Nature Communications, MIT researchers describe a novel image sensor with the capability to substantially increase that ability. The invention led by Jie Zhang, a postdoctoral scholar in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory lab of Sherman Fairchild Professor Matt ...

Frozen? Let it melt with efficient new deicer friendly to the environment

Frozen? Let it melt with efficient new deicer friendly to the environment
2024-06-07
The dangers of frozen roads, airplane engines, and runways are well known, but the use of commercial products often means short-term safety over long-term environmental degradation. Seeking a better product, Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have developed a deicing mixture offering higher performance than deicers on the market while also having less impact on the environment. The team, made up of graduate student Kai Ito, Assistant Professor Arisa Fukatsu, Associate Professor Kenji Okada, and Professor Masahide Takahashi of the Graduate School of Engineering, used machine learning to analyze ice melting mechanisms of aqueous solutions of 21 salts and 16 organic ...

Aging speeds up and lifetime becomes shorter in animals whose cells ‘believe’ to have too many nutrients, despite following a normal diet

Aging speeds up and lifetime becomes shorter in animals whose cells ‘believe’ to have too many nutrients, despite following a normal diet
2024-06-07
Cells are signalled to have nutrients in excess, and this leads to malfunction and inflammation in organs such as the pancreas, the liver and the kidneys.   The finding, by CNIO researchers, are published in Nature Aging. It suggests that an intervention on the inflammation alone can relieve symptoms and increase survival.   The research has been conducted on animal models, but comparing their molecular processes with blood samples from people in their seventies indicates that they can be extrapolated to human aging. The reality of a population who is ageing at an accelerated rate makes it a priority to understand what happens in the body over time, ...

Transfer RNAs at the heart of therapeutic resistance

Transfer RNAs at the heart of therapeutic resistance
2024-06-07
An international research team led by scientists from the University of Liège has discovered an interesting new therapeutic target for the treatment of melanoma resistant to targeted therapies. Inhibition of the VARS enzyme could prevent this therapeutic resistance by resensitising tumours resistant to these targeted therapies. Melanoma is one of the most serious and aggressive forms of skin cancer. When diagnosed early, melanoma is surgically removed. However, once metastases (i.e. secondary distant tumours) have developed, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

CMD-OPT model enables the discovery of a potent and selective RIPK2 inhibitor as preclinical candidate for the treatment of acute liver injury

Melatonin receptor 1a alleviates sleep fragmentation-aggravated testicular injury in T2DM by suppression of TAB1/TAK1 complex through FGFR1

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals Shen-Bai-Jie-Du decoction retards colorectal tumorigenesis by regulating the TMEM131–TNF signaling pathway-mediated differentiation of immunosuppressive dendritic ce

Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B Volume 15, Issue 7 Publishes

New research expands laser technology

Targeted radiation offers promise in patients with metastasized small cell lung cancer to the brain

A high clinically translatable strategy to anti-aging using hyaluronic acid and silk fibroin co-crosslinked hydrogels as dermal regenerative fillers

Mount Sinai researchers uncover differences in how males and females change their mind when reflecting on past mistakes

CTE and normal aging are difficult to distinguish, new study finds

Molecular arms race: How the genome defends itself against internal enemies

Tiny chip speeds up antibody mapping for faster vaccine design

KTU experts reveal why cultural heritage is important for community unity

More misfolded proteins than previously known may contribute to Alzheimer’s and dementia

“Too much going on”: Autistic adults overwhelmed by non-verbal social cues

What’s driving America’s deep freezes in a warming world?

A key role of brain protein in learning and memory is deciphered by scientists

Heart attacks don’t follow a Hollywood script

Erin M. Schuman wins 2026 Nakasone Award for discovery on neural synapse function and change during formation of memories

Global ocean analysis could replace costly in-situ sound speed profiles in seafloor positioning, study finds

Power in numbers: Small group professional coaching reduces rates of physician burnout by nearly 30%

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage: A comprehensive review of CCUS-EOR

New high-temperature stable dispersed particle gel for enhanced profile control in CCUS applications

State gun laws and firearm-related homicides and suicides

Use of tobacco and cannabis following state-level cannabis legalization

Long-term obesity and biological aging in young adults

Eindhoven University of Technology and JMIR Publications announce unlimited open access publishing agreement

Orphan nuclear receptors in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease development

A technological breakthrough for ultra-fast and greener AI

Pusan National University researchers identify key barriers hindering data-driven smart manufacturing adoption

Inking heterometallic nanosheets: A scalable breakthrough for coating, electronics, and electrocatalyst applications

[Press-News.org] Digital babies created to improve infant healthcare