Helen Albert

Berlin, Germany

Freelance Science Journalist at Freelance

Senior Editor at Inside Precision Medicine

Freelance journalist. Focus: med, life sci, bioanth & biotech. Bylines: Forbes, BMJ, New Scientist, Chemistry World, Labiotech & more. Senior ed. @Inside_PM

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Articles

Heart Failure Risk Predicted Using AI and Simple ECG

1 week ago | insideprecisionmedicine.com | Helen Albert

Results from an international study show that heart failure risk can be predicted using an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm combined with a simple electrocardiogram (ECG) test that can be done in an outpatient setting.
Epilepsy Drug Resistance Linked to Genetic Variants

1 week ago | insideprecisionmedicine.com | Helen Albert

People with focal epilepsy who are resistant to available medications may be carriers of common genetic variants that impact the efficacy of these drugs. Focal epilepsy, which starts in a specific area of the brain, is the most common form of the neurological condition (61% of cases), affecting around 4 people in every 1,000. Although anti-seizure medications are available, they only work for two-thirds of people with this type of epilepsy.
Preterm Birth Predicted by Noninvasive Diagnostic Test

1 week ago | insideprecisionmedicine.com | Helen Albert

A test that can be done using a blood plasma sample containing cell-free (cf)DNA can predict whether a pregnant woman will have a preterm birth or not to a good degree of accuracy. “Preterm birth occurs in approximately 11% of all births worldwide, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality for both mothers and their offspring,” wrote Jia Tang, a researcher at the Guangdong Provincial Reproductive Science Institute in China, and colleagues in the journal PLoS Medicine.
Sustainable building material extracted from seawater

1 week ago | advancedsciencenews.com | Helen Albert

A sand-like material can be extracted from seawater by adding carbon dioxide, potentially making the building industry more sustainable. A seashell inspired material that locks away carbon dioxide could make concrete more sustainable.
Preeclampsia Subtypes Uncovered in Large Mirvie Study

2 weeks ago | insideprecisionmedicine.com | Helen Albert

Research from a study including more than 9,000 women, led by pregnancy diagnostics biotech Mirvie, has uncovered distinct subtypes of blood pressure–related disorders of pregnancy including preeclampsia. The researchers identified several RNA signatures that characterize both severe and mild blood pressure disorders of pregnancy months ahead of symptoms occurring, as well as validating a test developed by Mirvie to predict preeclampsia before symptoms occur.
Lexeo’s Cardiac Gene Therapy Achieves Good Early Trial Results

2 weeks ago | insideprecisionmedicine.com | Helen Albert

A gene therapy for Friedreich ataxia cardiomyopathy being developed by Lexeo Therapeutics, LX2006, has achieved good interim results in both a Phase I and Phase I/II trial. The two trials, the SUNRISE-FA Phase I/II clinical trial and the Weill Cornell Medicine investigator-initiated Phase IA trial, have treated 16 people so far with LX2006 and have seen clinically significant improvements in cardiac biomarkers and functional measures, as well as an increase in levels of the protein frataxin.
Common bacteria could be used to produce biodegradable bioplastics - Advanced Science News

2 weeks ago | advancedsciencenews.com | Helen Albert

Engineered Escherichia coli bacteria could be used to make sustainable biobased plastics. A research team based in Korea has succeeded in engineering E. coli bacteria to produce poly(ester amide)s, useful plastics that have a range of thermal and mechanical properties and are often biodegradable.
Blood Sugar Lowering Drugs Could Help Protect Against Dementia

2 weeks ago | insideprecisionmedicine.com | Helen Albert

Two recently published studies suggest that people taking blood sugar lowering drugs such as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, typically prescribed for type 2 diabetes or obesity, could have reduced risk for dementia.
Atsena Therapeutics Secures $150M to Progress Eye Gene Therapies

3 weeks ago | insideprecisionmedicine.com | Helen Albert

North Carolina-based Atsena Therapeutics has secured $150 million in Series C funding to progress its two lead eye gene therapy candidates to the clinic. The company has a candidate therapy, ATSN-201, for X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS), a rare X-linked retinal disease that usually begins in childhood and later leads to blindness, that is currently in a Phase I/II trial.
Disparities in U.S. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care Revealed

3 weeks ago | insideprecisionmedicine.com | Helen Albert

A study including more than 80,000 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) reveals that Asian and Hispanic Americans with these conditions use healthcare services less than White Americans. The study showed that older Black patients with IBD were more likely to visit the emergency department, be hospitalized, or use steroids than White patients, but this association was weakened after adjusting for socioeconomic factors.