Ground Truths

Articles

How the Science of Aging Can Extend Healthspan

3 days ago | erictopol.substack.com | Eric J. Topol

Before getting right into this topic, check out recent related Ground Truths posts which are helpful for background —The Breakthrough Test for Alzheimer’s —Our Diet and Healthy Aging —The Business of Promoting Longevity and Healthspan —Our Sleep, Brain Aging, and Waste Clearance —What Can 11,000 Proteins in Our Blood Tell Us —The Emergence of Protein Organ Clocks —Exercise May Be the Single Most Potent Medical Intervention Ever Known As I wrote in Science last year, our ability to do accurate...
The Breakthrough Blood Test for Alzheimer's Disease

1 week ago | erictopol.substack.com | Eric J. Topol

Back in 2020, a major milestone of progress emerged: a very accurate biomarker in the plasma —p-Tau217—for tracking brain neuropathology, without the need for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, requiring a lumbar puncture) or a PET scan. This was from the pioneering work of Oskar Hansson and colleagues from the University of Lund in Sweden, demonstrating in multiple cohorts how this biomarker discriminated Alzheimer’s disease (AD) from other neurodegenerative diseases (non-AD).
The Breakthrough Blood Test for Alzheimer's Disease

1 week ago | erictopol.substack.com | Eric J. Topol

Back in 2020, a major milestone of progress emerged: a very accurate biomarker in the plasma —p-Tau217—for tracking brain neuropathology, without the need for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, requiring a lumbar puncture) or a PET scan. This was from the pioneering work of Oskar Hansson and colleagues from the University of Lund in Sweden, demonstrating in multiple cohorts how this biomarker discriminated Alzheimer’s disease (AD) from other neurodegenerative diseases (non-AD).
The Shingles Vaccine and Reduction of Dementia

2 weeks ago | erictopol.substack.com | Eric J. Topol

This week a new study published in Nature added to the evidence that getting a vaccine vs Shingles (Herpes Zoster) reduces the subsequent risk of dementia. It is the most rigorous study performed to date, but still leaves us with many questions.
Our Diet and Healthy Aging

3 weeks ago | erictopol.substack.com | Eric J. Topol

“Our findings provide evidence to support that adherence to healthy dietary patterns represents a potential strategy for healthy aging, patterns that particularly are richer in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts and legumes, that include some dairy products, and that are lower in trans fats, sodium, and red and processed meats.” In the journal Nature Medicinethis week there was an important open-access publication about a large combined cohort of over 105,000 health...
The Business of Promoting Longevity and Healthspan

1 month ago | erictopol.substack.com | Eric J. Topol

Over the past couple of years we’re seeing several new companies in the business to consumer space for promoting lifespan, healthspan, and generally the use of extensive testing to achieve early detection or prevent diseases. Here’s a group of 10 that I’ve zoomed in on, will take you through, and contextualize in this edition of Ground Truths. Below is a Table I’ve made summarizing these companies, the tests they conduct, costs, and current membership data when available.
The Holy Grail of Biology

1 month ago | erictopol.substack.com | Eric J. Topol

“Eventually, my dream would be to simulate a virtual cell.”—Demis HassabisThe aspiration to build the virtual cell is considered to be equivalent to a moonshot for digital biology. Recently, 42 leading life scientists published a paper in Cell on why this is so vital, and how it may ultimately be accomplished.
Anna Greka: Molecular Sleuthing for Rare Diseases

1 month ago | erictopol.substack.com | Eric J. Topol

Funding for the NIH and US biomedical research is imperiled at a momentous time of progress. Exemplifying this is the work of Dr. Anna Greka, a leading physician-scientist at the Broad Institute who is devoted to unlocking the mysteries of rare diseases— that cumulatively affect 30 million Americans— and finding cures, science supported by the NIH. A clip from our conversationThe audio is available on iTunes and Spotify. The full video is linked here, at the top, and also can be found on YouTube.
Carl Zimmer: Air-Borne and the Big Miss With Covid

1 month ago | erictopol.substack.com | Eric J. Topol

Before getting into this new podcast, have you checked out the recent newsletter editions and podcasts of Ground Truths? —the first diagnostic immunome—a Covid nasal vaccine update—medical storytelling and uncertainty—why did doctors with A.I. get outperformed by A.I. alone? The audio is available on iTunes and Spotify. The full video is embedded here, at the top, and also can be found on YouTube. Eric Topol (00:07):Well, hello.
The First Diagnostic Immunome

2 months ago | erictopol.substack.com | Eric J. Topol

B and T lymphocytes contain a treasure chest of information about our immune response to pathogens, vaccination, environmental exposures, and untoward, self-directed attack (to our organs, tissues, and cells). The B and T cell receptors are like antennas, extending outside the cell (Figure below), that act as the sensors to mount a response to these different antigens.