Interviews
White Paper January 2024 “Year 2023, a Transformative Journey through Scientific Knowledge”
- January 29, 2024
- Publicado por: ACCDIS
- Category: News
Dr. Sergio Lavandero
National Natural Sciences Award 2022. Director, Center Advanced Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS ), University of Chile & Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Teacher, FacultyChemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences/Faculty of Medicine, Universityof Chile; Assistant Professor, Cardiology Division, University ofTexas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas;Vice presidentChilean Academy of Sciences.
An age-old custom is to compile a summary of the most important scientific discoveries and events of the past year. In my opinion, During 2023, There are three that stand out.
The First Light of the Universe
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made extraordinary observations of the radiation emitted by the first stars and galaxies to form after the Big Bang. This discovery has changed our current understanding of the origin of the universe. In addition, The telescope has yielded the deepest image of the universe ever recorded, revealing six massive galaxies in the SMACS 0723 region of space, that they had already formed 500 and 700 million years after the Big Bang. These galaxies are more massive than expected and according to current cosmological models would not have had time to form stars.
Curiously, A galaxy similar to the Milky Way was found to have formed 11.7 billion years ago, When the universe was only 15% of its current age. The Presence
of the active supermassive black hole GN-z11 to 13,4 billion light-years from Earth suggests that these structures formed shortly after the Big Bang. In addition, JWST observations have provided unprecedented insight into star formation, revealing for the first time unseen regions where young stars that formed from clouds of gas and dust have been discovered in the region of our Galaxy called NGC 3324 in the constellation Carina in the southern hemisphere. In conclusion, These discoveries go some way to challenging our current theories about the origin and evolution of galaxies.
This image of the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 and its surroundings was the first image released by the James Webb Space Telescope in July 2023. GIMÉNEZ-ARTEAGA ET AL./PETER LAURSEN
Revolutionary New Medical Treatments
Drugs for the treatment of obesity. Obesity is a global health problem, and in Chile, The majority of the population is overweight. Glucagon-like peptide type 1 (LPG-1) It is produced by the digestive system in response to
Food intake, and promotes insulin secretion. Drugs that activate the GLP-1 receptor have been found to reduce obesity and associated diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Although these drugs are effective in reducing body weight, They can also cause side effects, such as nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea, pancreatitis, bowel obstruction, Depression and suicidal ideation. After discontinuing use, About 2/3 of people regain the weight lost after 1,5 years. Research is underway into the use of these drugs to treat addiction, as they can reduce anxiety and the desire to eat. It is important to remember that the treatment of obesity must be multidisciplinary to promote healthy habits and that these drugs should not be used massively, as further validation and long-term safety studies are required.
Correction of genetic alterations through genome editing. CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology makes it possible to modify, Removing or adding genetic material (DNA) at specific sites in an organism's genome using a gene-editing technique. This method is inspired by a natural gene-editing system that bacteria use to protect themselves from viruses. Genome editing has become an area of interest for researchers seeking to prevent and treat genetic diseases in humans. December 8, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. U.S.. (FDA, For its acronym in English) approved genome editing of sickle cell patients using the CRISPR-Cas9 system for the first time. This genetic disease, the most common in the world, It is due to a mutation in the globin gene that produces defective globins that form hemoglobin, the protein responsible for transporting oxygen to tissues via red blood cells. Patients with this disease have red blood cells that are altered in shape and function, which leads to anemia.
Zilebesiran: First genetic drug for the treatment of high blood pressure. This pathology affects more than 1.2 billion globally. This new drug is based on a small RNA interference (siRNA) selectively targeted to the liver reduced angiotensinogen production by 90%, Key Precursor of Peptide Mediators Responsible for Increased Blood Pressure. The phase 1 clinical trial in 107 hypertensive patients who received a single dose of 200 mg of zilebesiran or placebo showed that the treatment was well tolerated and normalized blood pressure for up to 6 months.
Artificial Intelligence in Biomedicine
November 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, A chat system based on a language model by generative artificial intelligence. This program, which has more than 175 million parameters, He was trained with large amounts of text to hold conversations and perform tasks. As a result, ChatGPT became the catalyst for the era of artificial intelligence that began in 2023. The prestigious journal Nature highlighted in its latest December issue the 10 people who excelled in the development of science in 2023, including the pioneer and creator of ChatGPT, Ilya Sutskever.
Although ChatGPT was a crucial innovation, Other important milestones marked the year 2023 in the field of artificial intelligence.
AlphaMissense Program Developed by Google, DeepMind can determine whether the 71 million genetic mutations known as nonsense mutations are harmless or whether they cause any disease. Among its projections are the potential to completely transform genetic analysis and support the design of new drugs.
Electronic Brain Implants. These devices are digital bridges that allow the connection between the brain and the spinal cord, skipping the injured section of the spine. The thoughts of patients with paralysis are transmitted wirelessly from the brain to another implant located in their spine that commands their legs and feet to activate to walk again. Algorithms based on
In artificial intelligence, they allow movement thoughts to be decoded in real time from brain impulses. They also learned about the development of a helmet with sensors that records brain activity using an electroencephalogram and then these signals are decoded into written words using the DeWave artificial intelligence model.
Artificial Intelligence for Cancer Screening. The use of AI algorithms applied to mammogram image analysis could potentially help in the diagnosis of breast cancer. The study released in August 2023 showed the first data from a randomized controlled clinical trial, current, comparing the evaluation of AI-supported mammogram screening versus the analysis of two expert pathologists. The results were similar between the two methodologies, halving the workload of radiologists.
Contact Information
Dr. Sergio Lavandero
comunicaciones@accdis.cl