The brain during final moments of life | Treating inoperable tumors

HealthTech

Photo by PopTika for Shutterstock

What happens to the brain as you die?

LOUISVILLE, KY—Does your life really pass before your eyes? A team of scientists, led by a neurosurgeon at the University of Louisville, inadvertently recorded the brainwaves of an 87-year-old patient as he died, providing the first glimpse at what happens in the brain during the final moments of life. The man’s brainwave patterns in the 30 seconds before and after his heart stopped beating were similar to what occurs during dreaming, memory recall, and meditation.

Reversing hair loss

DURHAM, NC—Researchers at Duke University may be onto a way to reverse hair loss. The team has been studying the role of a molecule called TSLP that skin tissue produces after an injury. The initial focus of the study was to see if TSLP could speed up wound healing. It didn’t hasten wound repair, but it interacted with stem cells residing in hair follicles, accelerating the onset of hair growth.

A minimally invasive way of treating inoperable tumors

PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS—Kansas startup Engenious Design will advance its medical technology for treating previously inoperable cancer tumors with minimally-invasive surgery. The company is teaming with Manhattan, KS-based Precision Microwave to further develop its thermal ablation treatment–a procedure that uses heat, cold, microwave, and electrical currents to vaporize (ablate) cancer cells and tumors.

Vandy to advance schizophrenia treatment

NASHVILLE, TN–Vanderbilt University has signed an exclusive, worldwide license to advance their novel M4 receptor PAM program, which is an approach for treating individuals with schizophrenia. The agreement is with Neumora Thearapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering precision medicines for brain diseases through the integration of data science and neuroscience.