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Total Votes
699,315
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Round 2

Round 2 Matchup 1 of 16
Your Prediction
55%
vs
Your Prediction
45%
Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT #1

VELCRO CANCER THERAPY

Cytokines such as interkeukins are immune system signaling proteins that have anti-tumor properties but are also highly toxic to healthy cells. Injecting cytokines into solid tumors has failed because they quickly leak into the body's circulation. Koch Institute researchers fused cytokines to a protein that binds to collagen, a molecule tumors have in abundance. This sharply reduced the leakage out of tumors and in mice, the fused cytokines enhanced the effectiveness of other cancer immunotherapies.

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Emory University School of Medicine

SIMPLER MEMORY TEST

Some people balk at taking written and verbal tests used to diagnose Alzheimer's and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Emory researchers, building on studies linking eye movement with memory impairment, devised a method to precisely measure eye movements of people taking a simple test — they were presented an image, and then later with something taken out. Most people noticed the missing item but those with dementia or MCI had a different eye pattern when looking at it. The team is developing an iPad version of the test.

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Round 2 Matchup 2 of 16
Your Prediction
49%
vs
Your Prediction
51%
University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine #1

CELL THERAPY FOR BRAIN INJURY

In mice with a traumatic brain injury, transplanted embryonic progenitor cells, capable of generating a type of inhibitory neuron that tamps down excessive brain activity, migrated into the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for learning and memory, forming new connections and surviving long term. Within a month, the mice showed signs of improved memory, performing as well on tests as uninjured mice, UC Irvine researchers reported.

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Texas Heart Institute / Rice University

RESTORING HEART FUNCTION

After a heart attack, patients often develop scar tissue that can lead to dangerous heart rhythm abnormalities. Researchers at Texas Heart Institute and Rice University used thread-like carbon nanotube fibers to bridge across scar tissue in an effort to restore normal electrical activity. They sewed these fibers into the hearts of sheep with scarring like that from a heart attack, and the animals' electrical function improved, suggesting this approach might improve treatment of cardiac arrhythmias in people.

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Round 2 Matchup 3 of 16
Your Prediction
59%
vs
Your Prediction
41%
UC San Diego School of Medicine

PHAGE THERAPY FOR LIVER DISEASE

As many as 75% of patients die within 90 days of a diagnosis of severe alcoholic hepatitis, and a liver transplant is the only cure. UC San Diego researchers found that cytolysin — a toxin secreted by Enterococcus faecalis — kills liver cells, and people with alcoholic liver disease have more of these bacteria in their gut than healthy people. Mice colonized with bacteria from patients with alcoholic hepatitis developed the disease, but treatment with bacteriophages that target E. faecalis eliminated the bacteria and the disease.

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Brigham and Women's Hospital (Harvard Medical School)

ARE 10,000 STEPS NECESSARY?

While 10,000 daily steps is a popular goal, there's little research on just how many steps are needed to improve health. This Brigham and Women's Hospital study of older women found that those who took just 4,400 steps per day had markedly lower mortality rates after four years than the least active women, who took 2,700 steps per day. More steps were associated with even lower mortality rates up to 7,500 steps per day, though as an observational study, it couldn't prove causation.

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Round 2 Matchup 4 of 16
Your Prediction
61%
vs
Your Prediction
39%
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

BUBBLE BOY DISEASE

Using a novel gene therapy, a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital team appears to have cured eight babies born with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency, a disease that leaves infants without a functional immune system and is usually fatal by age 2 unless they qualify for a bone marrow transplant. After an average followup of 16 months, the treatment restored infants' immune function and wiped out existing infections.

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University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center #1

BREAST CANCER THERAPY

Adding a targeted drug called ribociclib to standard hormone therapy for younger women with an aggressive form of breast cancer lowered their risk of death. After 3.5 years, 70% of premenopausal women with metastatic cancer who got the combination were alive, compared to 46% of those on hormone therapy alone. This long-running trial led by MD Anderson Cancer Center already changed the standard of care, and the FDA approved ribociclib for this population in 2018. The new results demonstrated the durability of the treatment's benefits.

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Round 2 Matchup 5 of 16
Your Prediction
36%
vs
Your Prediction
64%
Weill Cornell Medicine #1

SWEETENED DRINKS AND CANCER

Consumption of drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup has been associated with colon cancer risk, and their growing use has coincided with a rise of colorectal cancer in young and middle-aged adults. Weill Cornell researchers showed that ingestion of HFCS, even in moderate amounts, promotes the growth of colon cancer in mice. An enzyme in tumors converts fructose to a metabolite that promotes cell growth. Whether a similar process occurs in humans remains to be seen, but the authors urge people with colon cancer or at high risk to avoid sugary drinks.

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University of Utah Health

DRUGGABLE DIABETES TARGET

University of Utah and Merck researchers made genetically engineered mice lacking an enzyme called dihydroceramide desaturase 1 (DES1), which prevented insulin resistance and fatty liver disease in animals fed fat-laden diets and reversed prediabetes in obese mice. The findings suggest this enzyme may be a possible target for human treatments for obesity, diabetes, and related conditions.

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Round 2 Matchup 6 of 16
Your Prediction
53%
vs
Your Prediction
47%
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center #1

ENGINEERED IMMUNITY

Nearly every vaccine works by coaxing B cells — a key component of the immune system — to make antibodies, but sometimes vaccines provide only partial protection, or none at all. Fred Hutchinson cancer center researchers demonstrated an alternative approach: Using CRISPR genome-editing, they inserted DNA blueprints for specific antibodies into B cells from mice and humans and showed they could produce antibodies against a range of viruses. B cells engineered to produce antibodies against respiratory syncytial virus provided potent, long-lasting protection in mice.

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University of Iowa Health Care

REPURPOSED DRUG

University of Iowa researchers and colleagues identified a drug widely prescribed for an enlarged prostate as a possible therapy for Parkinson's disease, for which there is no progression-slowing treatment. Impaired energy metabolism is a common feature of Parkinson's, and when the team tested terazosin in rodents, fruit flies, and lab-grown human neurons, they found it enhanced energy production, slowed neuron death, and partially restored motor function. A search of patient databases revealed decreased disease progression in Parkinson's patients who happened to be taking the drug for an enlarged prostate.

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Round 2 Matchup 7 of 16
Your Prediction
42%
vs
Your Prediction
58%
University of California, Los Angeles

THE SOCIAL BRAIN

UCLA researchers found that socially interacting mice exhibit striking correlations of brain activity during ongoing social interaction. This interbrain synchronization emerges from two sets of neurons that separately encode one’s own social behaviors and those of the interacting partner. Synchronization during the initial phase of the social encounter predicts future social interactions as well as the dominance relationship the animals develop over time. These findings may help study disorders that affect social functioning, including depression and autism.

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Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University

3D-PRINTED ORGANS

Wyss Institute researchers developed a new technique to bioprint blood-vessel-like channels into mini-organs grown from induced pluripotent stem cells. They created batches of organ-specific tissues with high levels of oxygenation and function that survived for multiple days, and they hope to refine the technique to develop fully 3D-printed organs for transplant.

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Round 2 Matchup 8 of 16
Your Prediction
58%
vs
Your Prediction
42%
University of Michigan

CHEMO-RESISTANT TUMORS

University of Michigan researchers demonstrated how pancreatic tumors neutralize the effects of gemcitabine chemotherapy, by attracting and manipulating macrophages. The mechanism may underlie resistance in other tumors, as well, and might help guide the choice of treatments for patients based on the levels of these susceptible macrophages in tumors.

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Stony Brook University

BLOCKING CANCER STEM CELLS

Researchers from Stony Brook University discovered an enzyme driving cancer stem cell growth that underlies tumor recurrence, drug resistance, and progression in triple negative breast cancer, suggesting it could be a new drug target. They showed how the enzyme regulates cancer stem cells and that inhibiting the enzyme suppressed tumor growth and improved sensitivity to chemotherapy in mice. Enzyme activity was also increased in breast tumors from patients with lymph node metastasis.

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Round 2 Matchup 9 of 16
Your Prediction
56%
vs
Your Prediction
44%
The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT

LIGHT AND SOUND THERAPY FOR ALZHEIMER'S

Brain wave stimulation using pulses of light and sound were associated with improved learning and memory in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, and prolonged visual stimulation prevented neuron death and preserved synaptic connections, researchers at MIT's Picower Institute showed. Based on these findings, human clinical trials of this non-invasive therapy began in 2019.

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University of Washington

SMART BREATHING MONITOR

University of Washington researchers demonstrated that smartphones or smart speakers could be programmed to accurately identify the distinctive breathing sounds of a person experiencing cardiac arrest or an overdose. They developed the software using recordings of 911 calls, and audio from a supervised injection facility and an operating room during administration of anesthesia. The goal is to alert emergency responders and others in time to begin life-saving treatment.

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Round 2 Matchup 10 of 16
Your Prediction
48%
vs
Your Prediction
52%
University of Massachusetts Medical School #2

RNA MEDICINE

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can block expression of disease-causing genes. Two such drugs have been approved for liver diseases, but delivery into the brain is a challenge. UMass scientists linked together two modified siRNAs that target the Huntington's disease gene and injected this treatment into mice and macaques, achieving broad distribution in the brain. It significantly cut production of the huntingtin protein for up to six months with limited off-target effects. A similar approach could eventually be applied to other neurological disorders.

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Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

CRISPR ADVANCE

The discovery of "prime editing" expands the scope of the revolutionary CRISPR genome editing technology, giving it the capability to correct up to 89% ofl known genetic variants associated with human diseases. Prime editing can efficiently and precisely make targeted insertions, deletions, and all possible single-letter changes in DNA, and Broad Institute researchers demonstrated its utility by repairing the primary genetic causes of sickle cell and Tay-Sachs diseases.

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Round 2 Matchup 11 of 16
Your Prediction
60%
vs
Your Prediction
40%
Children’s National Hospital

NEW CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY

A type of cancer immunotherapy called tumor-associated antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells was shown by Children's National Hospital researchers to be safe in a first-in-human clinical trial in patients — mostly children — with solid organ tumors that didn't respond to previous treatments; 11 of 15 patients had stable disease or better 45 days after infusion, including 6 with progression-free survival after a median of 13.9 months.

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Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University / MIT

SMART MATERIALS

In a novel use of CRISPR, resesarchers from Harvard's Wyss Institute and MIT engineered programmable materials that exploit the genome-editor's DNA-cutting properties to trigger the release of whole cells and biofluorescent markers from hydrogels made with DNA. In response to specific stimuli, CRISPR can precisely snip open these hydrogels to deliver a drug at the site of a tumor or infection, or build an electronic sensor that could signal the presence of a pathogen such as Ebola virus.

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Round 2 Matchup 12 of 16
Your Prediction
50%
vs
Your Prediction
50%
University of Notre Dame

PREVENTING PEANUT ALLERGIES

A team led by Notre Dame scientists devised a possible new way to treat peanut allergies by stopping immune system antibodies (IgE) from attaching to the allergens in peanuts. The researchers identified the binding sites and designed compounds to stop this binding. In tests using samples from 16 allergic people, the compounds prevented an allergic response in 14 of them, indicating they might be an effective allergy therapy.

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University of Michigan Depression Center

STRESS TEST

This study suggests that the first year of medical residency causes young doctors’ DNA to age six times faster than normal, with the largest effect among those whose training programs demand the longest hours. The study, by researchers at Michigan and Brown University, is the first to measure people's telomere length before and after a prolonged, intense experience. Telomeres are seen as an indicator of aging and disease risk, and the work suggests telomere length can serve as a biomarker for the effects of stress.

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Round 2 Matchup 13 of 16
Your Prediction
41%
vs
Your Prediction
59%
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

Doctors at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia identified a genetic mutation causing a 12-year-old’s rare illness, in which lymphatic vessels proliferate and leak fluid into the lungs and other organs, and then engineered the mutation into zebrafish. The fish developed a piscine version of the boy’s disease, and after the team tested multiple drugs on these fish, they found one — an existing melanoma drug called trametinib — that stopped the vessels’ growth. When they tried it on the boy, he recovered and has since returned to a normal life.

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University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine #2

ATTACKING C. DIFF TOXIN

Researchers uncovered the three-dimensional structure of a toxin primarily responsible for Clostridium difficile infection and revealed how antibodies could neutralize the toxin, providing a blueprint for developing new drugs and vaccines. The UC Irvine-led team is now developing a novel vaccine based on the findings.

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Round 2 Matchup 14 of 16
Your Prediction
64%
vs
Your Prediction
36%
Institute for Systems Biology

MICROBIOME HEALTH

Aiming to analyze how the makeup of the gut microbiome correlates with health and obesity, Institute for Systems Biology researchers found that certain metabolites in blood could predict the diversity of the microbiome, suggesting a blood test might be used to monitor the microbiome. Their early findings indicate that more diversity of gut bacteria may not always be the best and that there is a "Goldilocks zone" of gut flora diversity.

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University of California, Berkeley #2

BIASED AI

An algorithm widely used by hospitals to identify patients needing extra medical help was shown to have significant racial bias because it uses health costs as a proxy for illness. The algorithm affects health care decisions for tens of millions of patients, and removing the bias would more than double the number of Black patients eligible for additional care, according to the UC Berkeley-led study. Retraining the algorithm using patient health data instead of insurance claims reduced bias by 84%.

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Round 2 Matchup 15 of 16
Your Prediction
42%
vs
Your Prediction
58%
University of Michigan College of Engineering

LIQUID BIOPSY

A University of Michigan team designed a microfluidic chip to efficiently capture circulating tumor cells and isolate their RNA for single-cell gene expression analysis — a non-invasive way to comprehensively profile tumor genetics without a biopsy. The system was validated by isolating 666 tumor cells from the blood of 21 breast cancer patients and showing it could detect intrapatient heterogeneity in biomarkers critical for metastasis and to identify drug targets.

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Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center #2

NEW CANCER APPROACH

Close genetic analysis using CRISPR editing shows how 19 different mutations in a gene involved in processing DNA instructions into proteins led to faulty splicing and drove cancer growth in a variety of cancer types, including leukemia and solid tumors. Researchers from Fred Hutchinson and Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer centers developed a targeted antisense oligonucleotide that corrected the fault and caused tumors in mice to die off. The work shows the potential for using antisense therapy against cancer.

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Round 2 Matchup 16 of 16
Your Prediction
73%
vs
Your Prediction
27%
Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT #2

SEEING TINY TUMORS

Ovarian cancer patients' survival depends on how much tumor can be removed, but tiny tumors often have spread so abundantly it’s difficult for surgeons to find and remove them. MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital researchers developed an imaging system using a fluorescing nanotubule that binds a protein abundant in ovarian cancer cells, making it possible to see tumors smaller than a poppy seed in real-time so that they could be removed. Mice undergoing surgery with the imaging system survived longer than those receiving standard surgery. Human prototypes are under development.

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Yale University #2

ARTERY DISEASE

Yale researchers identified a new mechanism underlying artery disease, showing in mice that activation of TGF-beta signaling in the walls of blood vessels brings on inflammation, which in turn causes atherosclerosis. Interrupting this positive feedback loop that keeps vascular inflammation going led to a 70% regression of atherosclerosis lesions, something never seen before. The work suggests atherosclerosis is driven more by a population of susceptible endothelial cells in arteries than by traditional risk factors including high cholesterol and hypertension.

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