Tufts Medicine

Thank you, OncoDaily , Vumedi Oncology , Jason Binder . Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine

🧬 One Pulse, Permanent Lockdown: The Future of Biocontainment The "kill switch" just got a massive upgrade. 🛡️ A research team at Seoul National University has developed a CRISPR-based system that doesn't just inhibit engineered microbes—it fundamentally rewrites their ability to exist once their job is done. Published in Nucleic Acids Research, this platform is a game-changer for industrial biotechnology and live biotherapeutics. Why this matters: Traditional biocontainment often relies on DNA cutting, which can be leaky or prone to mutations. This new system uses base editing to target the "start codons" of three essential genes simultaneously. The Highlights: • Permanent Inactivation: It flips the genetic switch from "Go" to "Stop" without cutting DNA. • Incredible Precision: Achieves escape frequencies of \bm{10^{-8}} or lower—meeting strict NIH biosafety thresholds. • Rapid Response: The entire shutdown occurs within just one hour. • Versatile: Proven effective across multiple E. coli strains without interfering with the microbe’s primary engineered functions. The Big Picture 🌍 As we move toward "living medicines" and large-scale bio-manufacturing, public and regulatory trust is everything. This platform provides a robust "emergency brake," ensuring that engineered organisms stay exactly where they belong. While ecological validation is the next hurdle, this is a significant leap toward safer, more reliable synthetic biology. #Sang Woo Seo Read the full study in Nucleic Acids Research. #SyntheticBiology #CRISPR #Biotech #BioSafety #Innovation #Genomics #SeoulNationalUniversity Published in Nucleic Acids Research, Vol. 54, Issue 8, May 8, 2026 (article gkag422). DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkag422. Funded by NRF Korea and the Samsung Research Funding & Incubation Center.

I normally keep my creative work separate from medicine — but sometimes the arts become another way to support the people and causes we care about most. I entered People’s Artist because creativity, music, and storytelling are part of how I stay grounded outside of clinical medicine and leadership. If I were fortunate enough to win, the proceeds would go toward the Tufts Medical Center Neurology Resident Wellness Fund. #Neurology residents carry enormous emotional, intellectual, and clinical responsibility while caring for patients with some of the most complex neurologic diseases. Preserving and supporting the wellbeing of our trainees matters deeply. Burnout in neurology is real, and investing in resident wellness is one small but meaningful way to help sustain the future of our field. If you happen to have a Facebook account and would like to support the effort, please consider voting. Casting ONE VOTE IS FREE. Thank you for supporting both the creative arts and the next generation of neurologists. Here is the link to vote: https://lnkd.in/en2u6aP4 There are 48 hours left to vote. Jason Binder Christopher Schuler Shailesh Jejurikar Juliana Nunes Allison (Cooper) Zuber Michelle Cooper Mark A. Exley Raul Perez-Olle Alexandra Adler, MD Akanksha Sharma Achyut Saroj, PhD, BCMAS Midhun Ben Thomas Claudia Rebola Laura C. Duncan MHA, MHI, FACHE Caitlin Rivet, BSN, RN, CENP Lise Alschuler, ND, eMBA, FABNO Gene Hobbs Heekyoung Jung Imo Akpan, MD Jess G. Scott L. Pomeroy Matt Dun OAM, PhD Michael Stanley Michael Martin, MHA, CPRP Olga Taran Patrick Kent, MBA, PMP Ravi Samy Shira Doron Ting Bao Shankar Rao Rohan Rao Ugur Sener Maxwell A. Xu (MAX) Valerie Yang, MB BChir, PhD Yasmin Khakoo, MD, FCNS, FAAN, FAAP Zack Harwood

Energized by time I spent today with our teams at Tufts Medical Center during a leadership meeting focused on our most important asset—our people. A strong opportunity to align around exceptional patient care, a supportive work environment and continued innovation. #TuftsMedicine

Pancreatic carcinoma This is a landmark result — just announced April 13, 2026. Here’s a concise summary: Daraxonrasib (RMC-6236) in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer What it is: An orally active, multi-selective RAS(ON) inhibitor developed by Revolution Medicines. It uses a tri-complex mechanism to target the active, GTP-bound form of RAS proteins — including both mutant and wild-type forms — by first binding to the chaperone protein cyclophilin A, then blocking downstream oncogenic signaling. The Phase 3 results (RASolute 302): The trial met its primary and key secondary endpoints, demonstrating a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with previously treated metastatic PDAC. The headline number: In the intent-to-treat population, median OS was 13.2 months with daraxonrasib versus 6.7 months with chemotherapy — a hazard ratio of 0.40 (p < 0.0001). That translates to a 60% reduction in risk of death — nearly doubling survival. Breadth of benefit: Unlike earlier RAS-targeted agents limited to specific alleles like KRAS G12C, daraxonrasib addresses a broader spectrum of RAS variants, which is particularly relevant in PDAC given the diversity of RAS mutations in this cancer type. Why this matters: RAS mutations drive tumor growth in about 90% of pancreatic cancer cases. These results are described as ushering in “a new era of RAS-targeted medicines for pancreatic cancer, which has been exclusively treated with cytotoxic intravenous chemotherapy.” Safety: Daraxonrasib was generally well tolerated with a manageable safety profile and no new safety signals. Rash is the most common side effect. Regulatory pathway: Revolution Medicines intends to submit a New Drug Application to the FDA under the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher, and will present full data at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting. Bottom line: This is arguably the most significant advance in pancreatic cancer in decades — a once “undruggable” target now delivering practice-changing survival benefit in an oral daily pill, across the broadest RAS mutation population ever studied.

EARLY CANCER DETECTION: Integrating AI into clinical workflows is fundamentally shifting how we approach early cancer detection, moving the needle toward truly personalized, risk-based care. The American Cancer Society has become a strong advocate for this, emphasizing AI’s potential to identify patients who would benefit most from supplemental screenings. If you are evaluating how these technologies fit into broader clinical and digital strategies, here is a snapshot of where the industry stands as of April 2026: 🔹 Breast Imaging: AI risk-scoring models (like FDA-authorized Clairity) are now analyzing routine mammograms to predict multi-year risk, which is especially valuable for dense tissue. The NCCN now recommends AI-based risk assessment starting at age 35, and major imaging networks are actively acquiring these platforms to make them a nationwide standard. 🔹 Digital Pathology: Systems like PathAI have received FDA expansion for primary diagnosis. Specialists can now make official judgments directly from digital images, eliminating the wait time for physical glass slides. 🔹 Lung Cancer: Deep learning is augmenting low-dose CT screening by assisting with nodule detection. These algorithms are now achieving diagnostic accuracy comparable to expert radiologists, learning to identify patterns the human eye might miss. 🔹 Liquid Biopsies (MCED): Multi-cancer early detection via blood samples—analyzing immune, metabolic, and microbiota shifts—is the most transformative frontier. AI-powered tests like OncoSeek show strong trial data. However, a major reality check: no MCED tests are currently approved by global regulators or recommended as replacements for standard screening. 🔹 Clinical Trials: AI platforms (like Deep 6 / Tempus) are mining structured and unstructured patient data to accelerate research, helping sites identify 25% more eligible patients up to three times faster. The Critical Caveat: Despite the rapid innovation, the biggest vulnerability remains the lack of prospective validation in clinical trials. The risk of confidently stated AI hallucinations is a major challenge. As the ACS and ASCO consistently emphasize, AI is a powerful decision-support tool—a "copilot"—but it will never replace sound clinical judgment. #HealthTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Oncology #DigitalHealth #HealthcareInnovation #EarlyDetection