Establishing breath as a biomarker platform-take home messages from the Breath Biopsy Conference 2023.

The annual Breath Biopsy Conference hosted by Owlstone Medical gathers together the leading experts, early career researchers, and physicians working with breath as a biomarker platform for clinical purposes. The current topics in breath research are discussed and presented, and an overarching topical theme is identified and discussed as part of an expert panel to close the conference. The profiling of normal breath composition and the establishment of standards for analyzing breath compared to background signal were two important topics that were major focuses of this conference, as well as important innovative progress that has been made since last year, including the development of a non-invasive breath test for lung cancer and liver disease. This meeting report offers an overview of the key take-home messages from the various presentations, posters, and discussions from the conference.

Overcoming the challenges encountered in CAR-T therapy: latest updates from the 2023 ASH annual conference.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) -T cell therapy has entered the breakthrough era, characterized by a blend of therapeutic opportunities and challenges. With the integration of genome-editing technology, CAR-T cells will be empowered to become super warriors in eradicating tumor cells and attacking various tumors, including T-cell malignancies and acute myeloid leukemia. Notably, the optimization of CAR-T cells, including efficacy, safety, and manufacturing speed, coupled with other therapeutic strategies such as radiotherapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, small-molecule inhibitors, and bispecific antibodies, could revolutionize the therapeutic landscape of tumors. Consequently, next-generation cellular immunotherapy, including universal CAR-NK cells and synergistic combination approaches, are anticipated to significantly impact cancer treatment in the coming decade. Nevertheless, the failure rates of CAR-T therapy continue to be significant. The challenge lies in determining the optimal combination strategy and identifying reliable and robust biomarkers to effectively select the patients who will derive the greatest benefit from CAR-T therapy. Herein, we highlight recent innovations in CAR-T products, combination strategies and predictive biomarkers of response presented at the 2023 ASH Annual Meeting.

From Practice to Public Health: Broadening Neuropsychology's Reach & Value-An Introduction to the National Academy of Neuropsychology's 2022 Annual Conference Special Issue.

This special issue is centered around presentations from the National Academy of Neuropsychology 2022 Annual Conference. The theme of the conference, "From Practice to Public Health: Broadening Neuropsychology's Reach & Value" is pivotal for the field's future. With an ever-shifting technological landscape and recent changes in clinical practice post-COVID, we are left wondering how neuropsychology will develop. How will we use biomedical and technological advances, such as blood-based Alzheimer's disease biomarkers or passive digital recordings, to improve clinical care and further expand our understanding of disease mechanisms? As neuropsychologists, how can we use our expertise to empirically inform public health policy? The diagnosis and treatment of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, the identification and characterization of post-pandemic educational setbacks, and the adaptation of new technological and diagnostic advances into clinical practice workflows represent a vital set of new challenges and opportunities poised to disrupt traditional modes of practice. The articles in this special issue convey the role of neuropsychology in addressing these emerging issues and illustrate how and why neuropsychology is well positioned to be at the forefront of clinical practice and scientific advancements.

What Is Hot and New in Basic and Translational Science in Liver Transplantation in 2023? Report of the Basic and Translational Research Committee of the International Liver Transplantation Society.

The 2023 Joint Annual Congress of the International Liver Transplantation Society, European Liver and Intestine Transplant Association, and Liver Intensive Care Group of Europe were held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from May 3 to 6, 2023. This year, all speakers were invited to attend the Congress in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The congress was attended by 1159 registered delegates from 54 countries representing 5 continents, with the 10 countries comprising the bulk of the delegates. Of the 647 abstracts initially submitted, 542 were eventually presented at the meeting, coming from 38 countries (mainly North America, Europe, and Asia) and 85% of them (462 abstracts) came from only 10 countries. Fifty-three (9.8%) abstracts, originated from 17 countries, were submitted under the Basic/Translational Scientific Research category, a similar percentage as in 2022. Abstracts presented at the meeting were classified as (1) ischemia and reperfusion injury, (2) machine perfusion, (3) bioengineering and liver regeneration, (4) transplant oncology, (5) novel biomarkers in liver transplantation, (6) liver immunology (rejection and tolerance), and (7) artificial intelligence and machine learning. Finally, we evaluated the number of abstracts commented in the Basic and Translational Research Committee-International Liver Transplantation Society annual reports over the past 5 y that resulted in publications in peer-reviewed journals to measure their scientific impact in the field of liver transplantation.