Relentlessly searching for the cure

Martina Slapkova - Research Information Co-ordinator at the Motor Neurone Disease Association Motor neuron disease (MND), also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis across the globe, has been puzzling researchers and clinicians ever since it was...

An old scientific controversy is resolved… plants do make sounds!

For the first time ever, researchers at Tel Aviv University have recorded and analysed distinct sounds from plants. The click-like sounds, similar to the popping of popcorn, are emitted at a volume similar to human...

Vibrating glove helps stroke patients control spasms

After a stroke, survivors often experience uncontrollable spasms that can twist their arms and hands into perpetual fists. The only treatments are expensive, frequently painful injections of botulinum toxin or oral medications so strong...

Potential breakthrough in treatment of rare disease

Biotech company Actigen has initiated a clinical development programme for GNR-055, a potentially breakthrough treatment for the life-limiting, rare disease mucopolysaccharidosis II (MPS II) (also known as Hunter syndrome). Occurring in around 1 in...

Detecting viruses in a pinprick

A novel method of detecting viruses in very small volumes has been developed in a collaboration between scientists at Swansea University, Biovici Ltd and the National Physical Laboratory. Their work – published in Advanced NanoBiomed...

1 in 6 children ‘neurodivergent’ as autism numbers quadruple

The number of children diagnosed with Attention-deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders classifying them as ‘neurodivergent’, has rocketed in both the UK and US.  “Now, one in six children in the US...

Clinical trials for gene and cell therapies

In early 2020, the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGTC) reported that there were 127 ongoing trials in advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP) in the UK. This represented 12 percent of trials globally, helping...

Antibiotic resistance widespread among bacteria

Genes that make bacteria resistant to antibiotics are much more widespread in our environment than previously known.  A study, from Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, shows that bacteria in...

How the brain’s ‘internal compass’ works

New study reveals how the brain makes sense of changing environmental cues. Scientists have gained new insights into the part of the brain that gives us a sense of direction, by tracking neural activity with...

IBM releases novel AI-powered technology to accelerate medical research for COVID-19

IBM has today released a new set of cloud- and AI-powered technologies to help researchers, doctors and scientists accelerate COVID-19 drug discovery. These novel resources, from across IBM and available beginning today (Friday 3 April)...

When do brains grow up?

Research shows mouse and primate brains mature at the same pace, writes Kristen Mally Dean. A study from Argonne National Laboratory reveals that short-lived mice and longer-living primates develop brain synapses on the exact same...

Global community will assess environmental impact of clinical trials

The collaborative initiative will publish a publicly available methodology for calculating and comparing the carbon footprint of centralised and decentralised clinical trials. A global, not-for-profit alliance that advocates for greater collaboration in life sciences R&D,...

There’s more to collagen than cosmetics…

Big strides are being made in collagen clinical development, particularly in treatment of age-related conditions. Dr Gen Li, president and founder of Phesi, discusses the increase in collagen research, and its clinical and biological...

New ‘Clinical Trial in a Dish’ for Alzheimer’s Disease

An extensive panel of consented patient samples and iPSC technology will advance AD drug development and patient stratification.  Pluripotent stem cell technology provider for drug discovery, Axol Bioscience Ltd (Axol), has signed an exclusive agreement...

DMT-assisted therapy: changing the way we think about depressive disorders

A ‘spirit molecule’ from the Amazon could be a game changer in the treatment of major depressive disorders. Dr Carol Routledge, of Small Pharma, talks to Karen Southern about her pioneering work with DMT. Psychedelic...

TWO NEW FORMS OF THERAPY GIVE HOPE WHEN BLOOD CANCER RETURNS AND BOWEL CANCER...

Scientists trial new way to boost CAR T-cell therapy Cancer Research UK is collaborating with Aleta Biotherapeutics to trial a new therapy that reboots a treatment for some people whose blood cancer starts to come back. The new...