Smart Bandages
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA team of engineers led by Tufts University has developed a prototype bandage designed to actively monitor the condition of chronic wounds and deliver appropriate drug treatments to improve the chances of healing. While the lab-tested bandages remain to be assessed in a clinical context, the research, published today in the journal Small, is aimed at […]
Why is a male birth control Illustration of a fetal pill not around yet?
Reading Time: 3 minutesBY ANDREJA GREGORIC MEN are still limited to only a few forms of birth control. Scientists are making constant progress but the birth control pill or any other hormonal contraceptives for men are still years away from being safe, reversible, and broadly available. In the past, low demand and focus on women contraceptives partly limited […]
HIV vaccine shows promising results
Reading Time: 3 minutesNEW research published in The Lancet shows that an experimental HIV-1 vaccine regimen is well-tolerated and generated comparable and robust immune responses against HIV in healthy adults and rhesus monkeys. Moreover, the vaccine candidate protected against infection with an HIV-like virus in monkeys. Previous HIV-1 vaccine candidates have typically been limited to specific regions of the world. The […]
Designer cells treat diabetes in mice
Reading Time: 2 minutesIN a study published by Cell Reports, the scientists use a new bioengineering process they developed called self condensation cell culture. The technology helps nudge medical science closer to one day growing human organ tissues from a person’s own cells for regenerative therapy, said study investigators at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in the U.S. and […]
New hope for treating diabetic wounds
Reading Time: < 1 minuteONE of the most frustrating and debilitating complications of diabetes is the development of wounds on the foot or lower leg. Once they form, they can persist for months, leading to painful and dangerous infections. New research uncovers the role of a particular protein in maintaining these wounds and suggests that reversing its effects could […]
Spider silk key to new bone-fixing composite
Reading Time: 2 minutesUNIVERSITY of Connecticut researchers have created a biodegradable composite made of silk fibers that can be used to repair broken load-bearing bones without the complications sometimes presented by other materials. Repairing major load-bearing bones such as those in the leg can be a long and uncomfortable process. To facilitate repair, doctors may install a metal […]
Neutrons help in the fight against antibiotic resistance
Reading Time: 2 minutesTHE discovery of penicillin almost 90 years ago ushered in the age of modern antibiotics, but the growth of antibiotic resistance means bacterial infections like pneumonia and tuberculosis are becoming more difficult to treat. Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists’ enzyme research may lead to drugs that will combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. ORNL has found that antibiotics […]
When a popular class of antibiotics turns toxic
Reading Time: 4 minutesCOMMONLY prescribed drugs called fluoroquinolones, the fourth-most used class of antibiotics in the US, have been shown to cause rare, disabling side effects. Patients have experienced pain in tendons, joints and muscles, neurological and psychological difficulties. Researchers now have a few theories why such symptoms may occur. Patient experience In 2014, Miriam van Staveren went […]
‘Molecular scissors’ could be key to cutting off diseases
Reading Time: 2 minutes ONE WAY to fight diseases including HIV infection and autoimmune disorders could involve changing how a naturally occurring enzyme called SAMHD1 works to influence the immune system, new research suggests. The study, led by researchers from The Ohio State University, details how the enzyme influences proteins that stimulate the immune response. SAMHD1 isn’t […]
Gene-editing advances put us at the dawn of a revolution in medicine
Reading Time: 5 minutesBY STEVEN CERIER GENETIC engineering is most often linked to the foods that we eat and crops that we grow. It’s a technology that has generated a great deal of controversy, with opponents claiming it is inherently dangerous to human health and the environment. There is however no scientific evidence to validate those concerns. GE […]