Latest advances in medical research thread

[ScienceRocks]

Reply to the above post; I've posted some stuff earlier on a possible cure for heart disease and a few things on healing the damage done from it.



Scientists reverse ageing process in mice; early human trials showing 'promising results'


http://www.abc.net.a...in-mice/5865714

Scientists from Harvard and the University of New South Wales say they have discovered how to reverse the ageing process.

The research has focused on mice, but early clinical trials have also been conducted on humans.

The scientists said they switched youthful genes on and older genes off, using naturally occurring proteins and molecules.

"We've discovered genes that control how the body fights against ageing and these genes, if you turn them on just the right way, they can have very powerful effects, even reversing ageing - at least in mice so far," he said.

"We fed them a molecule that's called NMN and this reversed ageing completely within just a week of treatment in the muscle, and now we're looking to reverse all aspects of ageing if possible."

Professor Sinclair said the breakthroughs could be used to develop drugs to restore youthfulness in human cells.

 

[ScienceRocks]

3-D-printed organs are on the way

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) —Add one more to the growing list of 3-D-printed products: human organs.

California-based biotech firm Organovo is set to begin selling 3-D-printed liver tissue by the end of the year, part of the growing movement to bring the technology to the medical field.

Organovo can't yet print a fully functioning liver. But the company has already been working with a handful of laboratories to manufacture live liver tissue, offering scientists a new way to conduct research.

"This gives researchers the kind of tool that they just haven't had in the past," said Michael Renard, executive vice president at Organovo. "They can't do the kind of experiments on a person that they can do with this tissue in a lab setting."

Read more: 3-D-printed organs are on the way Money - WYFF Home

 

[ScienceRocks]

California hospital explores genetics-aided cancer treatment

A major California university hospital is exploring ways to gather and use genetic information gathered from cancer patients, hoping to break new ground in a fledgling field of genomic medicine.

The University of California San Francisco said in an interview it is working on a new project with Silicon Valley start-up Syapse. Using Syapse's technology, it wants to build a store of genetic data about various metastatic cancer cases with patients' consent, theoretically sharpening treatment or even coming up with new therapies.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Google making inroads with Genomics database

Last March, Google announced that it had developed a database and associated ways for accessing the data it stored, geared towards storing human genome information—named quite naturally, Google Genomics. Since that time, the company has been actively pursuing hospital and university data, so as to have as much genome data stored as possible. The overall objective, the company says is to provide a service to researchers studying genomes as a means of curing diseases, primarily cancer.

Scientists suspect that if everyone (or at least an awful lot of us) had their genome decoded and the results put into a database, then finding cures to things like cancer would become possible. The hope is that by comparing the genomes of large numbers of people that get, say breast cancer, with those that don't, underlying genetic proclivities would be revealed. And if that happened, perhaps a means could be created to cause genetic changes to those with such a proclivity, to prevent it from happening to them.

 

[ScienceRocks]

UAB cures diabetes in lab mice, preparing for human trial

A new study at the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center may prove beneficial for thousands of Alabamians. Researchers have cured diabetes in lab mice using a commonly prescribed blood pressure medication, Verapamil. “We found that we could reverse the disease completely,” said Dr. Anath Shalev, director of the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center.

Several studies in the past have cured diabetes in the early phases, but failed during the human clinical trials. “None of the therapies are actually addressing the underlying cause, namely the destruction and loss of insulin-producing Beta cells,” said Dr. Shalev. That’s where Verapamil differs. In the lab mice, Dr. Shalev said those treated with the drug not only showed reversal of the disease, but also showcased increased levels of Beta cells. “So, it’s really curing the underlying cause,” said Dr. Shalev.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Parkinson's stem cell 'breakthrough'

7 November 2014

Stem cells can be used to heal the damage in the brain caused by Parkinson's disease, according to scientists in Sweden.

They said their study on rats heralded a "huge breakthrough" towards developing effective treatments.
There is no cure for the disease, but medication and brain stimulation can alleviate symptoms.
Parkinson's UK said there were many questions still to be answered before human trials could proceed.
The disease is caused by the loss of nerve cells in the brain that produce the chemical dopamine ,which helps to control mood and movement.
To simulate Parkinson's, Lund University researchers killed dopamine-producing neurons on one side of the rats' brains.
They then converted human embryonic stem cells into neurons that produced dopamine.
These were injected into the rats' brains, and the researchers found evidence that the damage was reversed.
There have been no human clinical trials of stem-cell-derived neurons, but the researchers said they could be ready for testing by 2017.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...health-29935449

 

[ScienceRocks]

A pill to make you smart? Scientists' breakthrough in unlocking the brain's potential by returning it to child-like state

It sounds like something out of a film, but scientists may have discovered a way to make you smarter – by reverting the brain to a “plastic” child-like state.

Researchers at Stanford University experimented by interfering with PirB, a protein expressed in animal brain cells that allows skills to be recalled but which also hampers the ability to learn new skills, and realised they could disrupt the receptor’s regular function, allowing the brain to make faster connections.

 

[Sarah G]

Reply to the above post; I've posted some stuff earlier on a possible cure for heart disease and a few things on healing the damage done from it.



Scientists reverse ageing process in mice; early human trials showing 'promising results'


http://www.abc.net.a...in-mice/5865714

Scientists from Harvard and the University of New South Wales say they have discovered how to reverse the ageing process.

The research has focused on mice, but early clinical trials have also been conducted on humans.

The scientists said they switched youthful genes on and older genes off, using naturally occurring proteins and molecules.

"We've discovered genes that control how the body fights against ageing and these genes, if you turn them on just the right way, they can have very powerful effects, even reversing ageing - at least in mice so far," he said.

"We fed them a molecule that's called NMN and this reversed ageing completely within just a week of treatment in the muscle, and now we're looking to reverse all aspects of ageing if possible."

Professor Sinclair said the breakthroughs could be used to develop drugs to restore youthfulness in human cells.

Thank you, Matthew. I don't have coronary disease rather Pulmonary Hypertension. High blood pressure in the lungs. I find some things online but I'm looking for cures like the one you found for diabetes.

Imo, diabetes should have been cured long ago but that's only one disease that should be wiped out. So many out there..

 

[ScienceRocks]

This Device Diagnoses Hundreds of Diseases Using a Single Drop of Blood


http://www.wired.com...gle-drop-blood/

 

[ScienceRocks]

Bladder cancer: 'Exciting' drug breakthrough
BBC News - Bladder cancer Exciting drug breakthrough

A drug which makes a wide range of cancers more vulnerable to the body's immune system is "exciting" and may mark a new era, say doctors.

It strips cancer cells of the "camouflage" they use to evade attack by the immune system.

In the most detailed study, published in Nature, some patients completely recovered from terminal bladder cancer.

Cancer Research UK said the field of immunotherapy was delivering "a lot of very exciting results".

The immune system is in delicate balance with some chemicals in the body encouraging a strong vigorous response, while others try to dampen it down.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Brain's dementia weak spot identified


BBC News - Brain s dementia weak spot identified

The brain has a weak spot for Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, according to UK scientists who have pinpointed the region using scans.

The brain area involved develops late in adolescence and degenerates early during ageing.

At the moment, it is difficult for doctors to predict which people might develop either condition.
The findings, in the journal PNAS, hint at a potential way to diagnose those at risk earlier, experts say.

Although they caution that "much more research is needed into how to bring these exciting discoveries into the clinic".

 

[ScienceRocks]

Scientists make enzymes from scratch


1 December 2014

Experts say they have achieved a scientific milestone - creating enzymes out of artificial genetic material that they made in their lab.

The synthetic enzymes functioned just as well as real ones.
The work, in Nature journal, not only provides clues to the building blocks of life but also points to a new way to make therapeutic drugs for humans.
The UK Medical Research Council team now hopes to make more complex structures that rival nature.
The ground work for the pioneering project started a couple of years ago when Dr Philipp Holliger and his team created synthetic versions of DNA and its chemical cousin RNA - the molecules that carry the basic genetic code of life.
Using these artificial XNAs as building blocks, the researchers set out to see if they could make synthetic enzymes - substances that drive a wide range of bodily functions, such as how we digest our food.
Dr Holliger explained: "Until recently, it was thought that DNA and RNA were the only molecules that could store genetic information and, together with proteins, the only biomolecules able to form enzymes."
His team found it was possible to create enzymes from scratch using material that does not exist in nature.
Although entirely man-made, the synthetic enzymes are capable of building and breaking down molecules - just like naturally occurring ones.
The "XNAzymes", as the researchers call them, could jump-start simple reactions, such as cutting and joining RNA strands in a test tube.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...health-30274635

 

[ScienceRocks]

Scientists identify promising off-switch for chronic pain
By Nick Lavars
November 30, 2014

The more successful ways of reducing chronic pain such as that arising from bone cancer and chemotherapy rely on blocking certain brain pathways, but these aren't without their of side effects. Scientists at St Louis University have discovered that the pathway A3AR could be the key to mitigating pain without some of the unwanted baggage, potentially pointing to new methods of therapeutic treatment.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Scientists hail the most 'advanced anti-ageing serum' in the world
New research suggests skincare tailored to individuals' DNA may be the best way to combat the appearance of ageing

Scientists hail the most advanced anti-ageing serum in the world - Telegraph

Those who believe that beauty is only skin deep may need to think again.

A most advanced anti-ageing serum ever created is going far deeper in the pursuit of the ultimate skincare regime, right into our DNA.

By studying the genetic code, experts can discover how fast the body degrades collagen – the structural protein which keeps the skin plump and supple - and the level of antioxidants which protect against damaging free radicals.

Clinical trials over 18 months suggested that ‘Geneu’ – pronounced ‘gene you’ reduces fine lines and wrinkles by up to 30 per cent within just 12 weeks.

But, intriguingly, it has not been created by a cosmetics giant, but by one of Britain’s leading scientists.

 

[ScienceRocks]

HIV evolving 'into milder form'


1 December 2014

HIV is evolving to become less deadly and less infectious, according to a major scientific study.

The team at the University of Oxford shows the virus is being "watered down" as it adapts to our immune systems.
It said it was taking longer for HIV infection to cause Aids and that the changes in the virus may help efforts to contain the pandemic.
Some virologists suggest the virus may eventually become "almost harmless" as it continues to evolve.
More than 35 million people around the world are infected with HIV and inside their bodies a devastating battle takes place between the immune system and the virus.
HIV is a master of disguise. It rapidly and effortlessly mutates to evade and adapt to the immune system.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...health-30254697

 

[ScienceRocks]

Two Crowdfunded Machines Make Biotechnology Accessible to All

“I predict that the domestication of biotechnology will dominate our lives during the next fifty years at least as much as the domestication of computers has dominated our lives during the previous fifty years.”

Freeman Dyson wrote these words in a piece called “Our Biotech Future” in The New York Times Book Review in 2007. By ‘domestication’, he means, quite literally, getting the tools and technology traditionally reserved for high-tech labs and universities “into the hands of housewives and children.”

A recent Kickstarter campaign called Open qPCR offers a sleek touch screen PCR thermocycler, with a price tag of $1500 (most commercial PCR machines cost upwards of $20,000). The machine not only copies DNA but also converts it to easily understandable data, made by the same team who brought us the original OpenPCR, which was successfully funded in 2010.

 

[ScienceRocks]

A drug that can encourage nerves in the spinal cord to grow and repair injuries has been developed by US scientists.

The study on rats, published in the journal Nature, showed some degree of movement and bladder control could be restored.

Drug can repair spinal cord injuries, study shows
By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website
BBC News - Drug can repair spinal cord injuries study shows

The drug works by disrupting the "sticky glue" that prevents nerve cells from growing during an injury.

Further tests still need to take place, but the charity Spinal Research said "real progress" was being made.

Damage to the spinal cord interrupts the constant stream of electrical signals from the brain to the body.

It can lead to paralysis below an injury.

The team at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, in Ohio, said scar tissue that formed after an injury prevented spinal cord repair.

Sugary proteins are released by the scar tissue which act like glue.

The long spindly part of the nerve - the axon - gets trapped in the glue if it tries to cross the site of the injury.

 

[ScienceRocks]

FDA signs off on potential new miracle drug to treat abdominal, urinary tract infections
December 06, 20141
http://FDA signs off on potential new miracle drug to treat abdominal urinary tract infections Science Recorder

The Food and Drug Administrations has given the green light to an antibiotic that is designed to treat infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria.

The FDA panel signed off on the Actavis antiobiotic, also known as ceftazidime-avibactam, as a safe and effective way to treat both intra-abdominal infections and urinary tract infections, when no other treatments are readily at hand, according to a Reuters report.

Still, the panel had some reservations about the labeling of the product, especially for users who have renal impairment, and the committee voted to not recommend the drug for hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia and bacteremia due to a lack of evidence in those cases.

Actavis, the Dublin, Ireland-based company that produces the drug, said it will continue its testing in order to get adequate data and expand the drug’s usage.

The panel, which merely advises the FDA, does not have any legal force behind its decisions, but the FDA usually adopts its decisions. The FDA will give its final decision in early 2015, according to the company.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Scientists Convert Human Skin Cells Into Pain Sensing Nerves
December 4, 2014 | by Justine Alford
Scientists Convert Human Skin Cells Into Pain Sensing Nerves IFLScience

For the first time, scientists have converted both mouse and human skin cells into functional pain sensing nerve cells in the lab. These neurons, which are responsible for transmitting pain signals to the brain, were found to respond to various different stimuli, such as the chemical in chilies that gives them their burn. This novel model of pain, or “pain in a dish” as it has been nicknamed, will hopefully advance our understanding of pain and could ultimately lead to the development of new forms of pain relief.

Our pain sensing system may not bring much joy to us like some of our other senses, such as smell or taste, but unfortunately we need it to survive. It tells us to withdraw from situations that could damage us, such as touching a hot surface, and alerts us when something is going awry, such as a grumbling appendix. There’s no doubt that it’s an extremely important sense, if not the most important.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Carestream Touch Ultrasound System Features All-Touch Control Panel
Carestream Touch Ultrasound System Features All-Touch Control Panel
by Wouter Stomp on Dec 2, 2014 • 1:52 pm

At RSNA, Carestream has unveiled its new Touch Ultrasound System, a device that completely does away with buttons and features a big touchscreen functioning as the control panel. This is a sealed panel that allows easy cleaning to help limit the spread of pathogens. Some of the most used controls are etched into the glass to give the operator tactile feedback and allowing for eyes-free operation to a certain degree.

The Touch Ultrasound has a small, lightweight footprint and a high level of maneuverability It has (as far as ultrasound systems go) a very fast cold boot time of 18 seconds and therefore, according to the company, no need for standby mode or battery backup. It features and RFID reader which allows the operator to log-on by simply swiping a badge while at the same time promoting secure access.

The system comes with smart transducers which are enabled by merely touching them instead of having to go into a menu to select the appropriate one. Carestream plans to extend the Touch Ultrasound System’s technologies and features across a family of products, and the first two products in the Touch Ultrasound family are expected to ship in the third quarter of 2015.

FDA Approval for Animas Vibe Insulin Pump with Dexcom G4 PLATINUM CGM (VIDEO)
by Editors on Dec 2, 2014

Animas, a division of Johnson & Johnson, won FDA approval for its Animas Vibe insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring system. The pump is the first to pair with Dexcom‘s G4 PLATINUM continuous glucose monitor that samples interstitial fluid every five minutes and provides a trending chart of the patient’s sugar levels. This can be quite important, as a single reading doesn’t indicate where the overall trend is moving. The Animas device displays readings obtained wirelessly from the G4 PLATINUM glucometer and the patient can have basal insulin delivery pre-programmed to be delivered depending on glucose readings, or with a push of a button bolus insulin can be pumped in as necessary.

The system is completely water proof, so you can even take it swimming in the Maldives, and it’s a snap to disconnect the pump from the access site for showering and going through airport security.