by admin | Jul 10, 2024 | biology, health and medicine
Developing therapies to effectively treat cancerous tumors is challenging, due to the hostility of the tumor microenvironment and the potential to unintentionally damage surrounding tissues. Infusions of immune cells can improve immune function and assist the body in fighting disease, although this approach increases the risk of inducing dangerous inflammatory responses. Dr. Archana Thakur and her colleagues at the Universities of Virginia and Pennsylvania have engineered a pioneering immunotherapy system that precisely targets cancerous cells. This new immunotherapy poses minimal risk of adverse reactions, and can be used against a wide range of tumor types.
by admin | Jul 8, 2024 | health and medicine
Motor neurone disease is a currently incurable and progressive neurological disorder that severely impacts muscle function. As the disease progresses, individuals with motor neurone disease experience significant difficulties in movement, speech, swallowing, and breathing. Home mechanical ventilation can be used to support breathing and improve the quality of life. However, while this can alleviate symptoms and extend survival, it does not stop disease progression, and patients and caregivers must confront difficult decisions in their treatment journey. In a new UK study, Dr Eleanor Wilson of the University of Nottingham and colleagues have explored end-of-life decision-making in motor neurone disease patients using home mechanical ventilation.
by admin | Jul 3, 2024 | biology, health and medicine
Vitamin D has been studied as a treatment for a large number of diseases and conditions, from cancer to autism to COVID-19. However, its mode of action is not completely understood. Professor Ralf Herwig carries out his research at HG Pharma GmbH (Austria) and Ulster University (UK). His vital work explores the role of vitamin D in the body with a view to unlocking its potential as a treatment for a variety of health conditions involving the immune system.
by admin | Jul 1, 2024 | health and medicine
Premature birth puts infants at a greater risk of developing various medical conditions, including a chronic lung disease known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia – or BPD for short. Dr. Rebecca Rose, a neonatologist at Indiana University, recently explored how modulating ventilator settings used for very premature newborns can significantly improve their outcomes.
by admin | Jun 28, 2024 | health and medicine
The development of safe and effective medicines that meet strict regulatory requirements has traditionally involved extensive experimentation, which can be laborious and costly. Incorporating digital processes, which can be used to produce individual pharmaceutical components, may provide a solution to manufacturing challenges by reducing development time, resource requirements, and costs. The Future Continuous Manufacturing and Advanced Crystallisation Hub, a flagship project at CMAC, at the University of Strathclyde, along with collaborators throughout the UK, has investigated the feasibility of using digital models to reduce costs, time and waste for high quality pharmaceutical production.
by admin | Jun 21, 2024 | health and medicine
Many diseases become more likely to emerge as we age, with metabolic disorders such as diabetes, and neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, representing two frequent manifestations of poor health in old age. While many age-related diseases present very differently, many share common underlying mechanisms. These include inflammation, a build-up of reactive oxygen molecules that can damage cellular components, and a lack of sensitivity to insulin. Treatments that can effectively target these mechanisms could have transformational effects on the age-related diseases that are fueled by them, including potentially preventing such diseases from developing in the first place. Prof. Christian Bréchot and colleagues at The Healthy Aging Company have developed a drug candidate: ALF5755, the pharmacological name of a protein called Hepatocarcinoma-Intestine-Pancreas, or HIP for short, also named Reg3A, that has shown exciting evidence of effectiveness on the cognitive disorders which occur during Alzheimer’s disease and the peripheral nerve damage that often occurs in diabetes, which is called diabetic neuropathy.
