Latest advances in medical research thread

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Hybrid Carbon Nanotube Yarn Muscle
Hybrid carbon nanotube yarn muscle

May 29, 2013 — Professor Seon Jeong Kim of Hanyang University has created a high capacity yarn muscle that does not require electrolytes or special packaging. It will have a big impact in the motor, biological and robot industry.


Kim's article, "Electrically, Chemically, and Photonically Powered Torsional and Tensile Actuation of Hybrid Carbon Nanotube Yarn Muscles," was published in the journal of Science. He is currently the director of the National Creative Research Initiative Center for Bio-Artificial Muscle at Hanyang University (HYU). In 2006, the research center was designated as the "Leader's Research Support Business" by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology.

 

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Brown Fat Cell Discovery May Lead to Treatment of Obesity


May 9, 2013 by Sci-News.com

A new study by scientists at Sahlgrenska Academy, Sweden, shows that humans have two different types of brown fat cells, not one as previously thought.

According to scientists, the body’s brown fat cells play a key role in the development of obesity and diabetes. Unlike white fat cells, which store the body’s surplus energy in the form of fat, brown fat cells have the unique property of being able to burn energy and turn it into heat.

The new research published in the journal Nature Medicine reveals that people have at least two different kinds of brown fat cells.

Brown Fat Cell Discovery May Lead to Treatment of Obesity | Medicine | Sci-News.com

 

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Argentina develops lung cancer vaccine

BUENOS AIRES, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Argentina announced Friday the successful development of a "therapeutic vaccine" for lung cancer patients, which is considered the "first innovative drug" to treat the disease.

It is a "new resource for a group of patients who did not have many alternatives," said Daniel Alonso, director of the Molecular Oncology Laboratory from the National University of Quilmes and researcher from the National Science and Technology Council ( Conicet), in a statement Friday.

Argentina develops lung cancer vaccine - Xinhua | English.news.cn

New Weapon in Fight Against Cervical Cancer

May 30, 2013 — Scientists at the University of Leeds have found a way to target and destroy a key protein associated with the development of cervical and other cancers.

The E7 protein is produced early in the lifecycle of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and blocks the body's natural defences against the uncontrolled division of cells that can lead to cancer.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130530192431.htm

 

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Enhanced white blood cells heal mice with MS-like disease

June 1, 2013 in Neuroscience Genetically engineered immune cells seem to promote healing in mice infected with a neurological disease similar to multiple sclerosis (MS), cleaning up lesions and allowing the mice to regain use of their legs and tails.

Read more at: Enhanced white blood cells heal mice with MS-like disease

 

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The Latest Artificial Heart: Part Cow, Part Machine

A French company is preparing to test a complex artificial heart that combines biology with machinery.
By Susan Young on May 30, 2013

A new kind of artificial heart that combines synthetic and biological materials as well as sensors and software to detect a patient’s level of exertion and adjust output accordingly is to be tested in patients at four cardiac surgery centers in Europe and the Middle East. If the “bioprosthetic” device, made by the Paris-based Carmat, proves to be safe and effective, it could be given to patients waiting for a heart transplant. Currently, only one fully artificial heart, made by Tucson, Arizona-based SynCardia, has U.S., Canadian, and European regulatory approval for use in patients.

Attempts to completely replace the human heart with a prosthetic device started decades ago (see “CPR for the Artificial Heart&#8221. It is hugely challenging to create a device that can withstand the harsh conditions of the body’s circulatory system and reliably pump 35 million times per year, as the heart does. Other complications, such as stroke caused by blood clots in artificial heart implants, have also caused setbacks. For these reasons, fully artificial hearts typically serve as a temporary measure, or as a “bridge to transplant,” although the FDA has recently granted a humanitarian use exemption for one of SynCardia’s artificial hearts for patients not currently eligible for a donor heart.

Read more: New Artificial Heart to Be Tested | MIT Technology Review
From MIT Technology Review
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Researchers are one step closer to artificial livers

June 2, 2013 by Anne Trafton in Medical research Prometheus, the mythological figure who stole fire from the gods, was punished for this theft by being bound to a rock. Each day, an eagle swept down and fed on his liver, which then grew back to be eaten again the next day.

Modern scientists know there is a grain of truth to the tale, says MIT engineer Sangeeta Bhatia: The liver can indeed regenerate itself if part of it is removed. However, researchers trying to exploit that ability in hopes of producing artificial liver tissue for transplantation have repeatedly been stymied: Mature liver cells, known as hepatocytes, quickly lose their normal function when removed from the body.

"It's a paradox because we know liver cells are capable of growing, but somehow we can't get them to grow" outside the body, says Bhatia, the John and Dorothy Wilson Professor of Health Sciences and Technology and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, a senior associate member of the Broad Institute and a member of MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Institute for Medical Engineering and Science.

Read more at: Researchers are one step closer to artificial livers

 

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New cancer drug shows promise for treating advanced melanoma

June 2, 2013 in Cancer Researchers from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center report that a new drug in preliminary tests has shown promising results with very manageable side effects for treating patients with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

The results were presented at the 2013 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology today in Chicago by Dr. Antoni Ribas, professor of medicine in the UCLA division of hematology-oncology, who led the research. Following Ribas' presentation, the study was published online ahead of press in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Read more at: New cancer drug shows promise for treating advanced melanoma

 

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New method of mass-producing high-quality DNA molecules

Published: Sunday, June 2, 2013 - 14:02 in Biology & Nature

A new method of manufacturing short, single-stranded DNA molecules can solve many of the problems associated with current production methods. The new method, which is described in the scientific periodical Nature Methods, can be of value to both DNA nanotechnology and the development of drugs consisting of DNA fragments. The novel technique for manufacturing short, single-stranded DNA molecules -- or oligonucleotides -- has been developed by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Harvard University. Such DNA fragments constitute a basic tool for researchers and play a key part in many fields of science. Many of the recent advances in genetic and molecular biological research and development, such as the ability to quickly scan an organism's genome, would not have been possible without oligonucleotides.

New method of mass-producing high-quality DNA molecules | e! Science News

 

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ASCO: Sorafenib Halts Resistant Thyroid Cancer

By Crystal Phend, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: June 02, 2013
ASCO: Sorafenib Halts Resistant Thyroid Cancer

Action Points

This study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
The kinase inhibitor sorafenib keeps metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer from progressing after it stops responding to standard radioiodine.
Note that no new drugs have been approved for this form of thyroid cancer in 40 years.

CHICAGO -- The kinase inhibitor sorafenib keeps metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer from progressing after it stops responding to standard radioiodine, the DECISION trial showed.

Progression-free survival (PFS) came in nearly double with sorafenib (Nexavar), at a median of 10.8 months versus 5.8 with placebo (P<0.0001), Marcia Brose, MD, PhD, of the Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia, and colleagues found.

 

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Peering into a cell in real time

A dream of scientists has been to visualise details of structures within our cells in real time, a breakthrough that would greatly aid in the study of their function. However, even the best of current microscopes can take minutes to recreate images of the internal machinery of cells at a usable resolution.

Thanks to a technical tour de force, involving new algorithms, Yale University researchers can now generate accurate images of sub-cellular structures in milliseconds, rather than minutes. This could be of great help in the study of cancer and other diseases. Below is an image of microtubules, which act as cellular scaffolding, captured in just 33 milliseconds using video-rate nanoscopy.

&#8220;We can now see research come to life and tackle complex questions or conditions which require hundreds of images, something we have not been able to do before,&#8221; said Joerg Bewersdorf, assistant professor of cell biology and biomedical engineering and senior author of the research, published in the journal

Peering into a cell in real time

 

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Scientists Discover How HIV Kills Immune Cells; Findings Have Implications for HIV Treatment

Untreated HIV infection destroys a person's immune system by killing infection-fighting cells, but precisely when and how HIV wreaks this destruction has been a mystery until now. New research by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, reveals how HIV triggers a signal telling an infected immune cell to die. This finding has implications for preserving the immune systems of HIV-infected individuals.

HIV replicates inside infection-fighting human immune cells called CD4+ T cells through complex processes that include inserting its genes into cellular DNA. The scientists discovered that during this integration step, a cellular enzyme called DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) becomes activated. DNA-PK normally coordinates the repair of simultaneous breaks in both strands of molecules that comprise DNA. As HIV integrates its genes into cellular DNA, single-stranded breaks occur where viral and cellular DNA meet. Nevertheless, the scientists discovered, the DNA breaks during HIV integration surprisingly activate DNA-PK, which then performs an unusually destructive role: eliciting a signal that causes the CD4+ T cell to die. The cells that succumb to this death signal are the very ones mobilized to fight the infection.

Scientists discover how HIV kills immune cells; Findings have implications for HIV treatment

 

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Man with kidney disease first in U.S. to get bioengineered vein

In a first-of-its kind procedure, surgeons implant the blood vessel into the arm of a 62-year-old Virginia man with renal failure.

For the first time in the U.S., surgeons have successfully transplanted a bioengineered blood vessel into the arm of a patient -- a possible stepping stone toward more complex human-engineered organs such as livers or eyes, and potentially a more immediate boon for kidney dialysis patients and perhaps even people with heart disease.

The surgery represents a major milestone for tissue engineering: The bioengineered blood vessel can be stored relatively easily and donated universally (unlike veins harvested from a patient's own body and therefore specific to that body). Also, it's human-cell-based, with no biological properties that can cause organ rejection.

Man with kidney disease first in U.S. to get bioengineered vein | Cutting Edge - CNET News

 

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Blood sample The test analyses foteal DNA in a mother's blood Continue reading the main story
BBC News - Early Down's test 'more sensitive'

A more accurate test for Down's syndrome which can also be given earlier in pregnancy than current checks has been developed, say experts.

A study of 1,000 pregnancies found the test of foetal DNA in maternal blood can show a baby is "almost certainly" affected or unaffected by Down's.

The King's College London team behind it said it could help women decide if they needed further, invasive tests.

The Down's Syndrome Association said the new test was not "imminent".

Around 750 babies are born with Down's syndrome each year in the UK.

The condition is caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21, which occurs by chance

 

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Scientists develop first lung cancer &#8216;vaccine&#8217;

By Jude Webber in Buenos Aires

Argentine and Cuban scientists have developed the world&#8217;s first lung cancer &#8220;vaccine&#8221;, that clinical trials have shown prolonged the life of three times more patients in the late stages of the disease than traditional chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.

The drug, Racotumomab, is not a vaccine in the ordinary sense. It neither prevents, nor cures, what is one of the most aggressive and hard-to-heal cancers, and one which is usually detected only when it is already very advanced.

Clinical trials on some 1,700 patients have shown that 24 per cent of late-stage lung cancer sufferers lived for two years with Racotumomab, whereas the figure was only 8 per cent on chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Phase III trials are continuing in seven countries.

Whereas those traditional treatments kill cancer cells but attack all cells, Racotumomab is one of a new breed of drugs designed to spark the body&#8217;s immune system into destroying the cancer by &#8220;unmasking&#8221; it and allowing the body to kill it, said Mr Alonso.

Scientists develop first lung cancer ?vaccine? - FT.com

 

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UConn Doctor&#8217;s Vaccine Technology Shows Promise in Brain Cancer Treatment
June 7, 2013
By: Lisa Catanese

The scientific work of a University of Connecticut Health Center doctor has led to the creation of a vaccine that has shown promising results in fighting a deadly form of brain cancer.

A preliminary analysis of a multi-center, single-arm, phase 2 clinical trial of the vaccine plus chemoradiation in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) showed a 146 percent increase in progression-free survival and a 60 percent increase in overall survival compared to those who receive chemoradiation alone.

UConn Doctor?s Vaccine Technology Shows Promise in Brain Cancer Treatment | UConn Today

 

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Major breakthrough in multiple sclerosis treatment

A phase 1 clinical trial for the first treatment to "reset" the immune system of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients has shown that the therapy is safe. It dramatically reduced patients' immune systems' reactivity to myelin by 50 to 75 percent, according to new research.

In MS, the immune system attacks and destroys myelin, the insulating layer that forms around nerves in the spinal cord, brain and optic nerve. When the insulation is destroyed, electrical signals can&#8217;t be effectively conducted, resulting in symptoms that range from mild limb numbness to paralysis or blindness.

&#8220;The therapy stops autoimmune responses that are already activated and prevents activation of new autoimmune cells,&#8221; said Stephen Miller, Professor of Microbiology-Immunology at Northwestern University. &#8220;Our approach leaves the function of the normal immune system intact. That&#8217;s the holy grail.&#8221;

Miller is co-author of a paper on the study, published this week in Science Translational Medicine. The study is a collaboration between Northwestern&#8217;s Feinberg School, University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland and University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany

Antigen-Specific Tolerance by Autologous Myelin Peptide?Coupled Cells: A Phase 1 Trial in Multiple Sclerosis

 

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Arc protein 'could be key to memory loss', says study
Artwork of a person's head showing the left hemisphere of the brain inside and the hippocampus in yellow The hippocampus part of the brain plays an important role in long-term memory and spatial memory

Scientists have discovered more about the role of an important brain protein which is instrumental in translating learning into long-term memories.

Writing in Nature Neuroscience, they said further research into the Arc protein's role could help in finding new ways to fight neurological diseases.

The same protein may also be a factor in autism, the study said.

Recent research found Arc lacking in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22811691

 

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MRI detects early damage to chemotherapy child heartsGirl examining her teddy BBC News - MRI detects early damage to chemotherapy child hearts

Detecting early damage to a child's heart following chemotherapy is possible using MRI scans, says a study from Canada.

Even when children's heart function appeared to be normal, a new MRI method of mapping the heart was able to identify damage, University of Alberta researchers said.

 

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Chemists developing breathalyzer to detect and monitor diabetes

Diabetics can have a "fruity" odor to their breath that indicates high glucose levels, and chemists at the University of Pittsburgh say this biomarker alone can diagnose the disease.

Elizabeth Armstrong Moore

Chemists developing breathalyzer to detect and monitor diabetes | Cutting Edge - CNET News

Nowadays breathalyzers are being used to detect far more than just how much alcohol one has imbibed. Researchers in Sweden are working on one that can spot marijuana and cocaine. Scientists in Germany are exploring one that can sniff out heart failure. And researchers in the U.S. are hard at work on one that can detect diseases such as diabetes.

And now, a group of chemists at the University of Pittsburgh is unveiling new sensor technology that could lead to a breathalyzer for not just the detection of diabetes, but the ongoing monitoring of it as well.

 

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