Industry News
Herpes vaccine proves effective in rodents
Tested on both mice and guinea pigs, the immunisation was found to lead to mostly sterilising immunity from the virus — the strongest type of immunity. [ + ]
A new way to test for drug‑resistant infections
The method could lead to clinicians being able to rapidly detect whether an infection is treatable with common antibiotics, reserving stronger alternatives for the patients that need them most. [ + ]
Psoriasis drug could treat rare bone cancer
Researchers have discovered that the inflammatory molecule IL23, investigated for a number of autoimmune diseases, is critical to osteosarcoma formation and progression. [ + ]
$150m investment in Aus businesses to support NASA
The investment will see the Australian Space Agency foster the new ideas and high-tech skilled jobs that should make Australian businesses a partner of choice to fit out NASA missions. [ + ]
Oxytocin potentially linked to hypersexual disorder
The hormone oxytocin may play a role in hypersexual disorder — a breakthrough that could potentially open the door to treating the disorder by engineering a way to suppress its activity. [ + ]
LH dipeptide may improve mental health
The dipeptide leucine–histidine (LH) — found in fermented foods such as blue cheese and natto (fermented soy beans) — plays a role in suppressing microglial activation and depression-associated emotional disturbances. [ + ]
Light-sheet microscopes customised for imaging the brain
The microscopes feature innovative optical technologies that allow fast scanning as well as direct visualisation and quantification of the captured data. [ + ]
MicroRNA methylation a potential biomarker for cancer
Researchers have revealed that the rate at which microRNA molecules undergo a process called methylation is able to discriminate cancer patients from healthy individuals. [ + ]
Arthritis drug provides relief for blood cancer patients
A simple arthritis drug could be an effective, low-cost solution to treat patients with blood cancers such as polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET). [ + ]
New blood test for prostate cancer avoids false positives
By measuring intact living cancer cells in the patient's blood, rather than the PSA protein, the method potentially provides a more accurate test for prostate cancer. [ + ]
Aus bioscience company acquires anticancer drug platform
The iQ Group Global has announced its acquisition of a novel anticancer drug platform, known as TEX Core, from the University of Texas. [ + ]
Dietary zinc helps protect against pneumonia
The immune system uses zinc as an antimicrobial for protection during attack by Streptococcus pneumoniae, the primary bacterial cause of pneumonia. [ + ]
Wombat poo research wins 2019 Ig Nobel Prize
Scientists from the University of Tasmania are among an international research team that recently set out to crack the secret of the unique cubed poo of wombats. [ + ]
How can roundworms help women extend their fertility?
What if there were a way to delay egg ageing, without losing egg quality? Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have now discovered the switch that may do this — in worms. [ + ]
Super-resolution microscopy improved with graphene
German researchers have developed a new microscopy method whereby the unusual properties of graphene electromagnetically interact with fluorescing molecules. [ + ]