Industry News
Gold Coast Biobank officially opened at Griffith University
The Gold Coast Biobank has accumulated over 10,000 biospecimens that are available for research purposes. [ + ]
Dual-action drug target for Alzheimer's discovered
Researchers have discovered a potential drug target for Alzheimer's disease — an enzyme which has effects on both the immune and nervous systems. [ + ]
'Trojan horse' approach to antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Researchers have found that a deadly, antibiotic-resistant bacterium can be sterilised by hijacking its haem acquisition system, which is essential for its survival. [ + ]
Blood test set to reduce late detection of lung cancer
Oncimmune's EarlyCDT Lung test has been found to reduce the incidence of patients with late-stage lung cancer at diagnosis, compared with standard clinical diagnosis. [ + ]
Aus institutions awarded for improving gender equity
Thirteen Australian institutions have received Athena SWAN Institutional Bronze Awards as part of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative. [ + ]
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. [ + ]
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. [ + ]
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. [ + ]
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. [ + ]
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. [ + ]
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. [ + ]
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. [ + ]
