Hypertension drugs increase the effect of chemo in childhood cancer
23 August, 2013 by Lauren DavisBeta-blockers are traditionally used in the treatment of high blood pressure, but researchers at the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA) have found that they can also increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy in treating aggressive childhood cancers such as neuroblastoma.
Partnership to prepare for the next pandemic
25 July, 2013A $20 million research partnership between Australia, Singapore and the US aims to prepare the world for its next pandemic.
Both brains and genes linked to Alzheimer’s disease
15 July, 2013 by Lauren DavisAustralian research, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference this week, has highlighted the links between a person’s brain chemistry, genes and their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Urine test diagnoses kidney rejection before biopsies
05 July, 2013A study has found that the analysis of biomarkers in the urine samples of kidney transplant recipients can diagnose transplant rejection, even before it occurs.
Why was there a sudden drop in the incidence of leprosy at the end of the Middle Ages?
14 June, 2013Scientists have reconstructed the genome of medieval strains of the pathogen responsible for leprosy by exhuming centuries-old human graves to investigate why the incidence of leprosy decreased after the Middle Ages.
Urine-based breast cancer test
30 May, 2013Dr Yinfa Ma of Missouri University of Science and Technology has developed a screening method that uses urinalysis to diagnose and determine the severity of breast cancer before it can be detected with a mammogram.
Now you know what makes you itch
27 May, 2013Scientists at the National Institutes of Health report they have discovered in mouse studies that a small molecule released in the spinal cord triggers a process that is later experienced in the brain as the sensation of itch.
First drug to improve heart failure mortality in over a decade
27 May, 2013Coenzyme Q10 has been found to decrease all-cause mortality by half in a randomised double blind trial.
Don’t breathe your way to worse cholesterol
20 May, 2013Academic researchers have found that breathing motor vehicle emissions triggers a change in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, altering its cardiovascular protective qualities so that it actually contributes to clogged arteries.
Developing a faster diagnosis of bacterial meningitis
22 April, 2013Using joint funding from the Paige Weatherspoon Foundation and the Macquarie University Office of Commercialisation, a team of researchers have recently made headway in developing a faster diagnosis for bacterial meningitis.
Rapid test device has global impact
15 April, 2013Two engineers have changed the way blood is collected and tested thanks to a world-first, fully integrated rapid test device, designed and developed in Australia.
Screening human blood for disease markers
25 March, 2013Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute in Florida have developed cutting-edge technology that can successfully screen human blood for disease markers. This tool may hold the key to better diagnosing and understanding today’s most pressing and puzzling health conditions, including autoimmune diseases.
Saliva test could detect early stages of HPV-linked oral cancer
14 March, 2013The University of Queensland has received a major funding boost to its development of a saliva test to diagnose the early stages of head and neck cancer linked to human papillomavirus (HPV).
Type 1 diabetes testing could become faster, cheaper
11 March, 2013Work by Perth researchers could revolutionise testing for type 1 diabetes around the world.
New blood test set to detect ‘forgotten’ women’s cancer
27 February, 2013Garvan researchers, in collaboration with The Gynaecologic Cancer Centre at Royal Hospital for Women, are developing the first-ever early detection test for ovarian cancer based on epigenetic changes that are associated with ovarian cancer risk.