Growing tumours grows hope for children with cancer
21 December, 2012 by Lauren DavisDiffuse Pontine Glioma (DIPG) may not be particularly well known, but according to oncologist Dr David Ziegler, it is “one of the most common and the most aggressive brain tumours we see in kids”. Now, Dr Ziegler and colleagues from the Children’s Cancer Institute of Australia (CCIA) have set out to grow their own tumours in the institute’s ACRF Drug Discovery Centre.
National initiative to personalise breast cancer treatment
20 December, 2012Researchers are working on a solution for a large number of breast cancer patients who do not respond to chemotherapy, thanks to $5 million in funding.
Collaboration to develop compound to boost vaccine efficacy
07 December, 2012The University of Melbourne has announced an agreement with vaccine company Bio Farma to develop an adjuvant - a vaccine delivery system which could boost the effectiveness of vaccines for a range of infectious diseases.
EPO doping in elite cycling: no evidence of benefit but high risk of harm
07 December, 2012The drug erythropoietin, often called EPO, is banned from sports because it is believed to enhance an athlete’s performance and give people who use it an unfair advantage over unenhanced competitors. A new systemic review of existing research reveals that there is no scientific evidence that it does enhance performance, but that its use in sport could place a user’s health and life at risk.
Breath test could possibly diagnose colorectal cancer
06 December, 2012A new study published in the British Journal of Surgery (BJS) has demonstrated for the first time that a simple breath analysis could be used for colorectal cancer screening.
Scientists identify depression and anxiety biomarker in youths
01 December, 2012Scientists from the University of Cambridge have discovered a cognitive biomarker - a biological indicator of a disease - for young adolescents who are at high risk of developing depression and anxiety. Their findings have been published in the journal PLoS ONE.
Pairing blood test and gene sequencing to detect cancer
30 November, 2012Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have combined the ability to detect cancer DNA in the blood with genome sequencing technology in a test that could be used to screen for cancers, monitor cancer patients for recurrence and find residual cancer left after surgery.
New method for diagnosing malaria
28 November, 2012Danish researchers have developed a new and sensitive method that makes it possible to diagnose malaria from a single drop of blood or saliva.
Best early-detection formula for breast cancer identified
27 November, 2012La Trobe University researchers have identified the formula that works best in early detection of breast cancer.
Nanomedicine breakthrough improves chemotherapy for childhood cancer
20 November, 2012In a world first, researchers from The University of New South Wales’ (UNSW) Australian Centre for NanoMedicine (ACN) have developed a nanoparticle that improves the effectiveness of chemotherapy for neuroblastoma by a factor of five.
Possible link between immune system and Alzheimer’s
16 November, 2012An international research team, including scientists from the University of Toronto’s (U of T) Faculty of Medicine, has discovered a link between a mutation in an immune system gene and Alzheimer’s disease.
New drug target found for cystic fibrosis lung disease
09 November, 2012Vancouver researchers have discovered the cellular pathway that causes lung-damaging inflammation in cystic fibrosis (CF), and that reducing the pathway’s activity also decreases inflammation. The finding offers a potential new drug target for treating CF lung disease.
Measuring metabolism can predict the progress of Alzheimer’s
08 November, 2012When it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, scientists usually look to the brain as their first centre of attention. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) say that early clues regarding the progression of the disease can be found in the brain’s metabolism.
Breakthrough research into pancreatic cancer gene mutations
26 October, 2012A large-scale international study into pancreatic cancer has discovered that the cancer is not just one disease, but many.
Naturally occurring compounds could fight ovarian cancer
19 October, 2012A University of Canterbury (UC) research project, in collaboration with the University of Otago, Christchurch (formerly known as Christchurch School of Medicine), has shown some promising signs in the treatment of ovarian cancer.
