Flu is transmitted before symptoms appear, study suggests
31 August, 2012Research at Imperial College London examining influenza transmission in ferrets suggests that the virus can be passed on before the appearance of symptoms. If the finding applies to humans, it means that people pass on flu to others before they know they’re infected, making it very difficult to contain epidemics.
Researchers develop DNA sequencing tests for hereditary diseases
22 August, 2012Scientists at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School (UMDNJ-NJMS) have developed DNA sequencing tests that hold significant promise for decreasing costs associated with diagnosing cancer and hereditary diseases, including cystic fibrosis.
Major breakthrough in hepatitis C vaccine development
14 August, 2012Researchers at the Burnet Institute have solved a hepatitis C vaccine mystery which, once developed, could be the first ever preventative vaccine for the virus.
Olympic lab leaves life sciences legacy
14 August, 2012The London 2012 anti-doping facilities, operated by King’s College London, will be developed after the Olympic and Paralympic Games into a world-class resource that could help revolutionise healthcare.
Busselton people help type 2 diabetes world research
13 August, 2012Busselton residents and researchers from The University of Western Australia have contributed to a worldwide scientific collaboration that has identified new genetic links in the quest to map the biological pathways that cause diabetes.
New bat virus could hold key to Hendra virus
08 August, 2012Australian scientists have discovered a new virus in bats that could help shed light on how Hendra and Nipah viruses cause disease and death in animals and humans.
Lifting malaria’s deadly veil: mystery solved in quest for vaccine
02 August, 2012Researchers at the Burnet Institute have made a major breakthrough in the quest for a vaccine against malaria, which causes up to one million deaths each year.
Putting smokers’ oxidative stress levels under the microscope
25 July, 2012A new study investigating the effectiveness of live blood analysis (LBA) as a tool to measure oxidative stress is being conducted at Southern Cross University and smokers are being invited to take part.
CSIRO to supply essential antibodies in the search for new rotavirus vaccines
19 July, 2012CSIRO has been contracted by PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) to produce antibodies on a large scale that will aid the development of new, safe, affordable and effective vaccines against rotavirus, a major cause of severe and fatal diarrhoea in young children worldwide.
Chicken vaccines recombine to produce virulent viruses
13 July, 2012New Australian research showing that poultry vaccines have recombined to produce more virulent viruses has prompted the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) to examine regulatory controls over the approval and use of veterinary vaccines.
Non-invasive genetic test for Down syndrome and Edwards syndrome highly accurate
13 June, 2012Current screening strategies for Down syndrome, caused by foetal trisomy 21 (T21), and Edwards syndrome, caused by foetal trisomy 18 (T18), have false positive rates of 2 to 3%, and false negative rates of 5% or higher. Now an international, multicentre cohort study finds that a genetic test to screen for trisomy 21 or 18 from a maternal blood sample is almost 100% accurate.
Gene discovery to improve drug safety
06 June, 2012Researchers from Murdoch University have assisted in a groundbreaking discovery which could lead to the dramatic improvement of drug safety.
‘Next generation’ cancer treatment ready for clinical trials
21 May, 2012A new class of anticancer drugs which control the growth and spread of cancers and do so with minimal side effects is being developed by researchers at the University of Sydney.
Early biomarker for pancreatic cancer identified
17 May, 2012Following the discovery by Mayo Clinic scientists of biomarkers for prostate cancer, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have identified a new biomarker and therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer, an often-fatal disease for which there is currently no reliable method for early detection or therapeutic intervention.
Biomarkers found for prostate cancer detection, recurrence
16 May, 2012Alterations to the ‘on-off’ switches of genes occur early in the development of prostate cancer and could be used as biomarkers to detect the disease months or even years earlier than current approaches, a Mayo Clinic study has found.
