Controlled drug delivery in gut
01 January, 2009Philips Research has recently announced its intelligent pill technology iPill, targeted at assisting drug development and enabling new therapies for digestive tract disorders such as Crohn’s disease, colitis and colon cancer.
Point of care lab-on-a-chip cancer diagnostic
18 December, 2008Smart-Biomems is developing a comparatively inexpensive, easy-to-use and portable point-of-care system which will detect cancer at a very early stage.
Alzheimer’s disease breakthrough
17 November, 2008Scientists working within CSIRO’s Preventative Health Flagship have discovered a rapid screening system to identify inhibitors of toxic multimer formation which is implicated in Alzheimer’s disease progression. It is hoped that this may lead to the discovery of new agents which may prove useful in preventing or delaying the onset of the disease.
Excellence in Biomedical Research Award for Prof Ian Frazer
14 November, 2008The 2006 Australian of the Year, Professor Ian Frazer, has been awarded a further honour, the Ramaciotti Medal for Excellence in Biomedical Research.
A new approach to tackling cancer cells
03 November, 2008Every year worldwide, melanoma, a particularly lethal form of skin cancer, kills 48,000 people and 160,000 new cases are identified. Annually in Australia alone, melanoma kills around 1300 people, while about 10,000 new cases are diagnosed. Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute are suggesting a combination therapy that may offer more success.
Biodiscovery in Victoria
28 October, 2008A Victorian government policy will make it easier for researchers to access specimens of native flora and fauna in Victoria, while at the same time protect the biological resource from exploitation.
Alzheimer's disease research attracts first partner
15 October, 2008Pfitzer Australia, with the Australian Imaging, Biomarker and Lifestyle Flagship Study of Ageing, is going to investigate the causes of Alzheimer’s disease and aims to discover a method for early diagnosis.
Blood test for Down syndrome
08 October, 2008A new maternal blood test may be able to predict chromosomal abnormalities at 12 weeks' gestation.
Modified viruses bring malaria vaccine hope
29 August, 2008An international collaboration of researchers has created a promising malaria vaccine based on pox and cold viruses.
DNA testing direct to the public
14 August, 2008 by Kylie Wilson-FieldAs the range of DNA tests available expands, scientists and medical practitioners are concerned about laboratories advertising their services directly to the consumer via the internet.
Combining clinical, laboratory and metabolic records with genomic data
16 July, 2008An IT platform that can combine clinical, laboratory and metabolic information with high throughput genomic data about the same individual has been developed. By combining information in this way, researchers will be able to analyse the correlation between the gene expression profile in the blood of an individual and their risk of developing particular diseases.
Relative success for autism gene hunt
11 July, 2008Researchers have used larger families to identify some genes associated with autism.
Nano-bar codes could revolutionise diagnostics
22 May, 2008A new technology which could aid the early detection of disease has been invented and developed by University of Queensland (UQ) researchers.
Neuroimaging researcher wins Australia-Harvard Fellowship
15 May, 2008An internationally recognised expert in medical imaging, Dr Simon Warfield, has been awarded an Australia-Harvard Fellowship to travel to Australia and work with the biomedical imaging team at the Australian e-Health Research Centre on early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
Online survey tracks the sneeze
08 May, 2008A national online flu survey was launched recently, designed to track critical data on influenza infection and alert medical officials to large outbreaks of the virus.
