Research & development

Curry could halt prostate cancer

17 January, 2006

Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey, USA, researchers have found that the curry spice turmeric holds real potential for the treatment and prevention of prostate cancer, particularly when combined with certain vegetables.

Trials in measuring radiation doses accurately

12 January, 2006

Researchers have begun trials which will allow radiation doses in computed tomography (CT) scans to be estimated much more accurately.

Gene patent study misleading

06 January, 2006

A report in Science journal relating to gene patenting claimed: "Nearly a fifth of all human genes have been patented, a study has found, leading to fears that research into diseases such as breast cancer, diabetes and obesity could be stifled."

CRC discovery contributes to asthma drug development

16 December, 2005

A discovery made at WEHI by the Cooperative Research Centre for Cellular Growth Factors (CRC-CGF) has led to the selection of an antibody-based drug for full preclinical development as a potential new treatment for asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Study suggests drug may reverse psychosis

01 December, 2005

Cannabis, a drug believed to increase the risk of psychosis in users, contains a compound that may be able to reverse psychotic behaviour, Monash researchers have found.

Collaborators seek parasite invasion blockers

18 November, 2005

A malaria research team, including WEHI Structural Biologist, Professor Ray Norton, has received a US$1 million grant from the US National Institutes of Health to develop more effective malaria treatments.

Method to detect potential bioterrorism agent

08 November, 2005

A new combination of analytical chemistry and mathematical data analysis techniques allows the rapid identification of the species, strain and infectious phase of the potential biological terrorism agent Coxiella burnetii. The bacterium causes the human disease Q fever, which can cause serious illness and even death.

Cellular emotions

07 November, 2005

University of Queensland researchers have identified a protein that is crucially involved in how memories are stored and processed, paving the way for new strategies to treat conditions of certain mental disorders.

Adult stem cells found in uterus

04 November, 2005

Dr Caroline Gargett from Monash Institute of Medical Research (MIMR) has discovered adult stem cells in the uterus that can be grown into bone, muscle, fat and cartilage and her research has been hailed as a major medical and scientific development by international reproduction experts.

Carbene work could give cheaper drugs

02 November, 2005

Chemists at the University of California, Riverside have synthesised a new class of carbenes - molecules that have unusual carbon atoms - that is expected to have wide applications in the pharmaceutical industry, ultimately resulting in a reduction in the price of drugs.

Insulin synthesis without using E.coli

30 October, 2005

If living cell is replaced by a test-tube with DNA and a set of substances, it is possible to get proteins in a more simple and inexpensive way. That was done by Russian biochemists synthesising insulin without help of transgene Escherichia coli.

Development of a quick detection method for complex immune analytes

29 October, 2005

An analysis method permitting the simultaneous quantification of numerous parameters in the immune system was recently presented at the Campus Vienna Biocenter. The technology, which has been developed by Bender MedSystems, is based on the principle of a widespread analysis device and thus allows for rapid implementation in daily laboratory life. It thus succeeds in satisfying the growing demand at clinical and pharmaceutical organisations for increasingly efficient analysis methods at favourable costs.