Life sciences
An innovative application has helped to revolutionise patient care within the North West of England. Originally developed by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), GEN-O, is reshaping virtual care pathways, resulting in faster diagnosis, treatment and collaborative multi-disciplinary efforts across clinical specialisms and geographic boundaries. GEN-O was initially deployed within the Manchester Centre for Genomic [...]
UK researchers have grown ‘mini-placentas’ in the lab and used them to shed light on how the placenta develops and interacts with the inner lining of the womb – findings that could help scientists better understand and, in future, potentially treat pre-eclampsia. The condition affects some pregnant women, usually during the second half of pregnancy [...]
By exploiting the technology used in Covid-19 vaccines, scientists have created an effective therapy for a rare disease, demonstrating the technology’s potential therapeutic use in humans. The research, published in journal Science Translational Medicine, found that messenger RNA (mRNA) could be used to correct a rare liver genetic disease known as argininosuccinic aciduria in a [...]
Researchers in the US have developed a simpler, more cost-effective approach to constructing synthetic chromosomes that could significantly advance genetic engineering and enable a wide range of advances in medicine and biotechnology. CReATiNG works by cloning and reassembling natural DNA segments from yeast, enabling scientists to create synthetic chromosomes that can replace their native counterparts [...]
Personalised treatment for the most common form of adult leukaemia helps patients survive for longer and stay in remission, a recent phase III trial has found. The data reveals that the duration of therapy can be individualised for each patient by using regular blood tests to monitor their response. In the trial, the approach resulted [...]
Researchers in the US have developed a pioneering new approach that shows promising results in preventing lung cancer caused by a carcinogen in cigarettes. The scientists at the University of Missouri’s Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health believe that the discovery is among the most significant of their careers. In the new study, immunologists Haval Shirwan [...]
Young male gym users are largely unaware of the risks of their lifestyle on their fertility, new research has found. This includes the impact protein supplements, used by 79 per cent of respondents, which can contain high levels of oestrogen. When questioned about their concern about fertility, more than half (52 per cent) of male [...]
Nexcella has announced FDA approval of IND application for a novel cell therapy, paving the way for its first US patient dosing. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for a new cell therapy drug. that aims (formerly HBI0101). The drug, called BCMA CAR-T NXC-201, is developed [...]
Imagine living with chronic pain that permeates your everyday life, affecting your mobility, wellbeing, and overall quality of life. You've tried various conventional treatments, sought advice from countless medical professionals, and perhaps even considered surgery a last resort. Then, you come across a ray of hope in the form of stem cell therapy—an innovative, regenerative [...]
A bioengineer at the University of Texas at Dallas has developed synthetic enzymes that can control the behaviour of the signalling protein Vg1, which plays a key role in the development of muscle, bone and blood in vertebrate embryos. The team of researchers is using a new approach, called the Synthetic Processing (SynPro) system, in [...]
