World's first stem cell trial for stroke patients passes safety test |
5 September 2011 - by Alison Cranage |
A pioneering clinical trial to inject stem cells into the brains of disabled stroke patients has been cleared to progress to the next stage after no safety concerns were raised in the first three patients.... [Read More] |
Success for early trial of viruses engineered to target tumours |
5 September 2011 - by Dr Maria Teresa Esposito |
A virus that damages tumours while sparing normal healthy tissue has passed a preliminary test. JX-594, an engineered version of smallpox virus, prevented or reduced further tumour growth in 13 of 23 patients four to ten weeks after they were treated... [Read More] |
Australian IVF centre relaunches with new ad showing a live birth |
5 September 2011 - by Rosie Beauchamp |
An Australian fertility clinic has screened what is believed to be the first TV advertisement featuring a real birth... [Read More] |
Is being skinny really down to genetics? Nature study suggests so |
5 September 2011 - by Dr Rosie Morley |
Scientists may have identified the first genetic link to being underweight. A paper published in the journal Nature this week found that people with extra copies of a region of chromosome 16, locus 16p11.2, have a significantly increased risk of being underweight... [Read More] |
Old stem cells exposed to a young environment can be rejuvenated |
5 September 2011 - by Dr Zara Mahmoud |
Exposure to a youthful environment may help old cells feel alive again – as the work of Professor Xiaodong Chen and co-workers from the University of Texas Health Science Center, USA, suggests... [Read More] |
Scientists discover how the egg catches the sperm |
5 September 2011 - by Dr Lux Fatimathas |
Researchers have discovered a molecule present on the outer surface of a human egg that binds sperm and eggs together before fertilisation. Understanding this mechanism may help people with previously unexplained fertility problems... [Read More] |
First study of the genetic links to diabetes in South Asians finds six new variants |
5 September 2011 - by Dr Marianne Kennedy |
In an international research effort led by Imperial College London, scientists have identified six new genetic variants linked to type 2 diabetes (T2D) in South Asians.... [Read More] |
Risk testing during national breast screening could halve cancer rates |
5 September 2011 - by Dr Vivienne Raper |
UK women at high risk of breast cancer could halve their chances of developing the disease with genetic risk testing during routine NHS screening. This news came from PROCAS - the world's first study into giving genetic risk and prevention advice in a national breast screening programme, and was reported in this Sunday's Express.... [Read More] |