Health & Medicine
New innovations in traumatic brain injury research
Lynne Ann Barker is a pioneer in the field of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Her work aims to understand how trauma to the brain leads to changes in behaviour and cognitive ability in those affected. She has also worked to develop new experimental methods for assessing cognitive ability, including computerised simulations that incorporate real-world tasks such as cooking, with the aim of increasing the speed […]
How data is improving driving policies for epilepsy patients
Until recently, UK epilepsy patients’ quality of life and the public’s safety rested on driving policies informed by neurologists’ ‘expert opinions’. However, Dr Laura Bonnett of the University of Liverpool and her team have found hard evidence to back up and improve these policies. By determining the risk of recurring seizures in first-time seizure patients, those on antiepileptic drug withdrawal […]
Could stem cells offer a viable treatment for retinopathy?
Diabetes is a growing global epidemic, with over 400 million affected and cases expected to double in the next 10 years. Retinopathy, or damage to the blood vessels in the retina, occurs in most patients with type 1 diabetes and 75 per cent of patients with type 2 diabetes, leading to vision loss for many. BetaStem Therapeutics is a stem […]
BICAMS: Shedding light on cognition in Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease that attacks the central nervous system, leading to a variety of symptoms, across the physical and psychological domains. For many people with MS, symptoms can include difficulties with memory and thinking, which impacts on the quality of many aspects of their life. Dawn Langdon, Professor of Neuropsychology at Royal Holloway, University of London, has led an […]
Time for a new approach to severe traumatic brain injury and stroke: Developments in automated, real-time monitoring of brain stem function
Traumatic brain injury and stroke can lead to a potentially fatal condition known as transtentorial herniation (TTH). Monitoring sedated patients for indications that TTH is developing presents many complications. Dr James Stone from New York University has developed a modified version of a test for brain activity in response to sound that shows promise in detecting early indications of TTH. […]
Moving beyond dangerous opioids for pain: Syntrix creates new drug for safer pain relief
Opioids are currently the mainstay treatment for the 25 million people suffering from daily pain in the United States. Prescription opioids have led to lethal overdoses and contributed in part to the five-fold increase in opioid-related deaths from 1999 to 2016. Investigators at Syntrix Pharmaceuticals (Auburn, Washington State) have developed desmetramadol, a new and improved low-lethality opioid to help tackle the opioid crisis. […]
New 3D technology to help in the battle against brain tumours
Dr. Darin T. Okuda is a clinician-scientist and professor of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Dr. Okuda strives to transform healthcare by developing new diagnostic tools that challenge current clinical practices. His research group recently designed a novel method to visualise brain tumours in three-dimension (3D). This latest research aims to revolutionise […]
Carcinogenesis: When transmission of epigenetic information goes awry
Genes are blueprints that code for proteins and in turn, proteins drive most activities within our cells. But between genes and their protein products is the layer of epigenetics – genes may be expressed differently depending on the heritable, epigenetic features that switch them on and off. Charting new territories in carcinogenesis, Professor Patrick Riley at University College London explores […]
Reduced PSA Prostate Cancer Screening: Life-threatening consequences?
In 2012, the United States Preventive Services Task Force issued a grade D recommendation against PSA-based prostate cancer screening. This is because early diagnosis of low-grade cancers can lead to unnecessary overtreatment and patient suffering. However, many epidemiologists are concerned that this could lead to severe unintended consequences. Dr Thomas E. Ahlering, from the University of California, has further explored these concerns […]
Local drug delivery to prosthetic vascular grafts: Preventing failure of prosthetic grafts in haemodialysis patients
Dr Ronald J. Shebuski, President and CEO of Cylerus, Inc., wants to revolutionise the way vascular grafts work. His company, Cylerus, has an innovative way to deliver an antiproliferative drug, sirolimus, in a consistent and controlled manner. This method of drug delivery, via a porous graft material called ePTFE, has the potential to reduce failure of arterio-venous access grafts crucial for […]