Health & Medicine
New hope for muscular dystrophy treatment
Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a family of genetic diseases which cause muscular weakness. Their severity varies but all are progressive and many are ultimately terminal. Until now, therapy options have been purely palliative, treating only the symptoms of MD. Dr Ahlke Heydemann of the University of Illinois at Chicago is developing new and more effective treatments. Her current work focuses […]
A career in cancer
Dr Bruce Zetter is the Charles Nowiszewski Professor of Cancer Biology at Harvard Medical School. He is known internationally as an expert on cancer biology, diagnosis and treatment. He currently works to find treatments for highly aggressive, metastatic cancers and also serves as an advocate for young scientists and for improved relationships between academia and industry. Dr Bruce Zetter started […]
Helping patients put their best foot forward
Dr Gillian Hawker of the University of Toronto is helping potential knee replacement patients to make informed decisions about their health. As an increasing number of us require joint replacement, Dr Hawker seeks to make sure that only those who are best suited will undergo surgery. By developing standardised patient assessment criteria for knee surgery, Dr Hawker is striving to […]
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Virtual navigation exposes the reality of Alzheimer’s disease onset
Prof Zahra Moussavi from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba in Canada has developed a novel method of assessing patients for Alzheimer’s disease. Using a virtual reality environment to measure spatial awareness, she has shown key differences between control and patient groups, leading to pilot studies for effective early treatment. Prof Zahra Moussavi became interested in early […]
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Swimming against the stream: modern-day challenges to male reproductive health
The effects of a mother’s age, health and habits upon her offspring are well documented. However, far less attention has been paid to fathers. Dr Bernard Robaire, Professor at McGill University, Montréal, Canada, believes male reproductive health may be just as important for future generations as that of females, with a father’s age, health and exposure to chemicals all having […]
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Fluoxetine (Prozac) use in children: working towards a customised approach
Dr Mari Golub from the Environmental Toxicology Department at the University of California at Davis, has recently completed a five-year research project looking at the behavioural effects of fluoxetine (Prozac) on brain development. Her findings, which have so far been published in eight academic papers, supplement information on the safety of fluoxetine use in children, and show for the first […]
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Controlling magnesium flux: a central role for the PRL-CNNM complex
Magnesium is an essential metal ion for human health. However, its ability to act as a supplementary therapy against disease is a poorly understood area of science. Professor Michel L. Tremblay and his team at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, are looking to change this though, and are currently investigating the role of the newly discovered pathway, PRL-CNNM, in controlling […]
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Blood, skin and bone: the complex control of blood pressure
It is well-known that excessive salt intake can be a risk factor for high blood pressure. But how this effect is mediated – and why some people are more susceptible than others – remains up for debate. Collaborators Professor Raymond Harris and Professor Ming-Zhi Zhang, at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, have uncovered a novel role for immune cells derived […]
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Disordered fat storage enhances development of type 2 diabetes
Diabetes is a devastating, life-changing condition. Professor André Carpentier and his colleagues from Université de Sherbrooke are exploring how obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. After all, abnormal fat storage can lead to insulin resistance, which endangers organ function. Through his and his team’s research, Dr Carpentier aims to develop therapeutic measures which reverse detrimental pre-diabetic effects. In […]
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The genomics of cancer
Many cancers are associated with changes to our genetic material, DNA. These may be small, single unit substitutions, large rearrangements such as deletions or duplications of a part of the DNA sequence, or various other forms of mutations. Although the smaller substitutions have been more intensively studied, Dr Lixing Yang, of the University of Chicago, focuses on uncovering changes at […]