Articles
Regenerative medicine: Revolutionising osteoarthritis treatment
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease, affecting over 528 million people worldwide. OA results in chronic pain, stiffness, and reduced joint function. Conventional treatments focus on symptomatic relief rather than addressing underlying causes. Dr Torbjörn Ogéus from the Stockholms led- & smärtspecialist (SLS) clinic in Sweden is pioneering regenerative medicine approaches to treating OA using patients’ stem cells. […]
Read More… from Regenerative medicine: Revolutionising osteoarthritis treatment
Resilience, scepticism, and mRNA: The story of Katalin Karikó
The COVID-19 pandemic presented the world’s governments and health organisations with a vaccination challenge on a scale it had never experienced before. Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines were critical in the production and distribution of affordable vaccines across the globe. Katalin Karikó’s 40 years of research into mRNA was the cornerstone of what made this possible. In this interview, we find […]
Read More… from Resilience, scepticism, and mRNA: The story of Katalin Karikó
Embracing Indigenous knowledge for sustainable urban transformation
Mainstream governance structures are rooted in Eurocentric approaches. At the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, Dr Rita Dionisio studies culturally reflective, place-based approaches to improving and measuring socio-ecological wellbeing in the face of climate change and declining socio-economic conditions. Dionisio argues that Indigenous-led philosophies and practices offer the opportunity to decolonise urban governance and embrace collaborative planning and partnerships […]
Read More… from Embracing Indigenous knowledge for sustainable urban transformation
Barth syndrome: A potential treatment for a rare disease
Barth syndrome is a rare disorder in males caused by a variant of the gene TAFAZZIN. It affects the metabolism of the fat molecule cardiolipin in mitochondria, resulting in the dysfunction of skeletal muscle and the heart. The syndrome doesn’t have a specific therapy, so patients who suffer from it have health problems their entire lives and are more likely […]
Read More… from Barth syndrome: A potential treatment for a rare disease
CO2 conversion for a circular carbon economy
A circular carbon economy – where carbon released from the Earth is captured and repurposed – is a promising concept, and CO2 conversion to sustainable products has been at the forefront of research. Dr Gary Grim at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA, has been working on quantifying the feasibility of CO2 conversion. He provides a detailed comparison of available […]
Read More… from CO2 conversion for a circular carbon economy
Curing the incurable: RNA isoforms may hold the key to defeating Alzheimer’s disease
Groundbreaking research on RNA isoforms in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has revealed another layer of genetic complexity that has been previously overlooked. Using cutting-edge sequencing technology, Dr. Mark Ebbert and colleagues at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky, USA, performed a detailed analysis of RNA isoforms in the human brain. They discovered multiple, previously unknown RNA isoforms […]
Read More… from Curing the incurable: RNA isoforms may hold the key to defeating Alzheimer’s disease
Vibration mitigation: New Force-Network based granular damping technology
Vibration damping plays a crucial role in enhancing human comfort, safety, and well-being across various aspects of daily life. In transportation, effective vibration damping in vehicles such as cars, trains, and airplanes can reduce the transmission of engine and road vibrations to passengers, minimising discomfort and fatigue during travel. One of the main challenges in developing new vibration-damping systems is […]
Read More… from Vibration mitigation: New Force-Network based granular damping technology
Rethinking thinking about figures
Statistics influence opinion, and scientists have a role to play in that regard. Professor Jane E Miller of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA is a specialist in numeric literacy. She has published guidelines to help scientists and those communicating their work to clearly convey the methods, results, and implications of quantitative research. Her work challenges entrenched norms […]
The potency puzzle: Understanding cannabis in the modern age
Traditional methods of chemical testing cannabis potency often fall short in accurately capturing the complex interactions between cannabinoids and the human body. This leads to challenges in identifying relevant medicinal cannabinoids, ensuring consistency in product potency and consumer confidence. However, the innovative CannaMetrix EC50 Array™ technology offers a solution. By measuring cellular responses to cannabinoids in real-time, this high-throughput method […]
Read More… from The potency puzzle: Understanding cannabis in the modern age
How deep in debt? Measuring sovereign default risk
Sovereign credit risk is when a government is under threat of being unable to meet its loan obligations and going bankrupt. Traditional ways of measuring such risk are fundamentally flawed. Researchers Manish K Singh from IIT Roorkee in India, Marta Gómez-Puig from the University of Barcelona, and Simón Sosvilla-Rivero from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain propose a new measure […]
Read More… from How deep in debt? Measuring sovereign default risk