Articles
Tracking how SARS-CoV-2 mutates around the world during COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing global health crisis caused by the SARS-CoV-2 strain of coronavirus. The SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates as it spreads, and monitoring these mutations and their distribution could provide information relevant for the treatment and control of the disease. Santiago Justo Arévalo (Ricardo Palma University, Peru) and his colleagues have analysed the progress of several mutations across […]
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Probing Cancer: Immunotherapy and Molecular Imaging
The Singapore-based Cancer ImmunoTherapy Imaging (CITI) programme is a Singapore-wide collaborative research group, comprising 12 research institutes. CITI’s efforts are focused on the discovery and application of peptide-based imaging probes, which target immunotherapy treatment response biomarkers. Dr Edward G Robins, Head of Radiochemistry at the Singapore Bioimaging Consortium and Deputy Director of the NUS Clinical Imaging Research Centre, alongside his […]
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Viral encephalitis and virus-mediated memory disorders
Viral encephalitis is a debilitating consequence of viral infections: invasion of the brain by viruses causes an inflammation that, even months or years after recovery from the viral infection, can impair cognitive functions such as learning and memory. Prof Robyn S. Klein from Washington University School of Medicine has developed novel animal models and approaches to study virus-mediated memory disorders, […]
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A model of photosynthesis regulation by ion fluxes in conditions of variable light
Prof Cornelia Spetea and her team at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, study ion transport proteins and genes involved in the regulation of photosynthesis in conditions of abrupt changes in light intensity. Research on this topic is important because light fluctuations constantly occur in the natural environment and affect photosynthesis and growth. Their proposed model could act as a knowledge […]
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When Narratives Collide: The Fundamentals of Islamic Fundamentalism
Heritage is a group’s claim to a legacy. There are, however, different ways of reading history in the process. The Western notion of World Heritage finds value in a culturally diverse past, which is already fulfilled by the present. Conversely, Islamic fundamentalism seeks to bring about conformity to its founding age, condemning any deviance from this particular foundation. Baudouin Dupret, […]
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Metadichol® a novel nano lipid formulation
Many drugs target individual actions of a specific virus or bacteria. However, development and application of a broad-spectrum compound which targets the whole immune response would allow one therapy to have a global application for human disease. Dr P. R. Raghavan, CEO of Nanorx Inc, has invented one such dietary supplement, Metadichol®, which is thought to act via vitamin D […]
Inspiration from surfactants gives Li-S cells longer life
The renewable-fuelled future is reliant on improvements in battery energy density to smooth the grid and power electric vehicles for longer journeys. Lithium-ion cells – the industry standard – are almost at their capacity. Lithium-sulfur cells could be the answer, current technology degrades quickly due to an effect called redox shuttling. Dr Gao Liu, a staff scientist and his team […]
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Predicting treatment resistance in schizophrenia patients
Schizophrenia is a severe and often debilitating mental disorder. While antipsychotic medications aim to alleviate the symptoms, about a third of patients with schizophrenia are treatment-resistant. Dr Olesya Ajnakina, a Research Fellow at King’s College London, combines state-of-the-art methods in statistical analyses, such as machine learning, to develop prediction models aiming to identify patients at risk of developing treatment-resistant schizophrenia, […]
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Geovisualization for insights into infectious disease risk
Environmental, social, and economic factors influence infectious disease transmission and resulting risk. Using exploratory data analysis techniques can help uncover previously unknown relationships between these factors, contributing to improved public health efforts. Drs Abhishek Kala, Samuel Atkinson, and Chetan Tiwari from the University of North Texas, USA, use geovisualization to identify the spatial context and factors that are strongly associated […]
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New ways to assess stress in fish are urgently needed in aquaculture
With an increasing demand in fish products, aquaculture is fast becoming a main priority towards achieving sustainable fish production. In this context, an accurate and consistent way to evaluate fish stress levels is essential to ensure high standards of welfare. Dr Pedro Miguel Rodrigues and Msc Cláudia Raposo de Magalhães, based at the University of Algarve, CCMAR, Portugal, believe current […]
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