USA Archives

Targeting cancer stemness: A new approach to target tumour metastasis in colorectal cancer

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Targeting cancer stemness and analysing a new approach to target tumour metastasis in colorectal cancer

At COARE Holdings in the US, Dr Courtney W Houchen and Edwin Bannerman-Menson examine innovative ways to target and treat metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Their research focuses on the ‘stemness’ of cancer cells – a property by which the cells within a tumour are able to divide and give rise to every cancerous cell within the tumour. When these cancerous […]

Making strides in veterinary pathology: A dedicated career

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Mast cell tumours and pancreatic diseases are common in dogs but also present to a lesser degree in other veterinary species, including cats and horses. For these and many other diseases of veterinary species, diagnostic methods and criteria were not well characterised and made determination of prognosis difficult. Changing this, with decades of research into the pathology of veterinary diseases, […]

Cooling Cryosim drops for treatment of cough

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Professor Wei researches the mechanisms of cooling agents, in particular Cryosim drops, which soothe inflamed surfaces and alleviate symptoms such as coughing and nasal congestion.

A cough can significantly impact our quality of life, disrupting sleep and daily activities. Coughing is usually a symptom of benign viral infections – but sometimes a cough can linger long after the infection has cleared and persist for months. There is a need for new treatments to alleviate lingering coughs. Professor Edward T Wei at the University of California, […]

Dendrimers: Improving calibration standards for mass spectrometry

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Professor Scott M Grayson has developed and optimised SpheriCal®, MS calibrants based on dendrimers – perfectly branched compounds, that offer better standards for calibration in mass spectrometry.

Soft-ionization mass spectrometry (MS) techniques for the analysis of peptides, proteins, and macromolecules are gaining popularity in the medical research community. Specifically, matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) can identify high molecular weight compounds with accuracy and minimal fragmentation of the sample, but precise and regular calibration with standards of a known mass is needed. Professor Scott M Grayson […]

Unlocking the mechanism of action of arsenic trioxide in leukaemia

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Image of cells under a microscope. One cell is much larger and purple, with a green arrow pointing to it. Researchers have identified the mechanism behind treatment for APL (a type of leukaemia) with ATO - arsenic trioxide - and vitamin A.

The blood cancer acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) has recently been transformed from a fatal condition to a curable one, thanks to the development of treatments including vitamin A1 and arsenic trioxide (ATO). Although very effective, the mechanism of action of ATO has remained unclear until now. Changing this is Professor Paul B Tchounwou and his team at Jackson State University, […]

Rethinking leadership in complex adaptive systems

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Professor Sloan researches the characteristics of effective leadership in complex global systems, considering the roles of leaders who need to deal with a range of actors in complex situations such as human trafficking.

Leadership is a cornerstone of business school syllabi, but it is usually focused on organisational leadership. But what about the leadership needed to deal with global issues that cross geographic, legislative, geopolitical, socio-economic, and structural boundaries, and demand the interplay between state, corporate and non-governmental actors? Professor Margaret F Sloan of James Madison University, in Virginia, US, considers such issues […]

Taming the oil price

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Belleh Fontem has devised a mixed-integer, non-linear programme that considers multiple inputs into the volatile world of oil prices and commodity stock trading, and the complexities of the risk facing brokers and their clients in terms of oil prices.

For the foreseeable future, the world will need oil, but its price volatility makes buying and selling it a challenge for producers and the myriad manufacturers who need it. For brokers who sit in the middle of such transactions, finding the optimal price and the number of clients to spread their risk is one of their biggest challenges. Belleh Fontem, […]

License-plate-based driving restrictions: Do they really backfire?

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Dr Erick Guerra undertakes a literature review of the effects of license-plate-based restrictions in cities on the local air quality, with respect to policymaking and behavioural responses to the policies

Driving restriction policies that limit the number of days drivers can use their vehicles within cities based on the last digit of their license plates are popular in some cities. Research into their effectiveness in reducing air pollution and congestion, however, yields mixed results. Dr Erick Guerra and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, USA, have published the first […]

Indus civilisation decline: Core evidence for Late Holocene climate change

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David Porinchu has taken core sediment deposits from a region in the Indus Valley to build a picture of the hydroclimate change around the time that the Indus Valley Civilisation declined

The socially complex and highly urbanised Indus Valley Civilisation began a sustained decline around 3900 cal yr BP (calendar years before present). This decline has been linked with abrupt climate change starting at ~4200 cal yr BP. Past studies examining its causes point to hydroclimate variability, but these studies offer inconsistent evidence for the timing and mechanism(s) driving mid- to […]

Malaria modelling: An optimal control problem

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Professor Wandi Ding uses mathematical modelling to allow for control variables when modelling complex biological systems; in this case determining the best way to control wild mosquito populations through the release of sterile insects to reduce the impact of malaria

Malaria, a life-threatening mosquito-borne disease, is a leading cause of death and infection in many developing countries. Using mathematical modelling, Professor Wandi Ding, Middle Tennessee State University, USA, and her colleagues investigate optimal control of malaria, using both the sterile insect technique and insecticide-treated nets. Their simulations show that a combination of both strategies results in a more rapid elimination […]