News • ATLL therapy approach
New gene targets for treating adult blood cancer
Scientists from Hokkaido University have identified new targets for treating Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), an aggressive form of blood cancer with existing drugs.
Therapy
News • RYR1-associated disorder
New approach to treating severe congenital myopathy
The diagnosis is rare, but devastating – children with congenital muscle disorders often never learn to walk. Now, researchers from Basel present a possible therapeutic approach for the first time.
News • Variable-stiffness
Nontoxic threads for dexterous cardiac catheters
Engineers developed a variable stiffness catheter made of nontoxic threads that can transition between soft and rigid states during surgery.
News • Magnetic tentacle
A small robot to explore the lungs
A proof of concept for a robot that can reach some of the smallest bronchial tubes in the lungs to take tissue samples or deliver cancer therapy.
News • In children
Treating scoliosis with vertebral body tethering
Fusion surgery has been the long-standing treatment for people with scoliosis. Now, other options have become available.
News • Additive manufacturing
'Smart' 3D-printed braces for scoliosis treatment
Researchers have developed a new type of lightweight 3D-printed back brace capable of sensing how effectively it fits patients. Its developers say it could lead to improved treatment for scoliosis.
News • Cancer treatment
Immunotherapy approach 'points' killer cells towards tumours
French researchers have found a way to facilitate access to tumours for killer lymphocytes, paving the way for more efficient immunotherapies against cancer.
News • Novel therapy approach
MRI-guided magnetic seeds to kill cancer with heat
Scientists at University College London have developed a novel cancer therapy that uses an MRI scanner to guide a magnetic seed through the brain to heat and destroy tumours.
News • Heart failure and organ fibrosis
RNA therapeutics: potential far beyond Covid-19
RNA has already been making an impact in the context of the vaccine program, but the potential of RNA-based compounds is far from being fully tapped, as RNA allows for entirely new therapeutic approaches.
News • Diagnostic
Potential therapeutic target for lung cancer
Scientists reported the key role of histone acetylation-regulated long noncoding RNA termed as lysosome cell death regulator (LCDR) in tumor survival, providing a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for lung cancer.
News • Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva
FOP: Origin of rare disease
A mutation in the gene that causes fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) doesn’t just cause extra bone growth but is tied to a problem in generating new muscle tissue after injury.
News • Without causing neurological damage
Injections of zika virus destroys brain tumors
In both the mice and organoids, cytokines suppressed tumor growth after treatment, and defense cells migrated to the brain region affected by the tumor, alerting the immune system to its existence.
News • Synthetic tissue
Hydrogel material repairs vocal cords
Combining knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering, scientists from McGill University develop a biomaterial tough enough to repair the heart, muscles, and vocal cords, representing a major advance in regenerative medicine.
News • Osteoporosis
An ultra-thin 'computer on the bone'
Researchers have developed an ultra-thin wireless device, called osseosurface electronic, that grows to the surface of bone and could someday help physicians monitor bone health and healing over long periods.
News • Intra-nasal administration
Microrobots for treating neurological diseases
The joint research team of Prof. Hongsoo Choi (DGIST) & Prof. Sung Won Kim (Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital), developed an hNTSC-based microrobot for minimally invasive delivery into the brain tissue via the intranasal pathway.
News • Oncology
Tumor blood vessel a target to treat glioblastoma?
A novel protein regulator of tumor angiogenesis, TMEM230, was recently characterized by researchers to have a role in tumor development and vascularization, with potential as a target for anti-tumor therapy in difficult-to-treat cancers such as glioblastoma.
News • High risk patients
WHO recommends antibody treatment for Covid-19 patients
A treatment combining two antibodies is recommended for two specific groups of patients with Covid-19 by a WHO Guideline Development Group panel of international experts and patients.
News • HER2-targeted therapy
Promising results for therapy of non-small cell lung cancer
New data highlights a promising new treatment for individuals with HER2-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
News • Promising approach
New nanoparticles suppress resistance to cancer immunotherapy
Hokkaido University scientists and colleagues in Japan have found a way that could help some patients overcome resistance to an immunotherapy treatment for cancer. The approach, proven in mice experiments, was reported in the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer.
Video • Innovative approach
Osteoarthritis: Nasal cartilage relieves knee pain
Cartilage cells from the nasal septum can not only help repair cartilage injuries in the knee, they can also withstand the chronic inflammatory tissue environment in osteoarthritis and even counteract the inflammation – according to researchers from the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel.
Article • Hybrid care models
Telemedicine or in-person care: Why not both?
Will telehealth replace traditional in-person healthcare? Healthcare and digital health professionals around the world have moved beyond this question. Telehealth scenarios are here to stay, and so is traditional healthcare. The relevant question is how both can be combined for optimum results. This is the focus of hybrid care models. Jonah Comstock of HIMSS recently presented a webinar on…
News • Controlling KRAS
New targeted gene therapy could stop lung cancer progression
A newly targeted therapy could help millions of lung cancer patients worldwide keep their cancers from spreading, says an expert at Cleveland Clinic, on the occasion of World Lung Cancer Day. Dr. Khaled Hassan, of the Hematology and Medical Oncology Department at Cleveland Clinic, explains the concept of KRAS targeted therapy – and why the approach should not be mistaken for a cancer cure.
News • Brain cancer
Malignant Gliomas: Novel therapy may improve survival
A novel therapy engineered by Northwestern Medicine investigators improved progression-free and overall survival for patients with newly diagnosed malignant gliomas, according to results from a recent phase I clinical trial.
News • Health economics
Why certified cancer centers are worth the extra input
Quality assurance in cancer medicine has a reputation for being expensive and involving considerable outlay. For the first time, a cost-effectiveness analysis has now shown that patients treated in certified cancer centers not only survived longer than patients in non-certified hospitals, but also cost less, despite the greater resource commitment required. This was established by health…
Article • Oncology
Pancreatic cancer - current challenges and future direction
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in the world, and one of the most difficult to treat. In 2020, an estimated 495,000 individuals worldwide were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and an estimated 466,000 died, according to statistics from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. Most patients with advanced disease die within a year of…
