News • Enabling neuronal tissue growth
A hydrogel to heal the brain
Synthetic hydrogels were shown to provide an effective scaffold for neuronal tissue growth in areas of brain damage, providing a possible approach for brain tissue reconstruction.
Research
News • Machine learning analyses driving behaviour
Digital markers offer "near-perfect" dementia prediction
US researchers are developing a highly accurate machine learning model for early detection of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older drivers.
News • Health impact of PFAS
Study: “forever chemicals” disrupt key biological processes
Exposure to a mixture of chemicals called PFAS - also known as 'forever chemicals' - leads to alterations in biological processes associated with a broad range of diseases, a new study finds.
News • Study evaluation shows improving patient integration
25 years of AI in healthcare: You've come a long way, baby
After 25 years of AI health tech research, computers are slowly beginning to listen to patients. This is the conclusion of a review of a quarter of a century's worth of studies on the topic.
News • A chatbot to replace GPs?
ChatGPT does a surprisingly solid job at prescribing the right meds, but...
Researchers from the University of Liverpool have tested whether the AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT could be used to make decisions about prescribing patients with antibiotics.
News • SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in wastewater
Using sewage to forecast Covid-19 infections
A new mathematical model developed by Hokkaido University engineers uses wastewater samples to effectively forecast the number of clinical Covid-19 cases in a community five days in advance.
News • Ultrahigh field strength
14 Tesla: Researchers to build world's strongest MRI scanner
The world's first MRI scanner with a magnetic field strength of 14 Tesla will be built in Nijmegen. Its high sensitivity will allow scientists to image the brain in more detail.
News • Research on iron-dependent cell death
Liver cancer: Ferroptosis could open new therapeutic avenues
Researchers in Frankfurt have now been able to show how ferroptosis can be used to make immunotherapies against liver cancer more effective in mice.
News • Targeted LED research
One step closer to new light-activated cancer therapy
Scientists are developing a new kind of light-activated cancer treatments. This would work by switching on LED lights embedded close to a tumour, which would then activate biotherapeutic drugs.
News • Enhancing lung defense
An inhalable ‘SHIELD’ against Covid-19 and flu viruses
Researchers have developed an inhalable powder that could protect lungs and airways from invasion from the coronavirus or flu viruses by reinforcing the body’s own mucosal layer.
News • Model organisms evolved too far
How lab bacteria became 'estranged' from their real-life counterparts
A model organism used in laboratories for the past 100 years has evolved so extensively that it may no longer be fit for purpose, according to a new study on bacterial strain Escherichia coli K-12.
News • Unjustified disparities
Sensitive women, stoical men? How gender stereotypes sabotage medical pain treatment
Stereotypical gender notions can affect how healthcare staff treat people in pain. This, in turn, may result in medically unjustified disparities in treatment of men and women, or “gender bias.”
Video • Organ restoration
First successful regeneration of diseased kidney
In a world first, scientists from Singapore and Germany have shown that regenerative therapy to restore impaired kidney function may soon be a possibility.
News • Infectious disease research
Hidden bacteria increases risk of antimicrobial resistant infection in hospital patients
Carriers of a specific bacteria have a 14% chance of developing an antibiotic resistant infection with 30 days of hospitalisation, according to new research from Amsterdam.
News • Systems biology
Lung cancer: new discovery could remove metastatic traits
A Korean research team successfully changed the properties of carcinogenic cells in the lungs and eliminate both drug resistance and their ability to proliferate out to other areas of the body.
News • Researchers improve DNA cut-and-paste technique
Increasing safety for "gene scissors" CRISPR-Cas9
A new approach on the genetic tool CRISPR-Cas9 could reduce the risk of unwanted mutation, making it safer for use in humans, Dutch researchers have found.
News • Strand-seq
AI analysis of cancer mutations: a promising step towards new therapies
Combining single-cell data with a self-learning algorithm reveals how structural changes in chromosomes can trigger cancer. This could pave the way for personalized cancer treatments.
News • Intensive care research
Safer ‘weaning’ of patients from ventilation to improve outcomes
A new global study involving ICUs across 50 countries recommends a systematic approach to reduce the duration of ventilation to improve risk of death.
News • New tool against cerebral venous sinus thrombosis
Using an ultrasound ‘vortex’ to break down blood clots
Researchers have developed a new tool and technique that uses “vortex ultrasound” – a sort of ultrasonic tornado – to break down blood clots in the brain.
News • Regeneration support
Role of lymphatic system in bone healing revealed
It was previously assumed that bones lacked lymphatic vessels.Now, new research not only locates them within bone tissue, but demonstrates their role in bone and blood cell regeneration.
News • Championship with side effects
Football Euro: Study shows impact on Covid-19 infections
The European Football Championship in 2021 had an impact on the participating countries' coronavirus infections, a new study shows. However, the extent depended greatly on the initial situation.
News • Metastasis research
Some cancer cells can lose their ability to migrate
In a new study, researchers from Kanazawa University show how some intestinal cancer cells lose their ability to spread as they divide and can be eliminated as the cancer grows.
Video • Early detection of dementias
Promising sensor to screen for Alzheimer's
Canadian researchers are developing a new, ultra-sensitive biosensor to screen for Alzheimer’s disease and other diseases. The device has successfully completed the proof-of-concept stage.
News • National research programme
Switzerland develops novel approaches to healthcare
Better coordination beyond purely medical aspects: the Swiss national research programme “Smarter Health Care” shows how resources in the health sector can be used more efficiently.
News • Workflow assessment
Speeding up surgery times with separate patient preparation
Preparing patients for surgery in a separate space from the operating theatre brings significant benefits in freeing up operating theatre schedules and staff time, according to new research.
