Cardiff University’s new way of making drug compounds
Researchers at Cardiff University have developed a new “highly-efficient” method of making disease-fighting compounds, including for an anti-malaria drug (BBC News, 2017). Sesquiterpenes can be found in spicy foods, plants and beer, and are used to battle colds, cancer and malaria. A Cardiff University team said it could synthesise them more quickly and cost-effectively than … Continue reading Cardiff University’s new way of making drug compounds
Cardiff University are coordinating a new cancer study
The first patient has been successfully recruited into an important new cancer study being co-ordinated by a team of experts at Cardiff University (Cardiff University, 2017). The trial could have profound ramifications for treatment of an uncommon form of cancer that affects the elderly, who cannot tolerate aggressive chemotherapy treatments. MONOCLE is a Phase II … Continue reading Cardiff University are coordinating a new cancer study
Research aims to reduce premature deaths in young people
BHF Cymru are investing £2.3m in research at Swansea University to help reduce the number of premature deaths in young people (Swansea University, 2017). It is estimated that one person every fortnight aged under thirty five in Wales is a victim of sudden cardiac death with seemingly no explanation, largely due to undiagnosed inherited heart … Continue reading Research aims to reduce premature deaths in young people
Two drug therapies that could cure all forms of tuberculosis
Two new drug therapies may be able to cure all forms of tuberculosis, even the ones most difficult to treat (New Scientist, 2017). TB Alliance is coordinating trials of the two treatments. The organisation’s president, Mel Spigelman, said “We will have something to offer every single patient. We are on the brink of turning TB … Continue reading Two drug therapies that could cure all forms of tuberculosis
Novel approach to treating common diseases
Researchers at Cardiff University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have discovered a new clinical approach that could provide a new avenue for treating a range of common diseases including cancer, strokes and high blood pressure (Cardiff University, 2017). The novel approach consists of indirectly targeting enzymes within cells, called kinases, which cause these often … Continue reading Novel approach to treating common diseases
NeedleBay could prevent life changing complications according to Cardiff University study
A study by Cardiff University has shown a simple device for controlling and organising diabetes medication could prevent patients from developing life changing complications and save the NHS millions of pounds (Cardiff University, 2017). Participants in the study were given a NeedleBay device which allows the user to prepare insulin needles a week in advance, … Continue reading NeedleBay could prevent life changing complications according to Cardiff University study
Further funding for bedside sepsis test
University of Liverpool spin-out Sepsis Limited has secured further funding support to test a point of care diagnostic tool for the early detection of sepsis (University of Liverpool, 2017). SBRI Healthcare has awarded Sepsis Limited £100,000 for the first phase of testing a working prototype of a hand held device that will be used at … Continue reading Further funding for bedside sepsis test
New discovery could advance the understanding of neurological diseases
The discovery of a new mechanism that controls the way nerve cells in the brain communicate with each other to regulate learning and long-term memory could have major benefits to understanding how the brain works and what goes wrong in neurodegenerative disorders such as epilepsy and dementia (University of Bristol, 2017). The breakthrough, published in … Continue reading New discovery could advance the understanding of neurological diseases
Welsh universities secure EU funding for the diagnosis and treatment of life threatening diseases
The National Research Network in Advanced Engineering and Materials (NRN AEM), an engineering network set up as part of the Welsh Government’s Science for Wales initiative, has been a significant support in aiding scientists to secure EU investments into Welsh universities (Business News Wales, 2017). Two projects funded as part of the NRN AEM have … Continue reading Welsh universities secure EU funding for the diagnosis and treatment of life threatening diseases
More cases of norovirus in the UK than previously estimated
Researchers have found that the annual number of estimated number of norovirus cases annually in the UK is approximately 800,000 greater than previously estimated (University of Liverpool, 2017). Norovirus is the most common cause of gastrointestinal disease for all age groups worldwide. The majority of cases experience a mild, self-limiting illness and few people tend … Continue reading More cases of norovirus in the UK than previously estimated
