Researchers at East China Normal University in Shanghai have used a smartphone to control blood sugar levels in mice with diabetes (BBC News, 2017). The idea, described in Science Translational Medicine, could be applied to a wide range of diseases and drug treatments. Cells in the mice were genetically engineered to manufacture drugs that control … Continue reading The smartphone that orders the body to treat diabetes

A clinical trial, funded by Arthritis Research UK and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), led by professors from the University of Liverpool and University of Bristol has discovered a drug combination that could help thousands of children with arthritis (University of Liverpool, 2017). Over 5,000 children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) … Continue reading Drug combination could help children with arthritis

Researchers from the University of Liverpool have identified a cell type isolated from human kidneys that can help repair renal function without integrating into the kidneys (University of Liverpool, 2017). Most people know that a major function of the kidneys is to remove waste products and excess fluid from the body. These waste products and … Continue reading Cells identified that could repair damaged kidney function

Scientists from the University of Bristol have looked at all 14,500 participants in Children of the 90s and found that if a girl’s maternal grandmother smoked during pregnancy, the girl is 67% more likely to display certain traits linked to autism, such as poor social communication skills and repetitive behaviours (University of Bristol, 2017). The … Continue reading Autism more likely in girls whose maternal grandmothers smoked

Exercising on an empty stomach is likely to bring important health benefits in how the body uses stored fat, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Bath (University of Bath, 2017). The study, published in the American Journal of Physiology, from academics in the University of Bath’s Department for Health, is … Continue reading Get the most out of exercise by exercising on an empty stomach

Older people who have been newly prescribed sleeping pills like benzodiazepines and Z-drugs are more than as likely to have a hip fracture in the first two weeks compared with non-users, according to a new study by researchers at Cardiff University and King’s College London (Cardiff University, 2017). Dr Ben Carter, who works at Cardiff … Continue reading Sleeping pills linked to hip fractures

A new powered ankle prosthesis, developed by prosthetics maker Chas A. Blatchford & Sons, along with University of Bath researchers, combines an electric hydraulic system with an intricate pattern of sensors (Alliance of Advanced Biomedical Engineering, 2017). These components allow people to climb slopes easily and plant their feet firmly on the ground without them … Continue reading More advanced powered ankle prosthesis developed

Having previously debunked the claim that fish don’t feel pain, the University of Liverpool’s Dr Lynne Sneddon has become a leading figure in the movement to reduce, replace and refine the use of animals in scientific research (University of Liverpool, 2017). Uncomfortable with the increasing use of adult fish in pain research, she and her … Continue reading Zebrafish larvae could be an alternative pain research model

A stomach hormone that stimulates appetite seems to promote the growth of new brain cells and protect them from the effects of ageing, and may explain why some people say that fasting makes them feel mentally sharper (New Scientist, 2017). When ghrelin was first discovered, it became known as the hunger hormone. It is made … Continue reading Hunger hormone appears to promote the growth of new brain cells

A revolutionary blood test has been shown to diagnose the recurrence of cancer up to a year in advance of conventional scans in a major lung cancer trial (The Guardian, 2017). The test, known as a liquid biopsy, could buy crucial time for doctors by indicating that cancer is growing in the body when tumours … Continue reading Liquid biopsy can spot cancer recurrence a year before conventional scans