Knitting and weaving artificial muscles could help create soft exoskeletons that people with disabilities could wear under their clothes to help them walk, according to new research (Scientific American, 2017). Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have created actuators, devices that convert energy into motion, from cellulose yarn coated with a polymer that reacts to … Continue reading New exosuit fabric could boost mobility in people with disabilities

Targeting tangles of tau protein in mice with Alzheimer’s-like symptoms has reversed their brain damage, halting memory loss and extending their lives (New Scientist, 2017). Clumps of two types of sticky protein build up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease; beta-amyloid plaques, and tangles of tau. While many attempts to develop drugs to … Continue reading Gene-blocking therapy advances Alzheimer’s-like symptoms in mice

Computers can classify skin cancers as successfully as human experts, according to the latest research attempting to apply AI to health (The Guardian, 2017). Researchers at Stanford University said the new system, which is based on image recognition, could be developed for smartphones, increasing access to screening and providing a low-cost way to check whether … Continue reading AI system as good as experts at recognising skin cancers, say researchers

A University of Liverpool-led clinical trial has shown that 29% of pancreatic cancer patients given a combination of two chemotherapy drugs lived for at least five years compared with 16% who received the one chemotherapy drug (University of Liverpool, 2017). The latest Cancer Research UK figures show that around 9,400 people are diagnosed with pancreatic … Continue reading New approach could improve survival time for pancreatic cancer patients

A new combination of drugs tested by University of Manchester scientists has significantly enhanced the survival of laboratory mice with lymphoma (University of Manchester, 2017). According to the team, the effect of Obinutuzumab, a first-line treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukaemia, is significantly enhanced when combined with drugs that stimulate the immune system. The research … Continue reading New drug cocktail unlocks potential of new Leukaemia treatment

A new app developed by the University of Bristol, which provides an accessible measure of working memory, the ability to hold, manipulate and process information for short periods has been showcased on Channel 4 (University of Bristol, 2017). The n-back app, created by researchers at Bristol University’s School of Experimental Psychology and the MRC’s Integrative … Continue reading Researchers develop software which measures working memory in a more accessible way

Researchers at the University of Bristol and University of Maynooth, in collaboration with Eli Lilly, have looked at how heightened attention improves mental capacity (University of Bristol, 2017). Their research, published in Cell Reports, reveals a chemical signal released across the brain in response to attention demanding or arousing situations. The new discoveries indicate how … Continue reading A brain wide chemical signal that enhances memory

Cardiff University scientists are hoping to create a smart patch which could detect the early onset of osteoarthritis in patients’ knees (BBC News, 2017). The team uses damage sensors from aircraft wings to catch subsonic cracking sounds in joints before the disease fully develops. They believe a disposable patch using them could save expensive diagnosis … Continue reading Cardiff University bid to create osteoarthritis smart patch

PDR and Renishaw have signed a major new research collaboration that aims to help ensure the UK is at the forefront of healthcare innovation (MediWales, 2017). The collaboration seeks to pioneer new design methods that will bring engineering levels of precision to complex surgical procedures. Renishaw’s expertise in technologies such as 3D printing in metal, … Continue reading Collaboration announced between Renishaw and PDR

A partnership between the University of Liverpool and Cypralis has been granted a new Early Stage Award worth £300,000 to develop new compounds to treat acute pancreatitis (University of Liverpool, 2017). Acute pancreatitis is an extremely painful disease that is most often associated with gallstones, excessive alcohol intake and obesity and is currently treated in … Continue reading University of Liverpool and Crypalis to develop acute pancreatitis drug