Category Health/Medical

It is this nano-machine that evolves to escape treatment by antibiotics, which are small chemicals that have the ability to turn this machine off, literally throwing a spanner in the works (inlay picture.) Credit: Dr Matthew Belousoff, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute

An international study led by Monash University has discovered the molecular mechanism by which the potentially deadly superbug ‘Golden Staph’ evades antibiotic treatment, providing the first important clues on how to counter superbug antibiotic resistance. Now, the Monash BDI researchers have identified the first important clues on how to ‘retool’ antibiotics to counter the strategies bacteria enlist to evade the life-saving drugs, with the findings published in the journal mBio...

Bioprosthetic ovary. By removing a female mouse’s ovary and replacing it with a bioprosthetic ovary, the mouse was able to not only ovulate but also give birth to healthy pups. The moms were even able to nurse their young. Credit: Image courtesy of Northwestern University

Bioprosthetic ovaries produced mouse pups in otherwise infertile mice. The moms were even able to nurse their young. The bioprosthetic ovaries are constructed of 3D printed scaffolds that house immature eggs, and have been successful in boosting hormone production and restoring fertility in mice, which was the ultimate goal of the research.

“This research shows these bioprosthetic ovaries have long-term, durable function,” said Teresa K...

Neutrophils mediate delivery of nanoparticles (NPs) across blood vessel barrier into the tumor tissues after acute inflammation induced by photosensitization (PS).

Technique targets disease, spares nearby tissues. For the first time, WSU researchers have demonstrated a way to deliver a drug to a tumor by attaching it to a white blood cell. The innovation could let doctors target tumors with anticancer drugs that might otherwise damage healthy tissues. A team led by Zhenjia Wang, an assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences attached a nanoscale particle to a WBC. The showed they could get a drug past the armor of blood vessels that typically shield a tumor. This has been a major challenge in nanotechnology drug delivery.

Wang implanted a tumor on the flank of a mouse commonly chosen as...

IsoPSA(TM) Demonstration

IsoPSA assay can help in determining the need for prostate biopsy for patients. A team of researchers have demonstrated that a new blood test known as IsoPSA detects prostate cancer more precisely than current tests in two crucial measures – distinguishing cancer from benign conditions, and identifying patients with high-risk disease.

By identifying molecular changes in the prostate specific antigen (PSA) protein, the findings, published online last month by European Urology, suggest that once validated, use of IsoPSA may substantially reduce the need for biopsy, and may thus lower the likelihood of overdetection and overtreatment of nonlethal prostate cancer. The research team, led by Cleveland Clinic’s Eric Klein, M.D...