5. January 2009
Key to future medical breakthroughs is systems biology, say leading European scientists
Crucial breakthroughs in the treatment of many common diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson’s could be achieved by harnessing a powerful scientific approach called systems biology, according to leading scientists from across Europe. In a Science Policy Briefing released today by the European... [more]
24. December 2008
Understanding how infectious diseases spread depends on unlocking secrets held in existing data
Often experiments are needed to make scientific progress, but sometimes the answers lie in data already collected, requiring new analysis tools to unlock the secrets. This applies to infectious disease transmission, main topic of a recent workshop organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF),... [more]
23. December 2008
Computers team up with evolution to design novel enzymes
The dream of designer drugs highly specific in action with zero side effects has come closer by combining atomic level computer prediction with natural selection in the laboratory. Following the 2008’s first design of an artificial enzyme for catalysing a chemical reaction, there is increased... [more]
15. December 2008
Pigs and dogs can bridge gap between mice and humans in developing new therapies
Human and veterinary medicine could receive a big boost through the use of larger animals, especially pigs and dogs, in research, with Europe at the forefront. There is the prospect of bringing drugs to the market more quickly at less cost, as well as accelerating progress in other forms of... [more]
11. December 2008
Mathematical models of adaptive immunity
More than five million people die every year from infectious diseases, despite the availability of numerous antibiotics and vaccines. The discovery of penicillin to treat bacterial infections, along with the development of vaccines for previously incurable virus diseases such as polio and... [more]
9. December 2008
Computation and genomics data drive bacterial research into new golden age
A potent combination of powerful new analysis methods and abundant data from genomics projects is carrying microbiology forward into a new era. Bacteria in particular are shedding light on fundamental molecular and signalling processes of interest not just within microbiology, but across the whole... [more]
21. November 2008
Mechanisms of cardiovascular disease and cancer give clues to new therapies
Cardiovascular conditions leading to heart attacks and strokes are treated quite separately from common cancers of the prostate, breast or lung, but now turn out to involve some of the same critical mechanisms at the molecular level. This in turn provides clues to more effective therapies for both... [more]
19. November 2008
Systems biology brings hope of speeding up drug development
Almost every day brings news of an apparent breakthrough against cancer, infectious diseases, or metabolic conditions like diabetes, but these rarely translate into effective therapies or drugs, and even if they do clinical development usually takes well over a decade. One reason is that medical... [more]
31. October 2008
Europe seeks consensus over “living wills”
The question whether a common European position on advance directives, or “living wills” is ethically required and practically feasible was discussed at a recent workshop organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF). Just as a conventional will allows people to specify how they would like... [more]
21. October 2008
European researchers harness unique properties of boron to develop new drugs and diagnostics
Researchers are on the verge of unleashing the power of the element boron in a new generation of drugs and therapies, as decades of research begins to bear fruit. Boron has to date far been one of biology’s best kept secrets, but is now attracting fast growing research interest and investment from... [more]
