27. May 2008
Europe's biobanks need urgent coordination, scientists say
Leading European scientists say that there is an “urgent need” for greater coordination and harmonisation between Europe’s biobanks – repositories of genetic and other information from large numbers of people that can be used to investigate complex diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. To enable... [more]
26. May 2008
New treatments for viral and other diseases by blocking genes
The elusive goal of developing effective treatments for viral diseases such as AIDS and influenza has been brought closer by dramatic progress in the ability to interfere with viral genetic machinery. The stage was set for a coordinated European effort to accelerate research and stimulate... [more]
8. April 2008
Europe develops new technologies to boost health of livestock
A range of new technologies including genetic modification (GM) and RNA Interference are being deployed to improve the health of farm animals in a series of European and global initiatives. The ground was laid for a European platform to develop new treatments that exploit these technologies at a... [more]
20. February 2008
Big molecules join together will lead to better drugs, workshop found
Bacteria can be made to spin spider silk [more]
13. February 2008
ESF’s MED (formerly EMRC) strengthens training course on clinical trials management
Around 170 doctors, nurses and medical researchers from Europe and North America were given important insights into how to run successful clinical trials across national boundaries at a two-day training course in Croydon, UK.The course, sponsored by the European Science Foundation as part of its... [more]
13. February 2008
Stem cells give clues to understanding cancer; make breakthrough in childhood leukaemia
Scientists in Switzerland are uncovering new clues about how cancer cells grow – and how they can be killed – by studying stem cells, ‘blank’ cells that have the potential to develop into fully mature or ‘differentiated’ cells and other scientists in UK have made a breakthrough in understanding the... [more]
5. February 2008
Collaboration needed for strengthening medical research in Europe
Public spending on medical research in Europe should be doubled over the next ten years to ensure health and welfare for Europe’s citizens and to nurture a thriving European medical research industry. There should be greater collaboration between European institutions in medical research and... [more]
18. January 2008
Stem cell research aims to tackle Parkinson’s disease
New ways to grown brain cells in the laboratory could eventually provide a way to treat Parkinson’s disease [more]
14. January 2008
Minister predicts role for stem cell biologists in re-shaped pharmaceutical industry
Stem cell research should have a bright future and could play an important role in tomorrow’s pharmaceutical industry, Spain’s Minister for Health told an international conference of stem cell biologists on January 11. Professor Bernat Soria, himself a distinguished cell biologist, was speaking at... [more]
10. January 2008
The construction of heart modelling leads path to new therapies
Heart disease is still a major killer, especially in the western world, but new therapies based on stem cells and other techniques could now be imminent. Progress is being held back however by the difficulty testing new therapies on human heart tissue, with animal models being only of limited value... [more]
