Scientific developments
- AIDS cure in lemon juice?
- "Brain on a chip" device raises treatment hopes
- Folate shows further benefits
- Gene therapy to be safer
- Icelandic genetics research pays off
- Parkinson's gene therapy a step closer
- Prostate cancer treatment may benefit from photodynamic therapy
AIDS cure in lemon juice?
10 October - Melbourne reproductive physiologist Professor Roger Short has suggested that AIDS may be treated with a humble material - the lemon. Professor Short's startling claim arose from his research with women in developing countries who use lemon juice as a traditional contraceptive. From discussions with these women, it occurred to him that lemon juice could kill the HIV virus. To test his theory, Professor Short placed a live strain of HIV in a solution of 10% lemon juice. Observation a short time later indicated the amount of virus was significantly reduced, with just one thousandth of the virus remaining. If these findings can be replicated, it could provide revolutionary in developing counties, as it could offer a relatively simple and inexpensive mechanism to counter the spread of AIDS. Further tests, including one examining the safety of lemon juice as a contraceptive, are now being planned.
[Source: Catalyst - ABC Television]
"Brain on a chip" device raises treatment hopes
16 October - A new method to keep brain tissue alive outside a living organism has been developed by US researchers. The technology, which involves building "mini-brains" directly on microchips, may lead to new treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's and schizophrenia. Developed using cells from rats and mice, the chip device could be used to test new drug treatments or other interventions. The chips are composed of thousands of cells suspended in an artificially created cerebral fluid solution. Electrodes on the surface of the chip then monitor the electrical activity of the tissue. A significant advance inherent in the device is that effects of drugs on whole brain networks can be monitored, compared to individual cells.
[Source: Reuters]
Folate shows further benefits
17 October - Two new studies have reinforced the benefits of folate for women's health. In the first, Swedish scientists, collaborating with US researchers, have shown that pregnant women with low folate levels were 50% more likely to have a spontaneous abortion than women with more normal levels. In response to the study, Swedish authorities are considering fortifying foods with folate. Such a practice has already been adopted in Australia.
The second study indicates that taking folate, present in liver and raw vegetables, can decrease a person's cancer risk. Australian researchers have discovered that folate reduces the risk of DNA damage, which is an underlying cause of cancer. CSIRO researcher Dr Michael Fenech claims that this latest result should influence a rethink as to the recommended dietary intake of folate, to ensure that DNA damage is minimised. The current recommended daily intake is 200-400µg per day.
[Source: ABC News]
Gene therapy to be safer
13 October - US scientists have developed a new and less riskier form of gene therapy, hoped to lead to new methods of treating disease in human organs such as skin, muscle and blood. A main feature of the new technique is that it is able to introduce genetic material into a host cell in a more precise way than seen with traditional methods. Additionally, a virus vector is no longer needed to assist with transporting DNA into the cell.
In all forms of gene therapy, the goal is to introduce a normally-functioning copy of a gene into a cell where the person's own copy of the gene does not work properly. Problems researchers have faced in developing this technology include the foreign DNA not integrating into the recipient's genome (such that it will only work for a short time) or integrating into another gene and disrupting its function, which can cause cancer. The new technique overcomes this problem by inserting the DNA at known locations in the recipient's genome. Additionally, much larger genes can be inserted than is possible with techniques reliant on viruses.
The method is based on a mechanism that bacteriophage viruses use when infecting bacteria. Specifically, a bacteriophage produces a protein to guide it to a specific site in the bacterial genome, where it inserts itself. Now, researchers have emulated this process by using a gene which stimulates production of this same protein. By inserting this "targeting" gene next to the therapeutic gene, genetic material can be guided to a particular site in the recipient's genome.
Early experiments with mice have shown promising results, with haemophiliac mice making 12 times more of the protein they need than mice treated without using the "targeting" gene. The technique is now being tested with different tissue types under laboratory conditions.
[Source: BBC News]
Icelandic genetics research pays off
18 October - Research with a genetic database obtained in Iceland is beginning to bear fruit, with the identification of several putative disease genes. Among the diseases for which new genetic clues have been found are schizophrenia, asthma, stroke and anxiety. In light of this new genetic information, research has commenced to identify improved drug treatments for asthma and schizophrenia.
[Source: Reuters - Maggie Fox]
Parkinson's gene therapy a step closer
10 October - A gene therapy trial for Parkinson's disease is soon to commence in humans, following successful studies in rats. The therapy, which is hoped to ease the movement problems characteristic of the disease, works by "unlocking" the brain's motor centres from their perpetual state of arrest. This arrest arises due to the unbalancing between excitement and inhibition of neurons in the brain. Vital to the therapy is a brain messenger molecular, GABA, which ironically is responsible for keeping neurons still. Researchers have shown that increasing GABA levels in the brain can unlock the activity of the brain centre STN, which influences movement. In patients with Parkinson's the STN receives a signal telling the motor centres to freeze. Increasing GABA could have dramatic effects, as in rats a virtually complete tremor reversal was observed. Gene therapy rather than drug therapy is required to stimulate GABA production, to enable long-term increases.
[Source: HealthScout - Adam Marcus]
Prostate cancer treatment may benefit from photodynamic therapy
15 October - Prostate cancer is the latest in a series of cancers which could benefit from photodynamic therapy (PDT), a therapy which combines drugs and light. UK researchers have reported that of relapse patients treated with PDT, most benefited from the new therapy. Significantly, more than half the patients treated demonstrated a decrease in their levels of proteins associated with the presence of cancer. Additionally, more than one third of patients showed no trace of the cancer post-treatment. The therapy works as a two-stage process. In the first a patient is administered a light-activated drug, which collects in the tumour, rendering it particularly sensitive to light. The second step is to then briefly shine a laser light on the tumour locations. The researchers believe this therapy merits further investigation for use after unsuccessful radiotherapy.
[Source: Reuters Health]
