Regular science news
- Adult stem cells isolated
- Combining anti-clot pills saves lives
- HRT up the nose
- Human trials to reverse Alzheimer's
- Mass-producing cloned chickens
- Thalidomide effective against tumours
Adult stem cells isolated
16 August 2001 – Scientists at the Walter Eliza Hall Institute have identified and isolated adult stem cells from the brains of mice which can develop into new nerve cells, The Age has reported. The discovery means that brain tissue may be regenerated without the use of controversial embryonic stem cells, giving further hope for a treatment for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Dr Perry Bartlett, who heads the WEHI research team, says that their discovery is directed more towards self-repair than the idea of isolating the cells and putting them back into the animal. Furthermore, he believes that the discovery does not replace embryonic stem cell research. The two fields of research should be used in unison, he says. The scientists have been given ethics committee approval to begin using human brain tissue.
[Source: The Age – Brett Foley]
Combining anti-clot pills saves lives
17 August 2001 – A world-wide study has revealed that taking an extra anti-clotting drug as well as aspirin could prevent 25 per cent of heart attacks, strokes or deaths among heart disease patients, The Age has reported. More than 12,000 patients from 28 countries took part in the study, in which the drug clopidogrel was administered to half the patients. Further studies are expected to determine whether the combination of pills is more cost effective than other treatments.
[Source: The Age – Julie Robotham]
HRT up the nose
23 August 2001 – Researchers at the Jean Hailes Foundation, have been given approval to use the HRT nasal spray, which is yet to be approved for general use in Australia but is under consideration by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The trial will investigate the most effective way to deliver HRT which is taken by more than 30 per cent of post-menopausal women in Australia. The nasal spray has already been approved for general use in France and Britain.
[Source: The Age – Brett Foley]
Human trials to reverse Alzheimer's
13 August 2001 – A neurosurgeon in California has injected genetically modified skin cells into the brain of a 60-year old woman in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, The Age reported today. The operation follows a successful trial on mice, in which it was found that nerve growth factor (NGF) causes damaged nerve cells to regenerate when injected into the brains of mice with Alzheimer's. NGF is produced in the brains of foetuses and babies and has been found to be important in brain development. It is expected that the treatment could reverse the pathological changes associated with the disorder.
[Source: The Age – Jenny Booth]
Mass-producing cloned chickens
18 August 2001 – Two US companies, Origen Therapeutics and Embrex, are developing the technology to produce tens of thousands of chicken eggs an hour that will hatch into identical birds, The Age has reported. Birds cannot be cloned normally because their eggs cannot be removed and implanted, but embryonic stem cells can be injected into the embryo of a fertilised egg. This process doesn't create a 100 per cent cloned animal because the chick will contain cells from the donor and recipient. The two companies an $8 million government grant to develop the technology.
[Source: The Age – Robert Uhlig]
Thalidomide effective against tumours
16 August 2001 – Researchers at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney have found that Thalidomide, the drug used as a morning after pill in the 1960's and responsible for birth defects, is effective in treating brain tumours, The Age has reported. While not a cure, they found that it is more effective and has fewer side effects than chemotherapy. Thalidomide works by stopping the supply of blood to the tumour.
[Source: The Age – Brett Foley)
