Scientific developments
- Anti-malarial drug proving effective in monkeys and humans
- DNA detection method may lead to hand-held screening devices
- Meningococcal vaccine has been approved and may soon be free
- Reductil targets women for weight-loss
- Rheumatoid arthritis drugs effective against psoriasis
Anti-malarial drug proving effective in monkeys and humans
15 February - Researchers at the National Centre for Scientific Research at Montipellier University II in France, have developed an anti-malarial drug (known as 'G25') that stops the parasite replicating in infected blood cells, NewScientist has reported. The drug works by stopping the chemical called choline being transported into the parasite. Without choline, the parasite cannot replicate as it cannot form vital internal cellular structures and outer cell envelopes. G25 has already succeeded in curing the disease in monkeys, and in lab experiments with human cell cultures, G25 was effective against strains of the parasite which are resistant to commonly-used drugs such as Mefloquine.
[Source: New Scientist]
DNA detection method may lead to hand-held screening devices
21 February - Researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, US have developed a simpler and highly accurate method for detecting the genetic material DNA which may be used in doctors clinics rather than a laboratory, Reuters Health has reported. The new screening method, reported on in the February 22, 2002 issue of the prestigious journal Science, uses an electric current, tiny gold particles (called 'nanoparticles') and strands of synthesised DNA. This method improves on currently available detection methods, relying on testing called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), that are not practical to use outside of a laboratory setting. The new technology developed by the researchers could be used to develop hand-held devices which doctors will be able to use during routine office visits, revolutionising the way people are screened and diagnosed for potentially life-threatening diseases.
[Source: Reuters Health- Merritt McKinney]
Meningococcal vaccine has been approved and may soon be free
20 February - The first vaccine approved for use in Australia to protect babies from a potentially deadly strain of meningococcus ('meningococcus C') bacteria could be available free by the middle of this year, The Age has reported. The vaccine, which can be given to children at six weeks and lasts up to ten years, is already available but until the federal government approves a subsidised national vaccination program, at present each vaccination costs up to A$200. Previous vaccinations were short-lived and could not be given to children under 18 months old.
[Source: The Age- David Wroe]
Reductil targets women for weight-loss
18 February - Reductil, a new weight-loss drug, is likely to have more of an effect on women than men as it works by breaking people's emotional attachment to food, The Age has reported. Reductil, which is already being prescribed by doctors, was originally developed as an antidepressant, until its manufacturer later observed that it promoted weight loss. Reductil is said to target over-eating by women because, according to Sydney University human nutrition professor Ian Caterson, far more women than men are emotional eaters. According to Professor Caterson, emotions govern eating behaviour at least occasionally in about two-thirds of women.
[Source: The Age- Julie Robotham]
Rheumatoid arthritis drugs effective against psoriasis
25 February - Biologic drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis by inactivating proteins linked to inflammation, have proved to be effective in treating psoriasis according to recent studies, Reuters has reported. Psoriasis, a chronic disease which at present affects more than seven million Americans, occurs when skin grows faster than normal while old skin is not shed quickly enough- causing inflamed, swollen and scaly patches. Clinical trials of Immunex Corp.'s Enbrel, which involved 112 patients being injected twice a week for six months with either Enbrel or a placebo, revealed that at least 75 percent of patients treated with Enbrel showed an improvement in their psoriasis after six months of treatment, compared with 5 per cent of patients on the placebo.
[Source: Reuters- Deena Beasley]
