Health

interview | health | frontier research

10 July 2018

Study of DNA flags could reignite centuries-old evolution debate

Evolution could be partly based on environmental adaptation and not just random mutations, re-opening a centuries-old debate between Charles Darwin and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, according to Professor Thomas Carell from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany.

health

05 July 2018

Worms may hold the secret to longer life

Research into the remarkable regenerative powers of worms and the insights they can give into battling diseases could help humans live longer and healthier lives.

health

02 July 2018

3D-printed living tissues could spell the end of arthritis

Bioinks containing stem cells are being used to 3D print living tissues that can be inserted into the body and provoke a damaged joint to heal itself.

health

29 June 2018

Removing barriers to healing

Severe inflammation caused by a patient’s immune system can be deadly, but stem cells found in human fat could provide new ways to protect against this toxic reaction.

health | industry

28 June 2018

‘Radical collaboration’ is shaking up the pharmaceutical industry – Carlos Moedas

‘Radical collaboration’ where multinational companies work together and share data instead of keeping it secret is helping to change the model of the pharmaceutical industry and solve problems more quickly, according to Carlos Moedas, the EU’s commissioner for research, science and innovation.

interview | health | open innovation

25 June 2018

Europe is in danger of being out-innovated in regenerative medicine – Prof. Ton Rabelink

Regenerative medicine should be governed, firstly, by the principle of do no harm, but a better balance between risk and regulation is required to bring innovations to market more quickly, according to Ton Rabelink, professor of internal medicine and head of nephrology at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He says that Europe is in danger of falling behind countries such as Japan and the US if there is not more flexibility in how new therapies are regulated.

health | open innovation

22 June 2018

Plant-based molecules company wins EU’s women innovators prize

Dr Gabriella Colucci, the founder of two biotechnology companies that discover new plant-based molecules for industrial use, has won the top award of €100,000 in the 2018 EU Prize for Women Innovators, which was presented at a ceremony in Brussels, Belgium on 21 June.

health | open to the world

21 June 2018

Ebola outbreak – this time it’s different

Lessons learned from past Ebola epidemics are helping to combat a fresh outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Investing in new vaccines, diagnostic tests and laboratories is paying off as expert networks spring into action.

health

20 June 2018

Cell factories mass-produce living drugs

Table-top cell production factories and placentas harvested after birth are promising to bring life-saving cell therapies to unprecedented numbers of patients.

Prof Cédric Blanpain studies the different forms and shapes cancer cells can take to better understand how they spread. Image credt - Fondation ULB

health

18 June 2018

Discovery of hybrid cancer cells reveals how disease spreads

Scientists studying skin and breast cancer in genetically modified mice have spotted hybrid cancer cells that combine the properties of different cell types, a discovery that could help understand how cancer spreads in the body and provide a new target for treatment.