Health and Medicine
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Dr Mats Ljungman | KLIPP: Targeting Cancer with CRISPR
Cancer treatments are designed to kill cells within a tumor, but they often affect healthy tissues, leading to serious side-effects. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new approaches that specifically aim for targets that are unique for tumor cells. A common and early event in carcinogenesis is the formation of chromosomal structural variants. These rearrangements are unique for each tumor and contribute to the growth of the tumor. Structural variants in cancer cells create unique junctions of DNA sequences, which are typically located far apart in normal cells. Thus, these junctions represent a promising new target for precision cancer treatment.
Dorothy Goulah-Pabst | Navigating Suicide Loss: A Survivor Study
Those left behind after the suicide of a loved one often experience complex grief that can involve feelings of self-blame, abandonment and rejection. The stigma surrounding suicide can also underly rejection by their community, further increasing the psychological burden that survivors face. Understanding the challenges of suicide loss survivors, and identifying the most effective ways to support them, is important in helping survivors to heal and move forward with their lives. Towards this aim, Dorothy Goulah-Pabst from California State University Northridge conducted a study to learn more about the experiences of suicide loss survivors.
Damian Nowak – Adam Bachorz – Professor Marcin Hoffmann | Using Machine Learning to Discover New Medicines
Many researchers today are dedicated to the discovery of new medicines. Over the past few decades, their tireless efforts have culminated in a database of around 100 million known drug molecules. This value may already sound vast, but by current estimates, the true number of small drug-like molecules could actually range anywhere between 1023 – already more than the number of grains of sand on Earth – and 1060 – comparable to the number of atoms in an entire galaxy. With existing approaches, researchers ultimately need to test the medical potential of these molecules individually, taking up vast amounts of time and computing power.
Professor Michael Belin | New Tools for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Keratoconus
Keratoconus is an eye disease affecting millions of individuals worldwide. The condition causes the transparent layer on the front of the eye, named the cornea, to become progressively thinner and irregularly shaped. Keratoconus causes distorted or blurred vision, increases light sensitivity, and can severely impact one’s ability to function. The first signs of keratoconus typically emerge in children as young as 8 years old. However, the disease usually remains undiagnosed until several years later, due to a lack of reliable screening tests and the tendency of affected individuals to only seek help when their vision has become significantly impaired.
Dr. Ameer Hassan | Could N-Acetylglucosamine Be an Effective Treatment for COVID-19?
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact patients worldwide, it remains crucial to explore innovative treatments that can further improve prognosis. While vaccines have been successful in providing protection for the majority of the population, recent waves of the virus have highlighted challenges such as decreased vaccine protection, leaving certain individuals vulnerable to severe illness and even death. The ongoing challenges of low vaccine uptake and public complacency emphasize the need for continued research into effective therapies for COVID-19.
Professor Robyn S. Klein | Understanding Neuroprotection in Viral and Autoimmune Diseases of the Central Nervous System
Viral and autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system – or ‘CNS’ – are often characterized by the onset of inflammation leading to neurological dysfunction, including impairments in memory and cognition. Dr. Robyn Klein at Western University in London, Ontario leads a team that specializes in neuroinflammatory diseases of the CNS. In recent years, her laboratory has been focusing on the molecular mechanisms behind inflammation and how they regulate blood-brain barrier permeability in viral and autoimmune diseases.
Dr Alexandros Grammatis | The Role of Sperm Quality in IVF Outcomes
In vitro fertilisation – or IVF – has allowed many couples with fertility issues to conceive. However, the relationships between different types of infertility and IVF outcomes are not yet fully understood. Male infertility can include non‐obstructive azoospermia, where sperm are not present in the ejaculate, and oligozoospermia, also known as a ‘low sperm count’. Men with these conditions can still have biological children through techniques such as surgical retrieval of sperm from the testes, in the case of azoospermia, and subsequent injection of an individual sperm into an egg cell. Identifying the effects of male infertility phenomena on subsequent IVF and pregnancy outcomes is important, so that couples can make informed decisions.
Dr Rogier Hopstaken | A Simple Point-of-Care Test to Combat Antibiotic Resistance
While antibiotics are an essential tool for treating disease, their effectiveness in preventing severe illness and death is under threat. Antibiotic resistance is now one of the biggest dangers to global health. When a bacterial infection is treated with antibiotics, certain bacteria in a patient may hold genetic mutations that allow them to evade destruction. These resistant bacteria can become more severe and spread further, requiring stronger antibiotics or potentially leading to the patient’s death. Around 5 million deaths were related to antibiotic resistance in 2019 alone, and cases are predicted to rise.
Dr Kerstin Kleinschmidt-Doerr | Could R399E Become a Potential Treatment for Restoring Joints and Relieving Pain in Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a painful and debilitating condition that affects hundreds of millions of people. The condition significantly affects a patient’s mobility, sleep, and ability to work, ultimately impacting their quality of life and mental health. Treatments involve exercise or medication to reduce pain, but they don’t target underlying structural problems in the joints. Additionally, these treatments do not slow or stop the progression of the disease, and may have serious side-effects on organs such as the liver, kidneys or heart. The search for a treatment that can reduce osteoarthritis pain and treat the affected joint structures remains a ‘substantial unmet medical need’.
Investigating the Effectiveness of Uthever for Promoting Healthy Aging
Modern medicine has greatly extended our life expectancy. However, elderly people tend to experience many health issues, leading to significant suffering and a greater need for healthcare services. As such, it is important to find new ways to increase the number of years that we remain healthy into old age. One simple way to achieve this is to develop treatments that are specifically designed to reduce or reverse some of the biochemical hallmarks of aging.
Dr. Marna Ericson | New Techniques to Diagnose Dangerous Bartonella Infections
Bartonella bacteria, which hide in blood, skin, and many other tissues, are known to contribute to a diverse range of human diseases, with symptoms including with symptoms including – but not limited to – swollen lymph nodes, joint and back pain, skin lesions, weakness, headache, dizziness, cardiac conditions and psychiatric symptoms. Humans are exposed to Bartonella through contact with fleas, lice, sand flies, deer flies, possibly mites, spiders and ticks, and bites from infected animals.
Dr Thomas Shaffer – Dr Tariq Rahman | pneuRIP: An Innovative New Technology to Monitor Children’s Breathing
Respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP) is a technique used to monitor a patient’s breathing patterns. It is used for diagnosing and monitoring children with lung disease, and assessing the effectiveness of therapies. Using bands placed around the torso, the technique measures volume changes in the abdomen and ribcage. These measurements are then translated into useful indicators of lung health. Dr Thomas Shaffer and Dr Tariq Rahman at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Delaware have developed a new technology called pneuRIPTM, which allows continuous, real-time monitoring using RIP.
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