Category: Pharmaceuticals
Newly-discovered immune treatment can kill most cancer cells; leaves healthy cells alone
There is an “unconventional method” in which the immune system can rid the body of cancer cells – scientists have found a specific immune cell receptor that can be harnessed to assess/eliminate a wide range of cancerous threats, such as those that lead to lung, breast, or skin cancer, among others. Professor Andrew Sewell of […]
Universal flu vaccine that protects against 6 influenza viruses tested in mice
There is promise for a universal influenza vaccine as scientists from the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, US, have developed a breakthrough nanoparticle vaccine that has proven effective against at least six different strains of the influenza virus in mice. Influenza is a respiratory illness commonly spread through infection. The unique, double-layered […]
Roche’s Tecentriq-chemotherapy combo against lung cancer wins FDA approval
Swiss drugmaker Roche’s new immunotherapy solution, Tecentriq, has received the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval for use along with Celgene’s Abraxane and carboplatin chemotherapy to treat metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with no EGFR or ALK mutations. A recent study on Tecentriq showed the immuno-chemotherapy combo could extend patients’ lives by […]
Novartis trials new drug that delays breast cancer progression
A breast cancer diagnosis is usually distressing to patients across all age groups, especially for the younger ones who have much of life to experience. In fact, advanced breast cancer (ABC) in pre-menopausal women is more aggressive– it is the leading cause of cancer death in women aged 20–59 years old. Pharmaceutical conglomerate Novartis has recognised […]
Medicated rods designed to help with targeted gum disease treatment
Scientists from Germany’s Martin Luther University (MLU) have fashioned biodegradable rods to help patients with gum disease and tough-to-treat oral infection. The scientists, along with colleagues at the Fraunhofer research institutes, developed flexible polymer rods to be inserted the space that develops between a tooth and the inflamed gum tissue (gingival pocket) as these would […]
New schizophrenia drug shows promise in US clinical testing
Acute psychosis in schizophrenic patients may soon be treated with a new drug, KarXT that has reported positive results from a placebo-controlled clinical trial. Karuna Therapeutics’ new drug combines xanomeline and trospium, new compounds designed to interact with muscarinic receptors across the body. Xanomeline was found to be very effective at treating psychosis associated with […]
Neuromodulation therapy made easier with injectable electrodes
Implanted electrodes, for conditions that require nerve-stimulating treatment, are rigid, costly and usually involve surgery. However, a new “injectrode” (injectable electrode) solution could provide a much simpler, and cheaper, alternative to traditional implants. Biomedical engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), a public research university in the US, designed a safe system composed of liquid […]
Alzheimer’s drug shows positive outcomes in genetic variant-based trial
When US-based biotechnology company Biogen introduced an experimental drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD), it was expected to become the first drug to successfully slow the disease’s progression, and would mark a great achievement in the medical world. Unfortunately, Biogen suspended those drug trials early this year after a “futility analysis” indicated patients on the […]
Robust antimicrobial resistance surveillance needed in SEA
A particular resistance to two kinds of drugs, namely carbapenems and polymyxins, in Southeast Asia (SEA) has prompted the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to evaluate their clinical risks to the masses before it becomes a widespread threat. Carbapenems and polymyxins can potentially spread “mobile genetic […]
UK scientists id shape-shifting bacteria behind antibiotic resistance
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified antibiotic resistance as one of the biggest, fatal threats affecting people in many regions around the globe. Antibiotics typically target bacterial cell walls as part of its healing mechanism, but scientists from Newcastle University in UK have, for the first time, seen that bacteria can change form to […]
