Cancer patients treated in world-first clinical trial of Canadian viral therapy

Canadian researchers have launched the world’s first clinical trial of a novel investigational therapy that uses a combination of two viruses to attack and kill cancer cells, and stimulate an anti-cancer immune response. Previous research by this team and others worldwide suggests that this approach could be very powerful, and could have fewer side effects than conventional...

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China to reform drug approval system

China has decided to reform its appraisal and approval system for drugs and medical instruments with the aim of improving drug safety and quality and encouraging innovation. According to a guideline issued by the China State Council on Aug. 18, China aims to set up a more scientific and efficient system to ensure the safety and quality of medicines and medical instruments...

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Universal flu vaccine steps closer

Flu vaccines in the US are made to target a small number of viral strains based on public health experts’ predictions. Scientists hope that, one day, a universal flu vaccine will be developed that will be effective against all strains, and the findings of a new study may take researchers one step closer to this goal. The study, published in Cell, found that chemical...

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Cystic fibrosis: yeast study may address root cause

Yast is helping to tackle the root cause of cystic fibrosis – a disease that results from faulty ion channels. A new study shows how a small molecule can take the place of a missing protein in yeast cells with faulty ion channels, enabling them to work again. The study, by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is published in the Journal...

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Age-related immune system decline slowed by antioxidants

The thymus is an organ that produces T lymphocytes – white blood cells that are crucial to the immune system. New research has demonstrated how the aging process damages the immune system, while showing how antioxidants in the diet could slow the build-up of this damage. Findings from the study, published in Cell Reports, also lend support to the “free-radical...

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Commonly Used Drugs May Delay Brain Injury Recovery

New study shows that Anticholinergics, a category of drugs recommended to treat common problems which range from bladder issues, depression to insomnia, can in up to 50 percent of old age patients delay their recovery from brain injury. Anticholinergics have in previous studies been identified to have side effects, such as short-term cognitive impairment, confusion and...

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