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| TRANSPLANTED ORGANS POSE CANCER RISK |
| Cancer-causing cells can be transferred from one person to another in donated organs, an international team of scientists have found. |
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| SCIENTISTS DISCOVER HOW TO GROW CELLS THAT SUPPRESS IMMUNE RESPONSES |
| Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered how to grow a little-understood type of human immune cell. The cells, known as T-regulatory cells type 1 (Tr1), are thought to turn off unnecessary immune reactions and to block the action of immune cells that otherwise would attack the body and cause dangerous inflammation. The findings are reported in the Jan. 23 issue of the journal Nature. |
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| WALKING ON SHAKY SHOES |
| Feeling unsteady on your feet? Vibrating shoes that use random noise to amplify subtle signals to the brain could keep you upright. When someone leans or sways to one side, pressure on the soles of the feet increases on that side. Normally the nervous system detects these changes and automatically corrects posture. But some people, particularly the elderly, have trouble picking up these signals and sway much more than normal even when they think they are standing still. |
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| FIRST LOOK AT 'BIONIC EYE' |
| An Australian-invented 'bionic eye' device is about to begin human trials.
The device consists of a silicon chip inserted into the eye, which is designed to act like a retina — receiving images captured by a pair of glasses worn by the user. |
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| BREAKTHROUGH IN CREATING BIO-ARTIFICIAL ORGANS AT HEBREW UNIVERSITY-HADASSAH DENTAL SCHOOL |
| Today people often must wait for months when they need an organ transplant. In the future, they may be able to simply give a tissue sample and then wait a week or two as the sample is used to custom-build the necessary organ, thanks to research conducted by Hebrew University Ph.D. candidate Gadi Pelled, DMD. He received the prestigious Kaye Award this year for his work. |
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| AUSSIE CORNEA HELPS FIGHT WORLD BLINDNESS |
| An artificial cornea developed in Australia is now ready for production and commercial release throughout the world, according to an announcement this week.
The AlphaCor was developed by researchers at the Lions Eye Institute of Western Australia and Argus Biomedical Pty Ltd. The announcement was made as one of a series of medical achievements for Australian Medical Research Week. |
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| BONE - HEAL THYSELF |
| At last! Good news for people who have broken their shin bone – an Australian team is developing a material that will help the bone heal in months without the need for a traction machine. |
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| U OF MINNESOTA STUDY: ADULT BONE MARROW STEM CELLS CAN BECOME LIVER CELLS |
| Researchers at the University of Minnesota Stem Cell Institute (SCI) have demonstrated, for the first time, the ability of adult bone marrow stem cells to differentiate in vitro as hepatocytes (liver cells) with hepatocyte phenotype and function. The findings will be published in the May 15, 2002 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. |
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| QUICK BONE HEALING POSSIBLE |
| Australian researchers have developed a material that paves the way for more successful hip replacements.
Researchers at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Queensland University of Technology report they have developed a material made of natural compounds that stimulates bone to grow and helps it attach to implants. |
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| ADULT BONE MARROW STEM CELLS CAN BECOME BLOOD VESSELS |
| Researchers at the University of Minnesota Stem Cell Institute (SCI) have demonstrated, for the first time, the ability of adult bone marrow stem cells to expand in vitro as endothelial cells (which line blood- and lymphatic vessels) and then engraft in vivo and contribute to new growth of blood vessels (neoangiogenesis). The findings will be published in the February 1, 2002 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. |
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| IS THIS THE CELL THAT COULD REVOLUTIONISE MEDICINE? |
| IT MIGHT turn out to be the most important cell ever discovered. It's a stem cell found in adults that can turn into every single tissue in the body.
Until now, only stem cells from early embryos were thought to be able to do this. If the finding is confirmed, it will mean cells from your own body could one day be turned into all sorts of perfectly matched replacement tissues and even organs. |
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| GLUE AND COILS HELP PREVENT MALFORMATIONS AND ANEURYSMS |
| A unique treatment at The Ohio State University Medical Center is using surgical glue and coils to correct abnormally connecting blood vessels that are linked to seizures, headaches and sometimes death. |
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| UCSD BIOENGINEERS FABRICATE JOINT CARTILAGE WHICH MIMICS STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF NATURAL TISSUE |
| University of California, San Diego (UCSD) bioengineers have fabricated cartilage tissue which for the first time mimics the multi-layered structure and cellular functions of natural articular cartilage. |
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| PLASTIC TUBE MAY HELP TREAT PARALYSIS |
| Canadian researchers have created a plastic tube that fits around the spinal cord and restores some movement in paralyzed rats, according to research presented at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. The researchers say the work could lead to a new treatment for paralysis in humans. |
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| SYNTHETIC ANTIFREEZE COULD PREVENT ICE GROWTH |
| A fish swimming in icy polar waters is helping scientists find ways to protect food from freezer burn, save fruit crops from frost, and use low temperature storage in complicated medical procedures like human organ transplants, researchers report. |
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| EYE TISSUE TO BE GROWN TO ORDER |
| The first Australian trials of a new transplant technique for victims of eye injuries or burns are expected to take place in Queensland later this year. The trials at Royal Brisbane Hospital will involve transplanting specialised “skin grafts for the eye”, artificially grown in the laboratory from the patient’s own tissue. |
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| BRESAGEN ANNOUNCES AUSTRALIA'S FIRST CLONED PIG |
| Australian biotechnology company, BresaGen Limited, in association with the Immunology Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, has made a major breakthrough in cloning technology. |
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