All articles by Amit Thadani
Amit Thadani
A hard graft
Chronic wounds come with symptoms just as foreboding as their name. For those afflicted, the regrowth of tissue either occurs at a less-than-optimal rate, or not at all – and for very deep wounds, even a skin graft may not suffice as treatment. That is, unless there is a functional alternative to human skin. Abi Millar asks researchers Professor Alan Smith of the University of Huddersfield and Guangyu Bao at McGill University how feasible artificial alternatives might be in the future.
Fibromyalgia: Neurological or autoimmune?
Fibromyalgia is a condition that baffles medical minds and evades categorisation. Characterised by chronic musculoskeletal pain, as well as deficits in energy, sleep and memory, the disease is considered to have a peripheral neuropathy basis – but some researchers believe it could have an autoimmune cause. Peter Littlejohns explores the arguments for each by speaking to a selection of researchers.
A moving target
Since SARS-CoV-2 emerged, a number of different drugs have been developed to prevent the worst excesses of its pathophysiology. One issue that complicates treatment plans, however, is that with every mutation, therapeutics can become limited or even ineffectual, as new strains build an immunity to treatment. Kim Thomas speaks to Professor Jason Gallagher and Dr Zania Stamataki to learn how mutations to the virus can necessitate a different approach to treating it.
AI’s helping hand
Artificial intelligence has been the primary technological pathway to de-risk medical processes and alleviate the dependency on human labour. But when a wrong decision involves morbidity and mortality, the idea of outsourcing to lines of code can be off-putting. That said, research has led to the belief that future diagnosis could involve a combined approach. Mae Losasso speaks with Kimmo Kartasalo, Aydogan Ozcan and Ali Guermazi – all of whom have been involved in studies on using AI in diagnostics.
Charles River, Valo introduce Integrated AI drug discovery solution Logica
The turnkey drug discovery solution leverages Valo’s AI-powered Opal Computational Platform and Charles River’s preclinical expertise
WHO recommends use of Prizer’s oral antiviral for high-risk Covid-19 patients
The agency is recommending Pfizer’s Paxlovid for Covid-19 patients who are at high risk of developing severe diseases, such as unvaccinated, older, or immunosuppressed patients
Roche, Bristol Myers partner to boost digital pathology solutions
The partnership is expected to facilitate precise diagnosis, improved clinical decision-making and enable more personalised treatment strategies
Pear Therapeutics partners with SoftBank to bring digital insomnia therapeutic to Japan
Pear Therapeutics will develop its digital insomnia therapeutic in the Japanese language, while SoftBank will evaluate the potential of the Japanese market for its applications
Loblaw to acquire healthcare service provider Lifemark for $845m
Shoppers Drug Mart will add Lifemark to its team working in pharmacies, medical clinics, and healthcare businesses, to expand its healthcare services
US FDA orders Philips Respironics to inform about ventilator recall
The recalled devices include certain ventilators and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) machines