All articles by jim findlay
jim findlay
Fluorescent dyes ‘light up’ brain cancer cells
New fluorescent dyes attracted to cancer cells may revolutionise the way in which brain tumours are diagnosed and treated. Agents known as CLR1501 and CLR1502 have been shown to able to differentiate potentially malignant growths from normal brain tissue in mice in a study performed by Dr John S. Kuo and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, US.
The key to anticipation – non-invasive imaging technique using PET radioisotopes
Coronary plaque rupture and subsequent acute myocardial infarction are a major cause of death worldwide, but anticipating cases successfully is a problem. Dr Nikhil Joshi from the University of Edinburgh discusses a new inexpensive and non-invasive imaging technique using PET radioisotopes that might prove to be the solution.
Lasers and sound waves offer skin cancer breakthrough
A handheld device that that may change the way doctors treat and diagnose melanoma is ready for clinical trials.
Researchers from Washington University in St Louis have been able to measure the depth of tumours using a photoacoustic microscope that shines laser beams into the skin. The differing light absorption properties of healthy cells and those with a dangerously high concentration of melanin creates a pattern of high-frequency acoustic waves that can then be turned into a three-dimensional image.
DNA analysis tool speeds up cancer diagnosis
A newly developed nanoscale imaging tool will enable researchers examine large genomes at single-molecule resolutions in order to detect traces of cancer and other diseases.
Nanoparticle boost for cancer diagnosis
Self-assembling nanoparticles developed by researchers at Imperial College London could help doctors diagnose cancer earlier. A special protein coating increases the effectiveness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by enabling the particles to home in on receptors found in malignant cells.
Anti-cancer drug tracks its own success in tackling tumours
Asian scientists have developed an anti-cancer drug able to demonstrate its own efficacy.
A team led by Bin Liu from the A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering in Singapore, in collaboration with Ben Zhong Tang at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, modified a platinum prodrug so that it was able not only to target tumour cells, but also to show how effective it had been in doing so.
Sight and smell test hope for early Alzheimer’s detection
Changes in the way the eyes and nose work might indicate the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the results of four trials published in July. Decreased ability to identify odours and build-up of protein in the eye could both indicate changes in the brain consistent with the condition, said a report delivered by the Alzheimer’s Association at the charity’s annual conference, in Copenhagen.