New composite material may restore damaged soft tissue

Potential uses include facial reconstruction for soldiers’ blast injuries

Biomedical engineers at Johns Hopkins have developed a new liquid material that in early experiments in rats and humans shows promise in restoring damaged soft tissue relatively safely and durably. The material, a composite of biological and synthetic molecules, is injected under the skin, then “set” using light to form a more solid structure, like using cold to set gelatin in a mold. The researchers say the product one day could be used to reconstruct soldier’s faces marred by blast injuries.

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Using math to fight cancer

Scientists from the University of Miami and the University of Heidelberg in Germany find a way to predict the evolution of a patient’s tumor to advance highly individualized cancer treatment

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Researcher tests promising drug on those with Down syndrome

Attempt to increase memory, learning a potential milestone in Down research

AURORA, Colo. (Aug. 1, 2011) – A University of Colorado School of Medicine scientist is completing a major clinical trial on a drug that could boost cognitive function in those with Down syndrome, significantly improving their quality of life and representing a potential milestone in research on this genetic condition.

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Combo therapies tested to overcome drug resistance in melanoma patients

About 50 to 60 percent of patients with melanoma have a mutation in the BRAF gene that drives the growth of their cancer. Most of these patients respond well to two novel agents being studied in clinical trials that inhibit the gene, with remarkable responses that are, unfortunately, almost always limited in duration.

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New CMU brain imaging research reveals why autistic individuals confuse pronouns

Impaired communication between brain areas further supports neuroscientist Marcel Just’s theory that frontal-posterior underconnectivity causes autism and disrupts concept of ‘self’

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70 percent of 8-month-olds consume too much salt

Seventy per cent of eight-month-old babies have a salt (sodium chloride) intake higher than the recommended UK maximum level, due to being fed salty and processed foods like yeast extract, gravy, baked beans and tinned spaghetti.

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National asthma genetics consortium releases first results

Discovers new asthma gene in African-Americans, replicates 4 others

A new national collaboration of asthma genetics researchers has revealed a novel gene associated with the disease in African-Americans, according to a new scientific report.

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Columbia engineering innovative hand-held lab-on-a-chip could streamline blood testing worldwide

Successfully tested in Rwanda, mChip diagnoses infectious diseases like HIV and syphilis at patients’ bedsides; new device could streamline blood testing worldwide

New York, NY—July 31, 2011—Samuel K. Sia, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, has developed an innovative strategy for an integrated microfluidic-based diagnostic device—in effect, a lab-on-a-chip—that can perform complex laboratory assays, and do so with such simplicity that these tests can be carried out in the most remote regions of the world. In a paper published in Nature Medicine online on July 31, Sia presents the first published field results on how microfluidics—the manipulation of small amounts of fluids—and nanoparticles can be successfully leveraged to produce a functional low-cost diagnostic device in extreme resource-limited settings.

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Clinical trial begins on experimental anti-TB drug

TMC207 represents first new class of anti-TB drugs in the past 60 years

University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center will begin a Phase 1 clinical trial on a new experimental anti-tuberculosis drug called TMC207. This drug represents the first new class of anti-TB drugs in the past 60 years and it has activity against both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB.

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Grapes protect against ultraviolet radiation

Some compounds found in grapes help to protect skin cells from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, according to a study by researchers from the University of Barcelona and the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council). The study supports the use of grapes or grape derivatives in sun protection products.

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