New tools needed to relieve malaria burden in Africa
Researchers in the UK have demonstrated that the tools currently available for combating malaria could dramatically reduce the burden of malignant malaria on parts of Africa if a comprehensive, sustained intervention programme were in place. The findings, published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) Medicine journal, are an outcome of the TRANSMALARIABLOC (Blocking malaria transmission by vaccines, drugs and immune mosquitoes: efficacy assessment and targets) project, financed with EUR 3 million under the Health Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
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An international team of scientists has identified 95 genetic variants associated with high blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels which are major risk factors for coronary heart disease. The study, published in the journal Nature and funded in part by the EU, could lead to novel ways of preventing and treating heart disease.
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Scientists launch new attack against AIDS
EU-funded researchers have developed a new defence against infection from the AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) virus. The pioneering method involves creating a protective shield that restricts the virus from making contact with a susceptible host cell and penetrating the immune system. Published in the journal Chemistry & Biology, the results pave the way for future pharmaceutical drugs that could combat the disease in its early stages.
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i-Path launches TMA Toolbox for online biomarker discovery
i-Path has announced the launch of its newest product, the TMA Toolbox. TMA Toolbox boosts i-Path's existing portfolio of digital pathology software services to the research market which includes the bespoke development of image analysis algorithms and digital archiving of biomarker tissue samples.
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Medicine from Moss to produce human protein
Biologists at the University of Freiburg, Germany, have produced in the moss bioreactor a human protein, the absence of which leads to age-related blindness in 50 million people.
Diabetics use human insulin produced in bacteria in order to treat their metabolic disorder. Many other genetically engineered proteins are also on the advance. They are being used for diagnosis as well as for therapy.
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HIV patients may need to start treatment earlier, study suggests
Even HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) patients with relatively high CD4 counts are at an increased risk of death compared to people in the general population, according to a new EU-funded study published in the journal The Lancet. Although the increased risk is relatively small, the findings underline the importance of carrying out further studies into the risks and benefits of starting anti-retroviral therapy (ART) at higher cell counts.
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New advances in stem cell treatment for heart damage
Using bone marrow stem cells has already led to huge advances in treating heart attacks and cardiomyopathy. But a new approach, research into which has been partially funded under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), is looking even more promising.
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