Tag: research
Pathologists Find HIV Weakness
by andreas on Nov.20, 2008, under HIV/AIDS
Scanning electron micrograph of HIV-1 budding from cultured lymphocyte. Multiple round bumps on cell surface represent sites of assembly and budding of virions.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston believe they have uncovered the Achilles heel in the armor of the virus that continues to kill millions. The weak spot is hidden in the HIV envelope protein gp120, which is essential for HIV attachment to host cells.
The weak spot is hidden in the HIV envelope protein gp120. This protein is essential for HIV attachment to host cells, which initiate infection and eventually lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Normally the body’s immune defenses can ward off viruses by making proteins called antibodies that bind the virus. However, HIV is a constantly changing and mutating virus, and the antibodies produced after infection do not control disease progression to AIDS. For the same reason, no HIV preventative vaccine that stimulates production of protective antibodies is available.
Could A Contact Lens Save Your Vision?
by andreas on Nov.20, 2008, under general research
Soon contact lenses won’t just correct eyesight; they could save your vision.
By applying electrically conductive, antibiotic nanosilver particles to contact lenses, researchers at the University of California, Davis, can continuously map the pressure inside the eye while administering medication directly and painlessly into it.
The new lenses promise to advance understanding of diseases like glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, and could save the eyesight of millions, say the researchers.
Medical Research Feared To Be Negatively Affected By Economic Downturn
by bethany on Oct.27, 2008, under general research
According to professor David Wield, director of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Innogen Centre, venture capital investment is likely to fall short of the £32-billion total it received in 2007.
“[Venture capital] is often the main source of funding in the early stages of development and, without this, biotech firms will struggle to get their projects off the ground,” he says.
“This year started well but in recent months it has started drying up. It is a real worry.”
He added: “Like many other sectors, the pharmaceutical industry has had tough times recently - there is seemingly no way to speed up and improve the drug discovery pipeline, and heavily increased R&D has not increased the number of new drugs.
“As a result, big companies have been laying off staff and closing down research units.”
