Novel Technologies News for September 2016

Novel Technologies News Archive

Owlstone Medical commences next phase in world’s largest breath-based clinical trial for early cancer detection Owlstone Medical commences next phase in world’s largest breath-based clinical trial for early cancer detection

NHS funded Lung Cancer Indicator Detection (LuCID) program to recruit up to 3,000 patients across 21 international sites

AstraZeneca collaborates with Microsoft on ‘drag and drop’ drug discovery simulation AstraZeneca collaborates with Microsoft on ‘drag and drop’ drug discovery simulation

A new biologist-friendly, ‘drag and drop’ computer modelling system for key cancer signalling pathways is expected to speed up drug discovery and reduce the need for ‘wet’ lab experiments. Under a collaboration between AstraZeneca and Microsoft, the tool called BioModel Analyzer (BMA), has already been used to investigate how best to target signalling pathways in different acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) cell lines.

Belgian scientists discover missing link in septic shock Belgian scientists discover missing link in septic shock

Researchers at VIB and Ghent University have discovered an important mechanism of sepsis, an overreaction of the body’s immune system to an infection. In this condition, the brain is unable to curb an inflammatory response, causing organ failure or ‘septic shock’. This scenario is the most frequent cause of death in intensive care units. As it turns out, information about infections is passed to our brain via extracellular vesicles, small particles in brain fluid. These insights will be published in the leading scientific journal EMBO Molecular Medicine and might give rise to new strategies to treat sepsis and even other inflammatory conditions.

New Cognition Kit wearable enables real-time brain health measurement New Cognition Kit wearable enables real-time brain health measurement

The neuroscience company Cambridge Cognition Holdings PLC (Cambridge, UK - LSE: COG), which develops near patient technologies for the assessment of brain health, has announced results from a new technology feasibility study. The results demonstrate for the first time that consumer grade wearables such as the Apple Watch® and Microsoft Band can be used to measure accurately clinically relevant cognitive performance in everyday life using the Company’s new Cognition Kit software.