This morning the BBC News carried a report on a medical breakthrough – and it is not a term I use lightly – that has enormous implications for people who have been paralysed following spinal cord injuries. A team at the University of Cambridge led by Professor Robin Franklin Department of Veterinary Medicine, along with colleagues … Continue reading Paralysed dogs walk again thanks to nasal cell transplants…and Professor Raisman’s rats.
Author: Editor
Lasker Awards 2012: How animal research empowered the pioneers of liver transplantation
As a medical student in 1950 one of my patients was a boy of my age dying of kidney failure and I was instructed to make him comfortable for he would be dead in two weeks. I asked if he could have a graft of a kidney and I was told "no" and then when … Continue reading Lasker Awards 2012: How animal research empowered the pioneers of liver transplantation
Hope for young cancer victims as stem cell transplantation restores functioning sperm in monkeys.
Chemotherapy plays a crucial role in treating many cancers, but unfortunately some chemotherapy has a side effect of destroying the spermatogonial stem cells that are responsible for producing sperm. Adult men who need to undergo chemotherapy have the option of cryopreserving their sperm in order to give themselves the option of having children in the … Continue reading Hope for young cancer victims as stem cell transplantation restores functioning sperm in monkeys.
Air India supports medical research
In recent years a growing threat to medical progress in many countries has been the refusal of many airlines to carry animals that are destined for medical research. In August Eric Raemdonckdiscussed on this blog how important is for scientists to work together to safeguard medical progress by supporting laboratory animal transport. In September … Continue reading Air India supports medical research
New gene therapy for mitochondrial diseases a step closer thanks to ONPRC
Mitochondria are fascinating. These tiny organelles that reside within almost all of the cells in our bodies (mature red blood cells being an exception) generate the supply of a molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which is the principle source of energy that cells, and ultimately ourselves, need to survive. They also have an intriguing evolutionary … Continue reading New gene therapy for mitochondrial diseases a step closer thanks to ONPRC
Reprogrammed frog and mouse cells win the 2012 Nobel Prize
This morning the Nobel Assembly announced that the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine will be shared by John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for their “discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent”. Animal research played a key role in the research honoured by the prize, specifically the studies of frogs … Continue reading Reprogrammed frog and mouse cells win the 2012 Nobel Prize
University of Leicester shows how it’s done as new animal research facility opens
In a ceremony at the University of Leicester today City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby opened the new Central Research Facility, marking the beginning of a new era for animal research there. Speaking at the ceremony, the Mayor welcomed the University’s investment, saying: The University of Leicester has a well-deserved, worldwide reputation for its pioneering research, which … Continue reading University of Leicester shows how it’s done as new animal research facility opens
ERV blogs on GMO Herpes vs severe cancer pain
As gene therapy emerges as one of the hottest areas of medical research, one thing that is striking is how it employs viruses - sometimes very nasty viruses - to deliver the gene to where it is needed in the human body. Yesterday virologist Abbie Smith discussed another excellent example of this on the ERV blog … Continue reading ERV blogs on GMO Herpes vs severe cancer pain
Speaking of Research 