Yesterday the BBC News and Guardian Newspaper reported that a team led by surgeon Professor Robert Maclaren at the Oxford Eye Hospital had succeeded in using gene therapy to halt the decline in vision in six patients with the progressive eye disorder choroideremia. All six patients were taking part in a clinical trial, and what was … Continue reading Visionary Science: Gene therapy saves sight thanks to animal research
Tag: animal research
Speaking of 2013: A year in summary
As another year for Speaking of Research has passed it seems only appropriate to spend a moment looking back.Animal research is important because of its contributions to human and animal health. In 2013 we saw a promising clinical trial for epidermolysis bullosa (EB), the development of pluripotent human stem cells from cloned human skin cells, … Continue reading Speaking of 2013: A year in summary
Cancer Immunotherapy: A breakthrough made through animal research
The prestigious journal Science has published its top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year 2013, and top of the list is a development that promises to have a huge impact on the lives of millions of people in the coming decades – Cancer Immunotherapy. The article focuses on three particular therapies that have recently shown great … Continue reading Cancer Immunotherapy: A breakthrough made through animal research
Should chimps have rights?
Steven M. Wise and the Nonhuman Rights Project think so. In Wise’s own words, chimpanzees are complex, autonomous beings that should have the basic right “to be left alone.” Seeking a court’s support for their position, the organization petitioned New York courts for writs of habeas corpus on behalf of several chimpanzees they view as … Continue reading Should chimps have rights?
Italian science rallies for animal research at the Mario Negri Institute.
On Saturday 30th November around 400 researchers, scientists and students met at the Mario Negri Research Institute in Milan, Italy, to take part in the “Io Sto Con La Ricerca” (I’m With Research) Convention, organized by Silvio Garattini, Director of the Institute. This Convention aimed to emphasize the importance of biomedical research to human health … Continue reading Italian science rallies for animal research at the Mario Negri Institute.
Conversation Starter? PETA’s Bus Ads on University of Wisconsin Hearing Research
As predicted, PETA’s ongoing campaign against scientific research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison continues, escalating this week with a striking advertisement on 100 Metro buses. The ad calls for an end to UW research aimed at better understanding how the brain processes sound. A central question is how sound arriving at both ears is combined … Continue reading Conversation Starter? PETA’s Bus Ads on University of Wisconsin Hearing Research
Animal research brings hope to the girl whose skin never heals
On Friday the BBC broadcast a moving report about a young girl named Sohana Collins, who suffers from the painful and life threatening genetic disorder epidermolysis bullosa (EB), caused by mutations in the type VII collagen gene (Col7a1). The report also included an interview with Prof John McGrath, Professor of Molecular dermatology at Kings College … Continue reading Animal research brings hope to the girl whose skin never heals
Successful gene therapy for hemophilia A in dogs – humans next!
On Wednesday we were saddened learned that double Nobel laureate Fred Sanger had died, so it was fitting that yesterday also saw the announcement of an important scientific advance that owes everything to the molecular biology revolution he helped to launch – one that may improve the lives of many thousands of people with Hemophilia A. … Continue reading Successful gene therapy for hemophilia A in dogs – humans next!
Speaking of Research 