Cancer Stem Cells: Mouse studies lead to paradigm shift in cancer research

For the past 15 years one of the most intriguing ideas in cancer research has been that the growth and spread of most – if not all – cancers is driven by cancer stem cells. The hypothesis is that only a tiny proportion of cancer cells, cancer stem cells, have the stem cell-like ability to … Continue reading Cancer Stem Cells: Mouse studies lead to paradigm shift in cancer research

Speaking of Research welcomes 2011 UK statistics for animal use in scientific research

The UK Home Office has released the animal research statistics for 2011, which show a 2% increase overall in procedures compared to 2010 figures. A summary of the report is available here, while the full report can be downloaded here.  Once again basic research and breeding of GM animals accounted for the lions share - 88% - … Continue reading Speaking of Research welcomes 2011 UK statistics for animal use in scientific research

Restoring vision in night blindness: Mice point way to stem cell therapy

Impaired vision and blindness are leading causes of disability, affecting over 3 million people in the USA today, so it’s no surprise that biomedical scientists are working hard to develop therapies to improve and restore vision.  Over the past few years we have discussed several therapies that have been developed to treat different types of … Continue reading Restoring vision in night blindness: Mice point way to stem cell therapy

Mice help scientists to understand the cancer genome

Yesterday I wrote about how studies carried out using genetically modified mice had enabled scientists to understand the role of the protein BLyS in the disease lupus, leading to the development of a new treatment, and last year I looked at how such studies were helping scientists to identify key genes that are involved in … Continue reading Mice help scientists to understand the cancer genome

Taming the Wolf: a new treatment for Lupus

Earlier today we posted a commentary on PeTA's misleading propaganda by Professor Anthony Garro of UMass Dartmouth.   At the time I mentioned that it was a pity that Prof. Garro was not able to write more about the role of animal research in 21st century medicine, but a recent story in Nature News provides an excellent … Continue reading Taming the Wolf: a new treatment for Lupus