Diseases

A research team, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has been selected as the recipient of a large-scale Social Science Korea (SSK) project of the National Research Foundation of Korea.

Cancer is a disease driven by mutations that alter the way biochemical signals control cell growth, division and migration. Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School found out that, like Goldilocks, cancer is very picky about getting rapid growth just right.

A research team, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has succeeded in generating bipotential self-renewing iVPCs by direct lineage conversion.

A research team, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) established an advanced direct conversion strategy to generate iMNs from human fibroblasts in large-scale with high purity, thereby providing a cell source for treatment of SCI.

A Singapore study finds patients with chronic kidney disease need tailored nutrition guidance, as well as better communication with doctors and family support, to empower them to manage their condition.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for cPass™ SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody Detection Kit on 6th November 2020.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (10 November 2020) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has partnered with leading healthcare knowledge provider, the BMJ, to launch a new online coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Information Centre for healthcare professionals tackling the pandemic.

Professor Hyug Moo Kwon, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has published a review paper at 'Nature Review Nephrology'.

A group of students, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has created a map to help track the spread of the COVID-19 in Ulsan region.

Innovators clinched 25 Gold Awards, 7 Best Innovation Awards, and 5 Foreign Special Awards at MTE2020 Special Edition : The COVID-19 International Innovation Awards

Scientists have revealed the molecular mechanism regulating the trafficking of lysosomes that increases the invasiveness of radioresistant cancer cells following radiotherapy.

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) scientists have invented a novel contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which enables real-time visualisation and detection of the size and number of amyloid-beta in the brain, a main hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The invention offers hope for early detection and large-scale routine screening of AD. It can also help to assess the efficacy of drugs used to treat it.

Study confirms bats adopt multiple strategies to reduce pro-inflammatory responses, thus mitigating potential immune-mediated tissue damage and disease. Findings provide important insights for medical research on human diseases.

Although most people are likely to accept a future vaccine against COVID-19 if one is proven safe and efficacious, the hesitancy of those who refuse vaccination could stall global efforts to achieve community immunity, suggests a study published in Nature Medicine.

Osaka City University detects cancer cells in 2ml blood samples and connects them back to their origin tumor – creating a new diagnostic tool that may aid in quicker and more accurate anti-cancer measures.

Osaka City University unravels the atomic architecture of the “Nap” protein complex found on Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Scientists have found an ingredient that makes a vaccine more effective through an approach more often seen in materials science – testing molecules that self-assemble into larger structures.

Scientists found out why people with Zellweger syndrome also get sick with genetic disorders linked to dysfunctions of the cilia or the cell’s “antenna.”

Supported by the donation of over HK$35 million from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) announced the results of the early phase of the CUHK Jockey Club Multi-Cancer Prevention Programme (the Programme) today. Since the commencement of the Programme in 2018, it has already provided screening services to over 3,000 eligible citizens. More than 70% of the participants were diagnosed either with adenoma or advanced adenoma through colonoscopy, while ten persons were diagnosed with colorectal cancer. For those who underwent colorectal cancer screening, almost all of them were willing to be screened for another type of cancer. Subsequently, 15 participants were diagnosed with breast cancer and another 37 participants were diagnosed with prostate cancer. The research team believes that the screening results demonstrated the effectiveness of the “one-stop multi-cancer screening” model and advocates the implementation of this model to the cancer screening programme in the future.

Deaths and major complications from diabetes have declined in older people over the last sixteen years but not at all in younger age groups, according to researchers from the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine). They analysed the data of 770,000 people with diabetes and found that over a 16-year period, the incidence of major complications such as coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke declined by up to 80%, and deaths declined by 50%. The declines were mainly among older people with diabetes. There were no improvements seen for those under the age of 45. Given the rising number of young people with diabetes and their high risks of complications and death, the research team calls for focused efforts to meet the needs of this group. Results of these studies have been published in medical journals including Cardiovascular Diabetology, Diabetologia, PLoS Medicine and Annals of Internal Medicine.

Compared to Minimally Invasive Surgery, Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) represents an advanced less-invasive endoscopic treatment for early gastrointestinal cancer. ESD has significant advantages as an organ preservation surgical treatment, but it is technically challenging with substantial risk of perforation and bleeding. The Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine) has been collaborating with researchers from Singapore since 2010 to develop a flexible endoscopic robotic system. This novel system was specifically designed to enhance the safety and efficacy of ESD for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer. Using the first prototype flexible endoscopic robot, our team at CU Medicine had successfully performed ESD for treatment of early gastric cancer in 2011. The flexible endoscopic robot is now further redesigned and developed for performing ESD in the colorectum– namely The EndoMaster EASE (Endoluminal Access Surgical Efficacy) System. CU Medicine led the world’s first clinical trial on robotic colorectal ESD using the EndoMaster EASE System which commenced in May this year and has demonstrated satisfactory outcomes thus far. Researchers believe this innovative technology will enhance advanced endoscopic resection and benefit more patients with early colorectal cancer who will require ESD treatment.

Pregnant mice fed diets high in omega-6 fats and low in omega-3 fats are shown in a new study to produce offspring whose brains had a higher level of dopamine-producing neurons—the neurological reward system. These mice went on to chase hyper-caloric diets, suggesting that the fats in a pregnant mother's diet may control the eating habits of her children, and potentially offering a new obesity-prevention strategy.

Conference will see leading regional thought leaders, policymakers, C-suite officers, senior and middle level hospital and healthcare, e-health, clinical operations, medical and nursing professionals convene to explore new ways to innovate and collaborate.

Hokkaido University scientists have shown that Interleukin-34 is a prognostic marker and drug target for Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

Uterine fibroid is a common benign gynaecological disease for women of reproductive age and often leads to heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain and pressure related symptoms. Both surgical and non-surgical treatment options, such as High-Intensity-Focused-Ultrasound (HIFU), are available for patients nowadays. The Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine) has developed a modified HIFU treatment protocol for patients with uterine fibroid. The innovative procedure implements a modified energy transmission protocol and oxytocin augmentation which has proved to provide better therapeutic outcomes than other non-surgical treatments. The findings were recently published in the international journal Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.

Under the “Saving the Lives of Healthcare Workers” project in the Philippines, ASSIST and Project HOPE will distribute kits of personal protective equipment (PPE) to select hospitals and health facilities in COVID-19 hotspots in the Philippines.

Duke-NUS spinout, PairX, led by US and Singapore scientists and investors, to advance immunotherapy biotech exclusively licensed from Duke-NUS.

Scientists from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea, discover a new way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease by analyzing the levels of specific proteins in nasal discharge. This simple and inexpensive method could help in timely diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, in order to start treatment as soon as possible, thus delaying disease progression.

A large cohort study conducted by the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine), in collaboration with investigators from the University of Sydney, Australia, has discovered that shortened DNA telomere length is a useful biomarker linked to a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes. The Endocrinology and Diabetes team of CU Medicine evaluated this biomarker in over 5,300 type 2 diabetes patients during a 13-year follow-up period. Patients with cardiovascular disease at baseline or during follow-up had shorter tail-ends of DNA strands, expressed as relative Leukocyte Telomere Length (rLTL), than those who never had cardiovascular disease. For each unit relative decrease in rLTL, the risk of cardiovascular disease increased by 25%. These results have been published in the leading diabetes journal, Diabetes Care.

In a May 2020 Webinar, Dr. Sam Shah, Global Digital Health Advisor and Consultant with UK’s National Health System (NHS) discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping healthcare with technology, specifically the response of UK’s NHS.