Diseases
News
09 Sep 2024
Whether immunotherapy or conventional chemotherapy carries less mortality risk depends on BMI
09 Sep 2024
Seaweed helps brain health, Whales in long-distance relationships, Jumpstarting male fertility, Demystifying black hole turbulence, Shrimp to steel & Mpox Resources. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.
04 Sep 2024
Suppression of an enzyme might allow melanocytes to recover
03 Sep 2024
Feeder-free induced pluripotent stem cells hold hope in therapies for cats’ chronic kidney disease
29 Aug 2024
Survey of 10,000 Japanese adults reveal leading causes of burp-related disorders
27 Aug 2024
Specific nucleosides hinder replication of tumor cells in step toward cancer prevention
26 Aug 2024
The surprising discovery that cellular protein Gα13 may actually protect against—rather than promote growth of—the most commonly relapsing type of breast cancer signals potential for more effective and innovative treatments.
26 Aug 2024
A nonirritant, antibacterial solution to prevent oral inflammation may lie in citrus and coconut chemical compounds
23 Aug 2024
Mpox has now been reported in Asia. Asia Research News has compiled a small selection of resources for better understanding.
22 Aug 2024
A newly developed compound that reduces harmful inflammation in rats caused by overactive neutrophils shows great potential as a safer treatment for various inflammatory diseases in humans.

20 Aug 2024
Pathogens hijack host cell functions by expressing or secreting effector proteins, creating environments conducive to their survival and reproduction. These pathogenic microorganisms—including eukaryotic parasites, prokaryotic bacteria, and viruses—express effector proteins that function as their "ammunition depot". These proteins are crucial for pathogen survival and dissemination, enhancing the efficiency of invasion, suppressing the host's immune system, or initiating pathogen replication. For instance, viruses may interfere with host signaling pathways, pushing cells into states that favor viral replication. Similarly, certain bacteria secrete toxins that disrupt the host cell cytoskeleton, facilitating pathogen invasion and spread. Additionally, pathogens can evade immune surveillance by suppressing the host's immune response, thereby increasing the likelihood of a successful infection.
20 Aug 2024
A clinical trial conducted by Tohoku University researchers has lead to the approval of a treatment for patients with a rare, muscle-weakening disease called GNE myopathy.
16 Aug 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are the ‘holy grail’ of insulin treatments, a new species that ate like a walrus, and keeping cool in smart, adaptive clothing.
05 Aug 2024
An experimental approach based on universal multi-branch general-purpose convolutional neural network
02 Aug 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are gene transplants that help flies live longer, a COVID-19 treatment using embryonic stem cells, and how a frog named after Darwin likes to get it on.
02 Aug 2024
Ecklonia cava, a brown algae seaweed, is shown to have the ability to protect against neurodegeneration
30 Jul 2024
Applied Microbiology International has announced that it has recruited 11 new Global Ambassadors from around the world.
26 Jul 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are the smallest and lightest drone that can pave the way for new models, how good intentions may have provoked a heatwave, and how eating fruit can stave off depression.
26 Jul 2024
The anti-tumor drug indisulam has shown promise both in cell cultures and in animal studies. However, clinical trials have shown fewer clear-cut results. Scientists from Hiroshima University Hospital have been researching the reasons behind this resistance to it.
16 Jul 2024
Combination of venetoclax and azacitidine helps patients with AML who relapse after hematopoietic cell transplant
12 Jul 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how diversity in genetics and our microbiome influences our health, and how the shape of ice makes it slippery
10 Jul 2024
Researchers from Japan discover a new enzyme with promising antibacterial activity
09 Jul 2024
First epidemiological study on incidence of EoE in Japan
14 Jun 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how drug-resistant bacteria survive in space, omnipresent microplastics, and a glowing treatment for brain tumors.
07 Jun 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are new biomarkers for fish, quantum theory showing fewer black holes, and how complaining can be beneficial.
24 May 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how catching up on sleep in big chunks does not completely pay our sleep debt, a biodegradable paper placed on the brain to help with neurological diseases, and a dinosaur that shows the transition between scales and feathers.
22 May 2024
Novel real-time PCR method might become diagnostic tool targeting emerging bacterium responsible for food poisoning outbreaks
19 Apr 2024
When epileptic patients suffer seizures, their brain is undergoing repetitive and excessive neuronal firing. But what triggers this has stumped scientists for years. Now, researchers have used fluorescence calcium sensors to track astrocytes' role in epileptic seizures, finding that that astrocyte activity starts approximately 20 seconds before the onset of epileptic neuronal hyperactivity.
12 Apr 2024
Zika virus vaccine targets brain cancer, 120-year quest to farm lobsters, Arctic nightlife bursts with sound, Eating a robot, Molecular orientation is key & New treatment for ALS and dementia. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.
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Researchers
Duke-NUS Medical School
Prof. Patrick Tan's research focuses on developing genomic approaches to unlock the molecular and clinical diversity of gastric cancer (aka stomach cancer)- a leading cause of global cancer mortality.
Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST)
Prof. Jinsoo Seo's research focuses on mechanisms of cellular dysfunction and cognitive decline in aging brain, genetic risk factors for neurodegeneration as well as the effect of environmental factors and lifestyle on Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Indika Neluwa-Liyanage is a lecturer in Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of University of Sri Jayewardenepura. His research focuses on the metabolic alterations underlying autism spectrum disorders and inherited metabolic disorders.
Dr. Mohammed N. Abdulrazaq is currently an Assoc. Prof. at Department of Engineering & Technology, Management & Science University (MSU), Malaysia.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Dr. Connie Cassy Ompok is an early childhood education expert and a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology and Education, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. She Started her career in Early Childhood Education as a preschool teacher (2004-2007), a lecturer in early childhood education at the Malaysian Institute of Teacher Education (2008-2016) before serving as a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at UMS (2016 until now).
Currently a research assistant in the laboratory of green energy in Zhejiang University of Technology.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
Dr Paul Cliff Simon Divis is the director of Malaria Research Centre at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).
I do research on dysmennorrhoea and gender-based violence. I am a pioneer in registered clinical trials on indigenous and Ayurveda medicines in Sri Lanka. I have approval for a herbal preparation, for COVID patients.
I am an Assistant Professor in Health Services Policy and Management at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health, US. As a health services researcher and a rural health advocate, I am driven to advance rural health equity via productive, insightful research collaborations. My work applies global and hyper-local perspectives (rural-urban, county-level, state-level variations) building statistical models to examine rural healthcare delivery on outcomes, access, and welfare of women.
Duke-NUS Medical School
Professor Linfa Wang is a Professor with the Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Associate Professor Sophia Archuleta is the Head and Senior Consultant of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the National University Hospital, Singapore.
Mangala Gunatilake is a veterinarian and professor at the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Nimanthi Jayathilaka is a professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
Dr NK Prasanna is currently working as Sr. Scientist & Editor, Indian Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Research Journals Division at CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research, New Delhi. Before joining CSIR (NIScPR), she was at IIT Guwahati. Dr Prasanna completed her Ph.D from Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
In CSIR-NIScPR, She served one important flagship journals viz. Indian journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IJBB; ISSN: 0301-1208) It is pertinent to mention that the journal ranks first among all the NIScPR journals as per the available Journal Metrics by international agencies such as Thomson Reuters and Scopus. Details of remarkable academic achievements of IJBB which she spearheading, both nationally and globally. The Indian journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IJBB) is a premier SCI-indexed bimonthly peer-reviewed research journal that publishes original research articles in the subject area of biochemistry and biophysics
Hira Khalid is an associate professor at the Department of Chemistry of Forman Christian College University, Lahore, Pakistan.
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Dr Heo is currently a senior lecturer at the Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
Duke-NUS Medical School
Dr. Tazeen Jafar is a global health leader and expert with a focus on implementation research in hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease.
Hokkaido University
Postdoctoral fellow, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Japan
Duke-NUS Medical School
Dr Danielle Anderson is the Scientific Director of the Duke-NUS Medical School ABSL3 laboratory.
Tohoku University
A professor at the Bone Regenerative Engineering Laboratory, Regenerative and Biomedical Engineering Division, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Japan
Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) at Kyoto University
My research background covers multidisciplinary fields such as Pharmaceutics, Cancer Nanomedicine, Bioengineering and Organ-on-a-chip platforms. My current research focuses on the development of dynamic biological barriers on a chip such as blinking human cornea on a chip.
Hokkaido University
Hidemitsu Kitamura is an associate professor at the Section of Disease Control, the Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Japan.
Professor Ahmed Al-Haddad, M.Sc., Ph.D. (Germany) is currently Professor of Microbiology and Medical Microbiology at College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hadhramout University-Yemen.
He is the Founding-Dean of the first Faculty of Nursing in Yemen. He has over fifteen years of research and teaching experience in various domains of life sciences.
Al-Haddad has published many peer reviewed articles and conference papers in the areas of molecular biology, microbiology and antibiotics in National and International journals.
He is reviewer in different national and international Scientific Journals such as Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials, Journal of Microbiology and Antimicrobials, Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, British Biotechnology Journal.
He is a member of various national and international scientific organizations.
Tohoku University
Viteroretinal surgeon working on developing treatments for retinal dystrophies and many other retinal diseases.
Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU)
Dr. Simon Quan-Bin Han is an Assistant Professor at the School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University.
Kanazawa University
Dept of Medical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Kanazawa University
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Kartini Ilias is a senior lecturer and clinical psychologist in Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Selangor.
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
Professor in Electrical Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
Prof. Dr. Francisco J. Barrantes is the Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, BIOMED UCA-CONICET, Buenos
Aires, Argentina.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
Professor, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Giants in history
Filipina paediatrician and scientist Perla Santos-Ocampo (25 July 1931 – 29 June 2012) made important contributions to treatments and policies that curbed debilitating and sometimes deadly diarrhoea-related diseases and malnutrition in children.
Singaporean physician Oon Chiew Seng (1916 – 31 March 2022) advanced dementia care and research in Singapore, and co-founded the Apex Harmony Lodge, the nation’s first nursing home for residents with dementia.
Vietnamese surgeon Tôn Thất Tùng (10 May 1912 – 7 May 1982) developed a pioneering technique that reduced the risks and mortality rate of liver operations.
Ruby Sakae Hirose (1904 – 1960) was a Japanese-American scientist whose research contributed significantly to our understanding of blood clotting, allergies and cancer.
Iranian physician and bacteriologist Azar Andami (8 December 1926 – 19 August 1984) developed a cholera vaccine to combat an outbreak that swept through the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, and Africa in 1937.
Michiaki Takahashi (17 February 1928 – 16 December 2013) was a Japanese virologist who developed the first chickenpox vaccine.
Irene Ayako Uchida’s (8 April 1917 – 30 July 2013) strides to understand genetic diseases such as Down syndrome paved the way for early screening of chromosomal abnormalities in foetuses.
Baron Kitasato Shibasaburo (29 January 1856 – 13 June 1931) was a Japanese physician and bacteriologist whose work led to a new understanding of preventing and treating tetanus, diphtheria and anthrax.
By isolating soil microorganisms and studying the compounds they produce, Satoshi Omura (born 1935) discovered almost 500 organic compounds with unique properties that were produced by these microorganisms, including many new antibiotics.
Chinese-American virologist and molecular biologist Flossie Wong-Staal (27 August 1946 – 8 July 2020) was the first scientist to clone HIV and determine the function of its genes.
Maharani Chakravorty (1937 – 2015) was one of India’s earliest molecular biologists whose research paved the way for advances in the treatment of bacterial and viral infections.
Husband and wife team, Kimishige (3 December 1925 – 6 July 2018) and Teruko Ishizaka (28 September 1926 – 4 June 2019) discovered the antibody class Immunoglobulin E (IgE) that triggers allergic reactions. They also discovered that IgE antibodies attach to white blood cells, known as mast cells, releasing histamine, which causes allergic reactions.
Japanese chemist Takamine Jokichi (3 November 1854 – 22 July 1922) founded the Tokyo Artificial Fertilizer Company, where he isolated a starch-digesting enzyme (named takadiastase) from the fungus Aspergillus oryzae.
Lim Boo Liat (21 August 1926 – 11 July 2020), a leading authority in the conservation of Malaysia’s biological diversity, had his initial interest in the outdoors piqued by nature lessons in school. Lim, who helped found the National Zoo of Malaysia and re-establish the Malaysian Nature Society, had a particular interest in researching zoonotic diseases associated with small animals.
A pioneer of bio-organic chemistry, Darshan Ranganathan (4 June 1941 – 4 June 2001) is remembered for developing a protocol for synthesising imidazole, a compound used to make antifungal drugs and antibiotics. Widely considered India’s most prolific researcher in chemistry, she also published dozens of papers in renowned journals on protein folding, molecular design, chemical simulation of key biological processes, and the synthesis of functional hybrid peptides and nanotubes.
Indian scientist and physician Upendranath Brahmachari (19 December 1873–6 February 1946) is best known for creating a drug called Urea Stibamine, used to safely and reliably treat visceral leishmaniasis (or Kala-azar), a severe infection caused by the Leishmania parasite.
Filipino chemist and pharmacist Manuel A. Zamora (29 March 1870 – 9 July 1929) is best remembered for his discovery of the tiki-tiki formula to combat beriberi, a disease caused by Vitamin B1 deficiency.
Indian organic chemist Asima Chatterjee (1917 to 2006) studied the medicinal properties of plant products, especially compounds known as vinca alkaloids.
Tu Youyou (born 30 December 1930) is a Chinese pharmaceutical scientist who was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her work on extracting artemisin from sweet wormwood to treat malaria.
Umetaro Suzuki (7 April 1874 – 20 September 1943) was a Japanese scientist best remembered for his research on beriberi, a disease caused by vitamin B1 deficiency, characterized by limb stiffness, paralysis and pain.
Salimuzzaman Siddiqui (19 October 1897 – 14 April 1994) was an artist and chemist from Pakistan whose research focused on natural products from plants.
Barry Paw (29 August 1962 – 28 December 2017) was a biologist and oncologist who discovered several novel genes and their functions in red blood cells.