Cancer, despite being responsible for 1 in 6 deaths in 2015, is often misunderstood. Cancer is actually an umbrella term for many different diseases which share one characteristic: “The growth of abnormal cells beyond their usual boundaries that can then invade adjoining parts of the body and/or spread to other organs” – WHO 2017. Cancers…
Tag: medicine
Glioblastoma: Jessica’s Story (Guest Post)
Hello, my name is Jessica. Who am I? I am a mother of 2 young boys, under 5, but this isn’t about them. I’m just a proud mother. I’ll be 30 this year, and, unfortunately, on top of all that I have brain cancer. A grade IV glioblastoma to be exact. What were my symptoms?…
Cancer Factsheet: Glioblastoma and the Need for Targeted Cancer Therapies
What is Glioblastoma? Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive form of brain tumour. It is an extremely fast-growing cancer which has no known cure. Glioblastomas are named for the cells they form in; glial cells. Though the brain is best known for having billions of neurons, 90% of brain matter is made from glial…
Polymicrobial Diseases and Life as an Irish Man in Singapore: Exclusive Interview with Dr Damien Keogh
Modern medicine is outstanding. Cancer survival rates have doubled in the last 40 years (Cancer Research UK), paralysed patients can walk again and there has even been a child born with the DNA from 3 parents. Unfortunately, modern medicine also has a dark side, and we are in the midst of a losing battle. The enemy? Antimicrobial resistant…
If House MD Reached Transcendence – IBM’s Watson Can Now Diagnose Rare Diseases
Medical science uses some of the most advanced technologies known to man in order to understand, prevent and treat hundreds of thousands of ailments, illnesses and diseases. Remote Presence Robots, augmented reality and 3D bioprinting all have the potential to improve and personalize medical care in a myriad of ways and are some of the…
Swedish Scientist Attempts to Edit Genome of Healthy Embryo in World First
Earlier this year we reported that British scientists had been given the go ahead to begin gene editing on human embryos. Assistant Professor Fredrik Lanner of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm has beaten these scientists to the punch, and in a world-first has already attempted to edit the genome of a healthy embryo. Using Crispr-Cas9, a gene-editing technology first developed by Martin…