Vidcast: https://youtu.be/72z_nvozrdw
Today’s medical discoveries that point to future therapy.
Nanoturbocharging Antibiotics
Hydrogen Peroxide Boosts Radiation Therapy
Peptide Treats Croup and Pneumonia
Drug Boosts Immunity to Hepatitis B
Cutting Edge Wireless Implants
Avocado Therapy For Leukemia
As bacteria and fungi become more antibiotic-resistant, we need ever stronger drugs. Australian microbiologists have one solution by formulating the antibiotic tobramycin with a lipid liquid crystal nanoparticle that amplifies tobramycin’s killing potency 100,000 times when used against the dread bug pseudomonas living in a mucus coating called a biofilm. This discovery should revolutionize the management of cystic fibrosis in children.
University of Iowa researchers now report that the drug Avasopasem manganese makes cancer radiation therapy safer and more effective. This drug mimics a natural body enzyme and converts the toxin superoxide produced by the radiation into hydrogen peroxide that is harmless to normal cells but devastating to cancer cells. A preliminary clinical trial shows that adding Avasopasem to high dose radiation therapy nearly doubles the overall survival of pancreatic cancer patients.
Parainfluenza viruses that cause childhood pneumonias and croup can be blocked by a tiny peptide molecule that thwarts the virus’ ability to penetrate human cells. Biochemists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and New York’s Columbia University have fabricated and refined this peptide. It works well in animal models, and clinical trials won’t be far behind.
The cholesterol-lowering drug avasimibe blocks a liver enzyme that impedes our natural immunity against the hepatitis B virus. British immunologists now demonstrate that this drug blocks the enzyme acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase, ACAT for short, and permits T cells to wipe out the hepatitis virus responsible for cirrhosis of the liver and deadly liver cancer. Studies to test avisimibe’s anti-viral effectiveness lie ahead.
Bioengineers at Texas’ Rice University have developed pill-sized implantable electrical stimulators that can be activated and powered by a single wearable battery-powered electromagnetic transmitter. The stimulators can be harnessed and sequenced to trigger multiple nerves permitting those with spinal cord injuries to use their extremities and those with cardiac rhythm disturbances to enjoy functional heart pumping.
Avocados contain a compound that blocks the cancer cellular metabolism in those with acute myeloid leukemia or AML. Canadian nutraceutical scientists have discovered that avocatin B, a fatty compound unique to avocados, can block the VLCAD enzyme essential for survival of myeloid leukemia cells. Those patients with the highest levels of this enzyme would be expected to benefit most from avocado therapy when this nutraceutical undergoes clinical testing.
These and other cutting edge solutions are coming to your doctor’s office and our hospitals…….some day soon!
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.202
