A huge number of people perish each year across the globe due to a shortage of blood transfusion stocks. On paper, almost 55 million litres of blood is donated annually worldwide, but in reality, incompatibility between the blood types implies that a person may not always receive a transfusion. However, researchers at the University of British Columbia have discovered a method using which type A blood can be converted into type O universal blood type. 

Type O blood is compatible with anyone who has Rhesus (Rh) positive blood. Hence, it is considered as the universal blood type, since it can be transfused with anyone who has A+, B+, AB+, or O+ blood, which comprises [...]

The human brain is extremely fragile and equally bad at regenerating damaged cells. Be it an injury or a disease, the effects of brain neuron damage are mostly irreversible. Research led by the University ofPlymouth has uncovered a mechanism that can be used by neural StemCells, or NSCs to activate i.e restore to their original form. This will helpscientists assess the behaviour of the brain in order to develop effectivetreatments. 

Neural Stem Cells manufacture neurons, which are responsible fortransmitting messages between different sections of the brain.Furthermore, NSC also produce glial cells in the brain (which provideinsulation), so understanding the working of NSCs [...]

Melanoma is a type of cancer that begins in melanocytes (cells that make the pigment melanin). It can also occur in the eye, the intestines, or other areas of the body with pigmented tissues. Advanced Melanoma, however, means the melanoma has spread from where it started to another part of the body. It is also called stage 4 melanoma, and needless to say, it is fatal, with the chance of survival being 23 percent when the disease metastasizes to distant organs. As per recent news, a research team from UCLA has discovered a three-drug combination that can help with therapy of people suffering from a certain type of melanoma. 

The aforementioned [...]

Breast Cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer known to mankind, with more than 2.09 million woman affected by it each year. As per latest reports, Researchers at the John Hopkins University (USA) have discovered a test that can induce cancer cells to push through narrow spaces, helping them to predict the form of the malignant/non-malignant tumour. Furthermore, the test may also help to track the spread of the cancer to other sites.

The test has been patented with the name “Microfluidic Array for the quantification of Cell Invasion”, or MAqCI. The technique makes use of a device to analyze the primary features of metastasis (cancer that has spread to [...]

Brain Aneurysms are caused when there is a bulge in a blood vessel caused by a weakness in its wall. When blood flows through the weakened vessel, the pressure causes the area to bulge outwards and cause problems in the surrounding regions. They commonly occur in the abdominal aorta and the brain. Aneurysms can affect any number of people, ranging from 1 in 100 to 1 in 20. Since its treatment is difficult, surgery is usually avoided, but in select cases, it becomes a necessity. In a notable research study, a class of cancer-treatment drugs can be used to treat patients with brain aneurysms.

Scientists from the University of Sussex worked in a collaboration with researchers [...]

As per statistics, more than 370,000 people die of coronary heart disease annually. The disease refers to a narrowing of the coronary arteries that supply oxygen and blood to the heart. As per latest research reports, a kind of rare gene mutation may prevent major heart diseases. Previously, scientists have abstained from targeting apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene because it carries a risk of fatty liver disease. However, naturally occurring mutation suggests otherwise. 

The study was co-led by a researche from the Boston University of Public Health (BUSPH). The study unearths that protein truncating variants in the aforementioned apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene are directly linked [...]

Just 4 years after the mass production of Penicillin began, the world’s first antibiotic-resistant bacteria were discovered. Even today, Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can cause infections that are virtually untreatable, and therefore consequently fatal. A majority of bacterial strands are slowly growing resistant to the use of antibiotics. This may lead to an increase in infections worldwide in the coming years. However, researchers have investigated a category of viruses, known as Bacteriophages which may able to counter the aforementioned bacterial strands.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and Howard Hughes Medical [...]

In a world where Neurogenerative diseases affect millions of people worldwide, there is no significant cure that that can effectively help battle such diseases. In India alone, Multiple Sclerosis affects almost 1 million people yearly. As per latest news, Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have discovered a skin-related stem cell that can be used in the regeneration of myelin sheaths, which is an integral part of the human nervous system. 

Research performed on mice yielded positive results. Restoration of myelin sheaths in mice led them to believe that stem cells could be a much simpler alternative to using embryonic stem cells. Since the [...]

One of the major hurdles for scientists regarding the creation of human organs via 3D printing was the inability to print the complex vascular structure that can transfer nutrients to nearby tissues. Previously, a breakthrough was achieved in the form of a 3D printed heart, and as per recent reports, Bioengineers from the United States have overcome the aforementioned hurdle and have created a hydrogel model of a lung-mimicking air-pocket/sac, which has airways that can deliver oxygen to surrounding blood vessels.

The team was led by bioengineers from Rice University and University of Washington. The 3D printed lung was designed in such a way that it could include independent [...]

Parkinson’s disease was first mentioned in an essay in the year 1817 by Doctor James Parkinson. An estimated seven to 10 million people worldwide have Parkinson’s disease. Also, an estimated 4 percent of people with Parkinson’s are diagnosed before the age of 50, indicating that the disease can be cured at an early stage if a tangible cure exists. When dopamine levels decrease in the central nervous system, it causes abnormal brain activity, leading to the basic symptoms of the disease.

Although the disease is not fatal, it’s symptoms may lead to incidents that may be fatal in the long run. As per recent reports, researchers from Oxford’s Department of [...]

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), commonly known as drones have become very popular lately. Since their inception, they have been used for going into places where it is not feasible for a human to reach. In a recent breakthrough, a drone was used to deliver a kidney for a transplant in the University of Maryland (UMD) medical centre, USA. It is the first time in the world a feat like this has been achieved and it is said to have groundbreaking implications once it becomes mainstream.

On the 26th of April, 2019, a University of Maryland unmanned aircraft has delivered a donor kidney to surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center for successful [...]

Visits to the dentist are usually cumbersome and expensive, but the latest development from a team of engineers, dentists and biologists from the University of Pennsylvania have designed a crew of microrobots that can be deployed and controlled to remove the buildup of plaque between the teeth and gums. That is right, scraping and scratching with mechanical tools is not the only methods via which dental clean-ups can be performed.

The scientists have developed two different types of robotic systems for entirely varied purposes. One of them works on open surfaces, whereas the other system is designed specifically to operate inside closed spaces. The researchers showcased the [...]